# 'Sneezing' pigeon



## petewalton (Jul 19, 2005)

Hi,

I would be grateful for any comments anyone can give to put my mind at rest. My pigeon Trude spends most of the day sitting on my balcony, and recently she has started 'sneezing' intermittently. I bring her in whenever this happens and she normally stops within a short while.

I had put this down to the cold, but she has also done it when it's quite warm (hayfever?). Is this normal or something to me concerned about.

Also, Trude hadn't been making much noise until recently (she was quite young when I found her), but the other day it sounded as though her voice had broke when I suddenly heard her practicing coos for the first time (this was actually quite freaky at first!). Since then I can at times hear her breathing as if she were wheezing, however this stops as soon as I get her attention. I'd be grateful if anyone could put my mind at rest about this too.

Thanks,
Pete

As an update to my last post about the pigeon which miraculously flew into her cage for a short visit. The pigeon has been back once, but only briefly landed on top of the cage this time. There's also a pair of the same breed who sit in the tree behind my flat every day now, and Trude gets excited when she sees them.


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Thank you for sharing the picture. What a sweet looking bird!

I know Trude is a wood pigeon, so I'm not sure if their symptoms are identical to regular pigeons.

Can you open her beak and see if there is any mucus, or stringy flem hanging from top to bottom mandables? Any discharge coming from the eye's or nose?

The sneezing may be nothing, as mine will do that in the morning, especially after they drink. But, when you said she was wheezing then it may be something respiratory, which would require a diagnosis.


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

Hi Pete,

Pigeons normally sneeze on average twice an hour, but some of my own pigeons have sneezed much more frequently than that. Sneezing and wheezing can be caused by air sac mites but there would also be other symptoms. That is treated with Ivermectin by injection. but you could have the droppings tested for mite eggs.

My own view is that that the time to worry would be if there was discharge from the nose or eyes, there was open mouth breathing or the sneezing became excessive or if the pigeon lost weight.

Hawkeye sneezed a lot and his feathers were stained from where he wiped his eyes and nostrils ...that will usually indicate that there is something wrong. In his case it is damaged sinuses from the hawk attack.

Pigeons' voices break at around 8 weeks. At that stage feral pigeons sound as if they are quacking, I haven't heard it happen in a wood pigeon. When it first happened to one of my rescues I thought it was some sort of terrible disease!

Will you be releasing her? If so, it is a good thing that she recognises her own kind!

Cynthia


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## petewalton (Jul 19, 2005)

Sorry for the late reply. Have checked Trude and she seems not to have any mucous or discharge and the wheezing as stopped.

Re releasing her, I'd like to but I don't think she's strong enough for the wild (the bottom of her left wing still hangs slightly and conmpared to other pigeons in the wild she seems to be a lot slower of a flyer) but would like to find somewhere for her where she can be with other pigeons.

Thanks for you expert help yet again
Pete


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Do you have a way to weigh this bird on a scale that reads in grams? Often, when they're not strong flyers it's because they're a bit on the thin side. Is the keel (breastbone) very pronounced or are the breasts well-fleshed out?

Pidgey


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