# Baby possibly blind?



## Citizenofnowhere (Aug 7, 2020)

Found this lil guy or gal in my city about to be seriously hurt on the busy street . Saved him ,brought him home . Determined he's about 20 days old baby . I have no experience raising bby pigeons , he's eating well , he seems healthy , im feeding him formula . But he is constantly bobbing his head , even when i found him he was doing it . I find it especially increases when he's nervous. He doesnt really walk much , i put him in a box , i let him out during feeding . He's also very clumsy and doesnt react to visual stimuly very much , like bright light , i can literally put my hand right next to his eyeball and he wont blink . Is this normal behavoiur for a baby pigeon , im starting to think he's blind , maybe that's why he fell out of the nest in the first place ?


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## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

Can you post a photo of him especially the eyes? Do you feed him with a cut-off syringe as shown in youtube videos? Even if it turns out that he is blind, with a lot of patience you will be able to teach him how to eat by himself.


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## Citizenofnowhere (Aug 7, 2020)

Well , i was going to take him to the veterinary to determine it for sure , i was just hoping that this was maybe normal behaviour so i dont have to go...guess i do . You cant tell anything from the pic he looks perfectly normal , hes just odd , doesnt react etc. Yes im feeding him the right way . I dont know what his future will be ....if he is blind... im currently in pilot school , living alone in an apartment and my career will be one of constant travel . I hope this wont be the case with all my heart.


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## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

Please don't let the vet euthanize him, they probably will if it turns out he is blind. If you are on FB, there are a few sites you can post to get him adopted. Try Palomacy Help Group for Pigeon and Dove rescue or Pigeon rescue and rehabilitation. There are members with blind pigeons that might adopt him. He can live a good life even if blind. Keep us updated plse.


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## Colombina (Jan 22, 2017)

Hi, I have a blind pigeon, Geordi. He is blind since his birth, I adopted him from my vet in summer 2015.

Geordi always moves his head listening to any noise. I attach a few pics, does your bird move his head like that? 

Even if Geordi is blind, he has a good life. He has a strong character (he is not shy, he has a great determination), he is a warrior! I think that he is a happy pigeon. 
I would be glad to share my experience with you if you are interested in it. 

If you can't keep him, you could look for a loving family for him. I know that it could be a bit complicated but with a little patience you will find the good person. 
Just a few ideas. 
You could post a message in the adoption section of the forum.
Any animal association which could help? If you have a trusted vet you could ask him/her if he knows someone interested in adopting a blind pigeon. 

Please keep us updated.


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## Citizenofnowhere (Aug 7, 2020)

He for sure wont be euthanized . I do ponder what his life will be like tho , having no vision , unable to fly...kind of a crappy life for a bird thats meant to roam and be free . If i can find him a home that would be great, but i live in Europe , Croatia ,unfortunately, so my options are fairly limited. I dont wanna jump to conclusion yet, I'm just worried for him now. Im trying to be optimistic but the fact that his eye has no reaction to anything is not looking good. Each time i try and poke him i wish for him to blink to give me some reaction at least but so far no luck .


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## Citizenofnowhere (Aug 7, 2020)

Lol , Geordi is one thick boi , im happy that he's happy and maybe you're right- animals are stronger than we give them credit for. How did you first know he was blind ? Is it time consuming taking care of him, how does he eat ? Thanks for being so kind to that bird , il do my best to take care of my lil guy myself but my life is so complicated right now .


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## Colombina (Jan 22, 2017)

The vet sent me an email saying that he was looking for a family for a baby pigeon with eyesight problems. He thought he was blind...we adopted him and, yes, he is totally blind.

I have to hand feed him twice a day (I learned what is the best method, it does not take a lot of time and the best food for him). I also have to offer him water many times a day (I put the water bowl against his chest: in this way he understands that I'm offering him water and, if thirsty, he drinks). He is not independent with food but in the right condition he is able to eat a few seeds on his own.
In my experience these are the two best options :

1) put a good amount of seeds against a surface. For example Geordi is able to eat a few seeds pecking at them against the mirror on the dresser;

2) fill a flower pot saucer (I use rectangular plastic flower pot saucers for my birds) with a large amount of seeds.

