# Stargazing Feral



## Insomniac (Aug 21, 2007)

Hey everyone, 

We picked up a feral pigeon from a vet clinic today who they said was "stunned when he came in, now perfectly fine!"...but it was quickly apparent that this was not the case... he is holding his head low, below his body, and staring at the sky. He *can* stand normally (with his head a bit cocked), but when his "natural" position is stargazing, it is what he settles into. We have only had him home long enough for me to set up a cage and put him in, he has yet to attempt to eat or drink, but his poop looks normal. The vet said that he was eating and drinking, but they also said he was fine, so who knows!

According to a brief search I did here a few minutes ago, there isn't much I can do but cage rest? Is this true? We have a pigeon savvy vet and will get him checked out this week, but what can we do for now?

I have him in a small enclosure lined with fleece because he has flipped onto his back a couple of times. No perches because I don't think he can balance well. He is away from other birds. I will try to get pictures ASAP, but my camera is on the fritz!

Thoughts?


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

If he isn't eating or drinking, then you will have to hand feed him and give him water. Keep him isolated and warm, in a quiet place that isn't brightly lit. It could be different things causing this, but you will be better informed after seeing the vet. You can leave food and water with him, just in case he will eat and drink on his own, but make the seed dish deep enough for him to put his beak into, and make the water dish narrow enough so that he cannot fall in and drown. Let us know how it goes.


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

I agree with everything Jay told you in the above post.
Did the vet do a fecal analysis or diagnostics of any kind before you picked the bird up?


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

I'm glad you have a Pigeon savvy vet. The Pigeon's symptoms can be caused by bacteria, virus', toxins, fungus and even parasites. Often folks jump to the conclusion of PMV virus without *exploring all the possibilities *and so I'm glad that won't happen with this one.


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## Insomniac (Aug 21, 2007)

It turns out that our pigeon vet is out of town until the 16th and the other avian vets will not see a feral pigeon...a banded pigeon, maybe, but not a feral. I looked in his throat and it is pink and healthy looking, if that means anything... but his food is all over his cage and his crop felt rather empty, I think he is getting some in by chance and that in general, he cannot feed himself. How shall I handfeed him? Like a baby? Or just put smaller seeds down his throat?


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## plamenh (Aug 11, 2006)

You can take him in your lap, open his beak with one hand and pop beans and corns with other, gently down his throat. I find easier to feed bigger beans and corn than small seeds. 40~50 pieces at feeding twice a day. He will still try and eat alone.
At first he may resist, but on 2~3-rd day procedure gets easy.


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

Here are my pre-written instructions for peas and corn. This is what Plamen was suggesting.

You can hand feed defrosted corn and peas. Run some hot water over them until they are defrosted and slightly warmed. Put the bird on your lap and hold it next to your body. If it helps, you can wrap a towel around it or put it in the sleeve of a tee shirt, with the head out the wrist. That confines them without hurting them and makes it easier to handle. Gently open the beak and pop the piece of corn and peas at the back of the mouth and over the throat. 
If he is wrapped in towel he wont be able to struggle much.You will need to feed 40-50 per feeding and every time the bird’s crop empties until you know the bird is eating on his own.


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

This is a video of how to hand feed a pigeon, I hope it helps.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uU1SO0ZJoow

Give him probiotics and vitamins. You could also try the homeopathic remedy Conium Mac at a 30 potency. One pilule an hour for three hours then see how things look. The pilule should be given 20 minutes after food (and no food given for another 20 minutes). You mustn't touch it with your hand, so you can crush it between two clean spoons and put it in a small clean peice of paper folded in half so there is a crease that the powder collcts in. Gently empty the powder into the bowl that is formed by the front of the pigeon's mouth. I have PM'd a member that is good at using homeopathic remedies to have a look at this thread.

Let us know what the vet says, if he suggests euthanasia please don't agree without discussing other options with us first.

If you give him his seed in a deep dish he may pick up some seed, although you will still need to hand feed.

Good luck!


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## Insomniac (Aug 21, 2007)

Thanks for the tips guys, I handfed him some corn and peas and he did well with it. I could feel a very small amount of seed in his crop so he is getting a bit on his own.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Let us know how it goes. Glad you were able to get some into him.


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## jenfer (Jan 7, 2008)

Hi Insomniac,

The way I dose homeopathic remedies is to dissolve 1-2 pellets of a 30c remedy (occasionally I use higher or lower potencies, but the majority of the time I stick with 30c) in a one-ounce dropper bottle (like this one: http://www.purespadirect.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=VU-201776&click=10549). Once the pellets have dissolved, I give a few drops with the dropper from the outside of the beak. Homeopathic remedies don't need to be digested; contact with the mucous membranes is enough for them to work. Using liquid dilutions is easier for the human, less stressful for the animal, and allows to remedies to work better.

Extra fluids and calcium should help also.

Jennifer


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

Thanks Jennifer.


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## Insomniac (Aug 21, 2007)

Just to let everyone know, this guy is doing really well! 

He only needed handfeeding for a few days before I noticed that his crop was full despite me not having fed him! He eats on his own now. He used to fall over as soon as I put him back, now he just seems a bit off-balance. His coo sounds normal now, not like he's been smoking 3 packs a day! I rarely see him stargazing. 

When can I put him with the rest of the flock to gain strength before release?


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## John_D (Jan 24, 2002)

Did he get to see your vet eventually? If so, what was diagnosed?

Problem is, unless you know what the cause of his affliction was, there's no way to know how long he needs to be isolated.

If he is apparently recovering without any specific treatment, it could be PMV, could be something else. If it were PMV then he needs to be isolated for minimum 6 weeks after onset of recognizable symptoms, and if you don't know then it would be best to keep him for that period just in case.

John


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

I would keep him in for at least 6 weeks, specially as he is still showing symptoms which could be aggravetd by stress.


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