# Baby pigeon can't use its legs



## jxmk (Dec 31, 2017)

Hello,
I have a baby pigeon 40 days old that can't use its legs anymore and his feathers are not looking right. He was walking fine until 3 days ago then started to lay down most of the time and limping with the right leg. Yesterday morning was still walking but in the afternoon was immobile trying to drag himself with the wings. He has a sibling who is fine apart from a curled toe on one leg, already picking and eating seeds and drinking on his own.
Their mother does not feed him anymore because he can't reach up to her beak when she calls and go to him, so after prodding him a little with her beak she turns away. She's still feeding the healthy one. The sick baby only picks seeds and drops them and refuses water.
From my research on internet (this and this) I concluded this could be calcium deficiency. However, after giving him calcium I see no improvement. Could this be something else? His sibling fed by the same parent and living in similar conditions is fine only a little undersized for his age.


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## bootface (Jun 29, 2017)

How much calcium did you give him? It could also be a vitamin D or magnesium deficiency, which are essential to calcium absorption. Curled toes can be caused by a B vitamin deficiency. You need to feed the baby, preferably with a hand rearing formula so he’s getting complete nutrition.


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## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

Make sure that the calcium you are giving has added Vit D3. This helps with the absorption of the calcium. Otherwise, at least half an hour of sunlight every day will also help. Just make sure he is in a safe spot and not too warm.


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## jxmk (Dec 31, 2017)

Thank you both for replying.
In retrospect, I gave him to much, twice 250mg, 12 hours apart. I'm more worried about vitamin D toxicity that must come with such a large dose of calcium. I stopped giving calcium for the moment.
He also has diarrhea which smells bad, possibly with specks of blood, had it right before the calcium episode. I started to give him sulfaquinoxaline which according to prospect is used in the treatment of coccidiosis, avian cholera and salmonella, plus vitamins and minerals. For food I use a crop tube to give him half of a hard boiled egg yolk twice in a day, diluted with warm water to fill a 20cc syringe and for the next meal I substitute the yolk with grounded oat flakes.
----
His dropping have improved a little, there are solid white parts in them now, but still watery. I managed to obtain for the staggering price of 80 cents a polyvitamin complex with calcium and D3, with dosage instructions.


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## jonrf (Nov 30, 2017)

I have seen this is passerine birds. Sometimes, it is a calcium deficiency and other times it is a protein deficiency. It is hard to initially rule out the cause, but I always try to give calcium first (liquid calcium gluconate works good orally, with D3 oil on feed). Protein deficiency usually takes longer to address, but maybe some crop milk replacer (i.e., MacMilk) will work wonderfully.


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## jxmk (Dec 31, 2017)

I uploaded two videos of him today on Youtube in the hope someone with more experience will recognize the symptoms. He's very restless beating its wings to exhaustion, continuously, even in the dark.
https://youtu.be/Wv61E0hEolY
https://youtu.be/KRQM_9rPRL4


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## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

He is trying to fly, that's normal for a baby that size. Unfortunately, without the use of his legs he won't be able to take off.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

At resting is one leg kicked outward. Or do they both splay outward? 
I would give the calcium/D3 supplement, along with taping the legs in the right position under him so that they cannot splay out. I think his problem is lack of calcium and D3.


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## Ladygrey (Dec 10, 2016)

His feathers do not look good either. Definitely deficient in nutrition.
Calcium +D3 with a bird vitamin needs to be given along with good pigeon feed mix.

For his legs I would try a hammock. If you can get a ferret hammock and cut two slits for his legs, and suspend it in his cage, there he can rest in that with his legs dangling straight down. Take him out to feed him and dip the beak in water to drink. Clean the hammock, try that for a few weeks see if he improves.

Until then rolling a towel up and encircle it nest shaped and sit him in that, see if he gets lose legs resting under him.


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## jxmk (Dec 31, 2017)

That's what I thought it can be first too, but after overdosing him first time I only give him very little, a few drops in every 20ml syringe with diluted oat flour or mashed yellow peas, two times per day. The instructions on the bottle with vitamins and calcium are 30-40 drops (1ml)/100ml water. The values on the first image are for 1 Liter (1000ml) of liquid.
I don't feed him more because I'm afraid will stay too much in the crop. If last "meal" is in late afternoon/early evening, there will be consistent, semi-solid droppings three or four times during night and early morning. He was drinking and eating seeds a few days ago, now only dips his beak in water and shakes it and most of the seeds are dropped.

On both wings there are small swellings. Could be this a symptom of paratyphoid fever or the result of hitting the floor and surrounding objects with the wings?