Sometimes he drinks on his own (for example, when you put him on a table and he finds the water bowl that you left there for him). Same thing for bath. 

He does not live in a cage. He walks a lot (you can find him around the apartment!) but often in circles (he has difficulties in going straight), he tries to fly but he just flies backwards so he often hits his tail against furniture, etc. 

He learned his name (as all birds), when you call him he starts to move his head then walks or turns in circles and answers (btw he "talks" a lot, he doesn't like silence). He recognizes the different members of our family. He doesn't like staying alone. Sometimes, when he is sitting on his sofa alone, he goes on the floor and comes to the room where we are.

He loves sleeping on pillows! 

When I have to travel he always comes with me. 

Yes, he is really strong and confident. He is not sad or passive or timorous. You should see him!
I try to give him the best possible life, a life as normal as possible.

I hope you can find the right person: a patient person ready for a lifetime commitment.
Honestly I'm really proud of Geordi!


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## Citizenofnowhere (Aug 7, 2020)

So are 1) and 2) the ways you feed him ? What is your role in feeding him like that ,i suppose you have to keep guiding him to the food , keep him from wandering off ? Can I feed him bread instead of seeds , thats what usually i feed pigeons outside ? Do his eyes look normal , maybe you can show me? So every day he needs your help to eat and drink ? Wouldnt keeping him in a cage make it easier for him to learn the layout and posibly feed and drink on his own ?


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## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

Don't feed him bread, no nutrition and he will get sour crop from it. If you find handfeeding seeds too time consuming, then you can feed him defrosted green peas (defrost in lukewarm water till soft). You can feed him 30 to 40 peas 3 times a day, total of 90 to 120 peas every day. Once you get the hang of it, the feeding goes very quick.

I've read that you can keep blind pigeons in a cage with the seed and water bowls always in the same spot. Start by putting the seed bowl against his chest and play with the seeds by using your fingers. Do this when he is really hungry and he might start pecking. They like to drink water after eating, so do the same with water. You can also dip the tip of his beak (not over the nostrils cause he might aspirate) to get him to drink.

This will take time and a lot of patience. Also, he is used to not being able to see, have never been able to fly. So all of this is normal to him. Let us know how he is doing.


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## Colombina (Jan 22, 2017)

Citizenofnowhere said:


> So are 1) and 2) the ways you feed him ? What is your role in feeding him like that ,i suppose you have to keep guiding him to the food , keep him from wandering off ? Can I feed him bread instead of seeds , thats what usually i feed pigeons outside ? Do his eyes look normal , maybe you can show me? So every day he needs your help to eat and drink ? Wouldnt keeping him in a cage make it easier for him to learn the layout and posibly feed and drink on his own ?


He is able to eat only some seeds with methods 1) and 2).
As they are not enough, I have to hand feed him twice a day every day (lunch and dinner). We use the "shovel method" (I have someone who helps me), we usually give him 22 small "shovels" of a mixture of seeds and dried legumes (the seeds /legumes must be not too big or too small). It takes about 10 minutes.

When I put him on a table, etc with a flower pot saucer filled with seeds he walks inside it and starts pecking at them. He is able to find water and food bowls on his own if you left them there for him. He loves a lot walking and hates staying in a cage (when I'm here in France I put him in a box for sleeping at night... He really hates it!). Even if I put him on the table at some point he flies down it and starts to walk around home...
So I have to offer him water...As I said I put the water bowl against his chest, if he is thirsty he drinks. He is really "communicative" because when he is thirsty and we are holding him in our hand he starts to move his head up and down: it means that he wants to drink. Btw, he is really smart, sometimes he seems to be saying "I'm blind not stupid 😅 " . 

I have never kept him in a cage so he really hates it. Of course, that's just my own choice. You could keep him in a cage, surely he will learn to drink on his own. 

I attach a photo so you can see the eyes. They look opaque and" flat".


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## Colombina (Jan 22, 2017)

I attach a pic of a flower pot saucer (method 2): fill it with a large variety of seeds and dried legumes and start putting your bird inside it. You can stimulate him to start pecking at seeds tapping your finger between them, I always do that with babies.

