# Pigeon Lying / Sitting Down Frequently



## Howard Nye (Oct 14, 2009)

Hello,

My pigeon Philly has been sitting / lying down a lot lately (in the position pigeons commonly sit down when they're sleeping or nesting). I've had him for about three years (he was found with a broken wing that rendered him non-releasable) and he lives with me in our strictly indoor environment (he and the my other pigeons have a large bedroom to themselves). For the first year I had Philly he had a bad case of worms; when we cured that he got really perky and actually became the dominant bird. He has a mate with whom he takes turns sitting on (false) eggs. Of course he sits down when he's on the eggs, but I've been noticing that even when he's off egg duty he seems to be spending more time sitting down than I remember him doing in the past and more time sitting down than the other birds seem to do. 

Apart from this he doesn't seem too tired / lethargic, although he didn't seem to be running around as fast or as much as I thought he used to when I'm doing things in his territory. He's still hopping up on his perches, preening, taking his shifts on the eggs, etc. I also don't think I've noticed him sleeping more than the other birds; when he's sitting down he seems primarily to be relaxing while awake. I also think that his droppings have been normal - I haven't found any of the kind of watery droppings in his territory that he had two years ago when he had the bad case of worms. 

We've got an appointment with our vet next Tuesday. I was just wondering if anyone here had any thoughts about what if anything might be ailing Philly (or whether this could be normal behavior), and what if anything we might try to look for at the vet's appointment. I'd be most grateful for any advice / suggestions / help you might be able to give me.

Thank you so much!
Howard


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

maybe at his three year stage he is relaxing more..feeling more confident and safe. pigeons do like to do that and perhaps it is not done as much when they are young wipper snappers.


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

[BAny other symptoms?

]Is he eating as well(good appetite) as he usually does? Are there lots of droppings? [/B]


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## Howard Nye (Oct 14, 2009)

Hi Spirit Wings,

Yes; I'm certainly hoping that that's all it is - that he's feeling more confident and comfortable, and perhaps just that he's fully grown up now. 


Hi Skyeking,

Besides sitting more often and perhaps being a bit less active (although as I said he doesn't really seem lethargic) I don't think I've noticed anything. The only thing I can think of is that I did see him shaking his head from side to side a bit, and when he got on the nest with the eggs I did notice him doing what looked like pecking down at one area of the nest before he re-positioned himself. I'll try to monitor his eating and droppings more closely (unless I actually see him eating and having droppings it's hard to tell if it's him or his mate), but I don't think I've noticed him eating any less or having any fewer droppings. I'll be sure to look out for that tonight when I freshen up the food (since he usually likes to come and eat right when I put out fresh seeds).

I'll post any updates I have on my end.


Thanks to both of you!
Howard


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## Howard Nye (Oct 14, 2009)

*Heavy breathing?*

Hi,

I was just looking at Philly and it looked like he might be breathing a bit heavily. It might have been because I'd just turned on the lights in his room and he looked like he thought I might be coming towards him. But I thought about it and it seemed to me that perhaps he had been breathing more heavily than I'd remembered in the past and perhaps more heavily than some of the other birds. I'm going to keep monitoring him, but if he is breathing more heavily would that be likely to be due to a respiratory or heart problem? I've seen his mate breathe heavily when she's in the process of laying eggs, but I assume that for males there's nothing usual (except perhaps excitement / stimulation) that would go along with heavy breathing.

I'll keep an eye on this, but again if anyone has any thoughts / suggestions / help I'd be most grateful.

Thanks again,
Howard


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

*Make sure he gets a drop of organic apple cider vinegar(this is always good to keep the ph where it needs to be) in his drinking water for crop issues (shaking of the head might suggest this) , also check for canker-which needs to be addressed asap. If he has issues with breathing it could also be respiratory issues/infection. For that he would need antibiotics.*


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