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

How does he hold the legs when he is just sitting there? If they are splayed out, then they need to be held in place.
You need a calcium/D3 supplement. One that is just calcium/D3. Like Calciboost or Calcivet. May have to get it online. He is doing that to the wings because he is using them to push himself around.


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## Ladygrey (Dec 10, 2016)

If unable to get a fecal test, I would treat this pigeon for salmonella. Some symptoms are lameness and wing joint thickness and boils, are the red areas hot to the touch? What does his stool look like?


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

The damage on the wings looks as though it is under the wings where he is pushing on them to move along. That would be common since he is using the wings in that way Doesn't look as though it is on the top of the wing on the joint. I would try the calcium/D3 before medicating him for something that you don't know he has. 
The calcium and D3 are important, and would do that first as this would also be common for a young bird who is calcium deficient.


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## jxmk (Dec 31, 2017)

I took him the baby pigeon to a veterinary practice yesterday. After examination they said the problem is vitamin and nutrient deficiency. They gave me me two syringes, 10ml with vitamins and minerals, and 2ml with something to protect the liver, one unit from each to be administered every day, by mouth, and go back with him in two weeks.
The vet there also said that legs are in wrong position and it's unlikely to be corrected even if I tie them together. The strange thing is that he walked for a few days before limping and loosing its legs. I still hope this may be reversible.

At the same time he stopped walking he had diarrhea. Suspecting salmonellosis I gave him sulfaquinoxaline (http://www.pasteur.ro/produse/coccistop/?lang=en) 1/4 of a tablet for a few days and this stoped the diarrhea but did not fix the legs.

Earlier today he picked up and swallowed 10 sunflower seed kernels; he doesn't touch any other kind of grain or seed that I offer to him. It is hard to feed him this way because he's flapping his wings continuously, even when he tries to eat. I'll try to make a kind of hammock for him, with holes for legs, as suggested in a previous post, but I don't know how much it will help because he tries to free his wings constantly, and is calm only sometimes when laying on wings with the legs up. He still does not drink water, maybe this is because the food is too diluted?

I'm adding calcium and D3 in his food, besides what may be in those provided by the vet.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Can you post a pic of how he holds the legs when just sitting? If the problem is splayed leg, then it is the calcium and D3 that he needs, and the legs taped where they should be, and it can be fixed. But not if you don't do it now. Your vet is not an avian vet and doesn't know enough about birds.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Please check out the story about Gonzo. Scroll down the page.
https://www.pigeonrescue.co.uk/legs.htm


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

You need to hand feed him. Sunflower seed is not enough, and is high in fat. The easiest way is with frozen peas which have been defrosted and warmed. Here's how.

If you need to feed peas to a pigeon, hold the bird on your lap and against your body. This gives you more control. Reach from behind his head with one hand and grasp his beak on either side. Now use your free hand to open the beak, and put a pea in, then push it to the back of his throat and over his tongue. Let him close his beak and swallow. Then do another. It gets easier with practice, and the bird also gets more used to it, and won't fight as much. If you can't handle the bird, then use the sleeve cut off a t-shirt, slip it over his head and onto his body, with his head sticking out. This will stop him from being able to fight you so much. Just don't make it tight around his crop area. It helps if you have him facing your right side if you are right handed.


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## jxmk (Dec 31, 2017)

I don't know if these pictures will help - he does not stand up so you can't see the legs in that position


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## jxmk (Dec 31, 2017)

I'll try to handfeed him. It is actually easier for me too because it takes less time to prepare it and maybe less stressful for him than sticking that tube down his throat. Feeding time with a crop tube is a wrestling match.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Thank you. I would give the calcium and D3 and tape the legs. Wrap them first so that any tape doesn't stick to his skin. They need to be pulled in to where they are in the proper position. If done more apart than that, then they will never go into position where they should be. Should still be able to fix them, but the window of time is closing. You need a calcium vit. D3 supplement. And you also need to make sure that any tape is not cutting off his circulation.
Also, they need to go under him, not out in front of him. It is easier to do when they are younger, and he won't like it. He may need to be kept in a hammock where he can hang his legs down under him.


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## Ilovepigeons❤️❤️❤️🕊️🕊🕊 (5 mo ago)

Worst thing ever it happening to me right now I don't think he has a broken bone the other siblings same curled toe but he's fine now not the can't stand one 😭😭😭😭😭😭


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## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

Why do you let your pigeons breed? Obviously they are lacking in nutrients and vitamins and that's why you end up having babies like that.


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## Ilovepigeons❤️❤️❤️🕊️🕊🕊 (5 mo ago)

Marina B said:


> Why do you let your pigeons breed? Obviously they are lacking in nutrients and vitamins and that's why you end up having babies like that.


No the one I thound under the tree man don't be mad 😅


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