You can also put a good amount of seeds (you can make also a pile of seeds) against a surface like for example a mirror (method 1)and tap there with your fingers. 

I forgot to say that Geordi uses his beak like a white cane. Also I forgot to say that all his other senses are sharpened (he carefully listens to any noise, etc).


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## Citizenofnowhere (Aug 7, 2020)

Ah , i understand what you mean now , i should actually make him stand in his food . Does he close his eyes when going to sleep ? Im not fully convinced my lil one is blind yet but like i said before ,he seems way to chill when objects come near him unless theres noise involved . Im also becoming more certain that i judged his age poorly. Could he possibly be to young to judge danger and thus not blind at all just a regular squab ? I hoped more people woukd weigh in with their thoughts , i do greatly appreciate yours but the more the better. Heres a pic , how old would you say he/she is?


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## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

He looks about 3 to 4 weeks old. Those missing feathers under the beak looks concerning. Is he eager to be fed and has a good appetite? Missing feathers can be a sign of canker, a disease common amongst youngsters. So he might be sick, that's why he is unresponsive. Other symptoms: drinking lots of water, difficulty swallowing, sometimes yellowish growths in back of throat (you can check for this by using a flashlight), lacking a good appetite.

Btw, so many expert members have left this forum, most are on those FB sites.


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## Citizenofnowhere (Aug 7, 2020)

His apetite is excellent....should i take him to the vet ? What is canker ? The back of his throat ...i really cant say ...btw he doesnt drink water , i give him formula ofc mixed with water....am i doing something wrong? Pls respomd quickly ,im so worried now


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## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

All pigeons have canker in their system, and when feeding their young it gets transmitted to the babies. The babies still have low immunity and when the canker starts multiplying they get sick. Stress can also trigger this to happen. Fledging is very stressfull for youngsters, that's why so many of them get sick.

If the appetite is good, then he is probably fine. You can google "canker in pigeons" and get familiar with the disease so that you know what to look out for. At least this can easily be treated with metronidazole.


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## Colombina (Jan 22, 2017)

Of course, Geordi closes his eyes when he is sleeping.

I attach a photo of my pigeon Hastings when was a baby (someone found him and his sister in the street and brought them to my vet. I adopted both of them), he was perfectly healthy but as you can see the feathers look similar. Personally I don't think you need to worry about. Having an excellent appetite is also a good sign. 

If the baby bird formula does not contain vitamins, minerals, etc you could buy a complete vitamin supplement and add it to the water that you use to make his formula.

Something similar to Omni-vit Oropharma would be good:

https://www.versele-laga.com/en/gb/oropharma/products/oropharma-omnivit

Btw, yes, as the formula contains water it's normal that he does not feel the need to drink. 

Anyway, I really hope that he is not blind. If he is not blind you can release him when he will be older.


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## Citizenofnowhere (Aug 7, 2020)

Thanks for the information , pigeons are lucky to have people like you in their corner. I will post updates , cheers .


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## Citizenofnowhere (Aug 7, 2020)

Well , its been what ? 10 days ? He should be 30-35 days old now , his appereance hardly changed , apetite was good until 2 days ago when he absolutely refuses to eat out of the tube anymore even tho he begs for food ? Idk what to do , advice ? This is driving me crazy , you people are saints i can hardly find patience for this anymore . Its all work , no reward .Im not saying im giving up bit definetiley if another needy bird crosses my path i might lokk the ither way as horrible as that sounds . Anyway , dies he maybe need to switch to solid food now ?


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## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

He is now at weaning age, normal for them to start refusing to be fed. Put him in a large flat bowl filled with seeds (as Columbina suggested). Let him feel the seeds under his feet. Then start playing with the seeds so that it makes a sound. He will start pecking. Do the same with a bowl of water. 

No reward? You have saved his life! With a lot of patience he will start eating. Is there nobody close to you that can adopt him? Will need to be someone with a lot of free time and willing to care for him long term.


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## Citizenofnowhere (Aug 7, 2020)

Oh yeah , about that , I'm pretty sure he's not blind . He started climbing some boxes intently, as in - he knew where to step , he wasnt just flopping around . That and some other signs have me leaning more towards that conclusion . I dont feel comfortable with seeds yet , some people have said peas are good at this stage ?


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## Citizenofnowhere (Aug 7, 2020)

Update on peas:
Disaster 
Wont esat by himself
Wont eat when i feed him 
Ate maybe 5 of them which i had to literally shove in his throat


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## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

Peas are quite easy to feed when you get the hang of it. Just put him on your lap (facing to the right if you are righthanded). Reach with your lefthand over his body and head and open the beak with those fingers. Have a pea ready in your righthand and put deep inside the beak for him to swallow. If he spits it out, you need to put the pea deeper inside the beak. 30 to 40 peas 3 times a day will do fine.

Put down a mirror for him and check his reaction? That will be the best way to check if he is blind or not. Does he seem fine otherwise?


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## Citizenofnowhere (Aug 7, 2020)

Sounds easy , but is not . He is squirming and rolling like im feeding him poison , 30 -40 peas ? In your dreams . But how will this prepare him to live on his own ? I saw a smaller pigeon than him gulping peas by the mouthful , its so so frustrating when he's screaming but he wont make any effort to eat ,sometimes i just feel like smacking him . Ugh , I'll try and feed him his old liquid mix and somehow introduce peas gradually , if that doesnt work i will loose my mind . Cuz he won't eat that too , my goodnes youd think a wild animal would at least be good at eating , this sucker has to be force fed , perhaps i should starve him a little to induce apetite?


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## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

They quickly learn to eat peas by themselves and then one can start adding small seeds. Eventually he will start eating more seeds and less peas until he only eat the seeds. So do you think he is blind or not?


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## John B (Sep 27, 2012)

You smack bird, I'll teach bird to smack human.


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## Citizenofnowhere (Aug 7, 2020)

I have no idea , sometimes it looks that way . My frame of reference is non existent so its hard to tell i.e. i never raised a pigeon before.I guess we'll know soon enough .


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## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

Did you put down a mirror for him? So he acts hungry, but refusing food? Is he drinking water?


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## Citizenofnowhere (Aug 7, 2020)

Yes i put him in front of a mirror but tbh that doesnt really matter and i dont think its a good idea , i had parrots when i was younger and they didnt care much for the mirror either. So after a lengthy tug of war trying to open his beak and him pulling away i managed to slip about 15 peas in his throat . Again , I lost an hour doing that plus an hour more cleaning up his poop . I cant keep this up anymore , im imploring you good souls to help me find him a home . Im a 21 year old student living in a rented apartment alone i cant do this anymore . Its even more mentally exhausting because I'm now quite sure he is blind . My country is Croatia , idk what to do ...... I'm willing to travel if possible but obviously with this whole covid **** its gonna be difficult, ugh i just wanna scream
UPDATE ON WHY I THINK HE'S BLIND: I TRIED STICKING MY FINGER IN HIS EYE AND EVERYTIME HE DOESNT SEE IT COMING .


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## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

If you are on FB, you can post in this group: Palomacy Help Group for pigeon and dove rescue and adoptions. They might have a member in your country that hopefully will take him. When you post, please add a photo and give your exact location.

You know, his survival now depends on you. You were keen to save him, but it seems now the thrill is over and he is becoming a burden to you. Please don't give up on him. If you were in my country, I would definitely have taken him.


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## Citizenofnowhere (Aug 7, 2020)

He is a burden , i will be honest because after my dog died i promised myself i wouldnt commit emotionally to another animal ever in my life , i was fine taking care of him until he flies off but im not ready to do this for the next 10 years , im a student for gods sake i dont have time for that , i have a life to build ,a career to chase ...he needs a full time caretaker . There was never a thrill , i just felt it was my duty as a living being to save another living being ,simple as that ,call it a moral obligation. I wont give up on him but i need to find a solution and thats not him staying with me forever and i need to find it quick . What is your country ? Im honestly willing to fly to you if you agree to take him,if covid situation allows it? But i will try the palomacy thing first , thanks .


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## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

I'm in South Africa, that's really a distance! Please try the Palomacy site, those members are really helpful. I will also check in their search section if I can find posts made by members in Croatia.


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## jonrf (Nov 30, 2017)

I truly hope he does better and learns to eat soon. They can be quite fussy at an early age and depending on personality. Birds require consistency and patience. Please know he needs you to be strong and loving. Don't give up and do DO not smack him no matter how frustrating it can be, just understand he needs care and you to not give up.


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## jonrf (Nov 30, 2017)

Once, I rescued a ten-day-old house sparrow with no eyes or signs of injury. It was one of the most challenging things I faced in caring for birds. But in time, the little sparrow grew to love me and was the happiest little fellow for many, many years. He memorized his entire cage, and acted normal, but knew it was wise not to fly. He took baths in a small parakeet bathtub without the mirror on his own on the bottom of his cage. He knew where the seed and water dishes were, and had no issues. He would sing happily to his little heart's content and even call for me to hand feed him his favorite treat and to cuddle him.

When a pigeon can't see, they will prod along with the tip of the beak to feel out ahead. The fact you can stick your finger into his eye is a sign he may have vision issues. Sometimes this can be fixed with proper food, vitamins and minerals over time, so don't give up.


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## jonrf (Nov 30, 2017)

Be sure to give him bird vitamin drops with plenty of vitamin A (retinol) for his eyes. Sadly, too many birds get severe vitamin deficiency out there on their own.


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## Colombina (Jan 22, 2017)

You could also post a message in the adoption section of PT and put a message on the notice board at pet shops, vet clinics and in all other places which have a notice board.

You could ask to friends, family members if they are interested in getting a disabled pet or if they know someone interested in it... You could find someone by word of mouth.

There are some vets who help animals in need to find a home (as I told you I adopted Geordi and two other baby pigeons from my vet), if someone can suggest you one you could try to ask his/her help.

Any animal associations or groups which could help?

Please be patient, nothing is easy in life...
Where do you keep him? You could keep him in a cage (a cage for rodents works well) so you don't need to spend hours on cleaning. Just put some paper inside it (newspapers or supermarket flyers, etc) and replace it twice a day. You can use a dustpan set with brush (you know, the smaller ones) to pick up the seeds in the cage.

Have you tried to put him in a flower pot saucer filled with a large variety of seeds and dried legumes as I suggested (method 2)? He could learn to eat a few seeds on his own so you will have to hand feed a lower quantity of foods. Have you tried the other method (method 1)?

If you keep him in a cage surely he will learn to drink and to bathe on his own. Remember what I told you about Geordi : he is really smart. Sometimes he seems to be saying "I'm blind not stupid"! Also remember that all his other senses are sharpened and that he uses his beak like a "white cane" .
You could put some paper towels under the water bowl, it will be easier to clean the cage if he splashes some water.

I have a friend who has a nearly blind pigeon, she keeps him in a cage, she is used to hang a dark sock filled with paper towels/handkerchiefs inside the cage. She said that her bird loves playing/fighting with it. Of course, she gives him also some "out of the cage time".
Maybe your bird is not totally blind but only nearly blind like the one of my friend.

Maybe he will learn to eat on his own. I really hope so. Also remember that each baby pigeon learns to eat in a different moment.


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## Citizenofnowhere (Aug 7, 2020)

Update : found him a home in my country , the only problem is its gonna be a long drive to get there as its the furthest point from my city as possible . Just my luck . But hey , all is well that ends well . I have to say thanks to all of you for encouraging me to keep going and exploring my options as it finally paid off . I was never going to give up , i know myself ,but you don't, so i might have given you a wrong impression at times ,when i honestly just needed somewhere to vent. Im super happy now and the lady that agreed to take him has another injured pigeon that shes taking care of for life so he wont be lonely either . It couldn't have turned out better . Thanks again , much love to you all !


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## Colombina (Jan 22, 2017)

Thanks for the update. 

I'm really glad to hear that you found him a good home! That's a wonderful news!


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## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

That is great news! Thanks for rescueing and not giving up on him!


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