# How to care for a wild dove, plz help?



## emilygoat (Apr 27, 2011)

my cat caught a mourning dove(but no visible wounds) but cant fly very well(btw it is not a fledgling! it is at an age/size where it should fly). 
1)do you think its possible that it was once taken care of by humans? since it doesn't seem very umm street smart haha, it also shows no interest of going outside(it had the door to the outside open and it paid no attention!)

it is completely tame for some reason and is very comfortable around humans, because of this, my sister(22 years old so independent adult) refuses to let it go. so do not say to take it to a rehabber/its illegal, i know i should but my sister refuses. she is the type of person that will NOT listen to anyone else and only care for her own wants.

we have it right now in a large cardboard box with a flat perch(2x2x3 ft) and i let it free during the day in a room so it can roam around. we feed it wild bird seed and grit. it looks completely healthy but i think it might still have worms/parasites/mites/lice since it was a wild bird so i clean its cage everyday though it shows no signs of it.

2)should i buy something for mites/lice?(i heard that the sprays and stuff can be harmful since their basically just chemicals.) 3)also should i put vitamins in its water(what to buy?) 4)should i feed it leafy veggies/fruit as well(how would i serve these to it)?

5)oh and most importantly, where can i buy ivermectin? would it be safe for me to administer it myself using the water method? anything you have to say would be helpful! thanks, sry its sorta long haha


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

Emily. to be safe, since this little guy was cat caught, he really should be put on a course of antibiotics, as cats carry a bacteria called Pasteurella M., in their mouths and claws that is quite deadly to birds if infected, and it takes just a small scratch or puncture to do this, also a cat's saliva on the feathers is another way they can be infected, if they preen these feathers and ingest the dried saliva.

Many of the antibiotics used on humans will work, so if you, your family or friends have some antibiotics around, let us know what kind and strength and we'll tell you whether they will do the job and how to mix and dose them, antibiotics for family pets may work as well. If this is not a possibility, and you live in or around a larger city, many tropical fish stores carry a medicine for fish called Triple-Sulfa by API, this medicine is a sulfa based antibiotic and will work for treating your little guy.

Karyn


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## emilygoat (Apr 27, 2011)

i dont think i have any antibiotics on hand, so i will definitely try to buy that tomorrow! ill let you know when i have it. thanks


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## emilygoat (Apr 27, 2011)

although, my sister wants to know, if its been alive for a week, wouldnt it have died by now?


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

emilygoat said:


> although, my sister wants to know, if its been alive for a week, wouldnt it have died by now?


I think yes, it would have died by now if it was infected, but do use a damp, soapy cloth to give this little guy a good wipe down.

Best we start by having a look at this little guy and his fresh droppings, so we can get a better idea just where he is at. All wild birds don't have mites and worms, so unless, we can hold off on worrying about these things right now.

Here is how to post up photos:

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showpost.php?p=525049&postcount=15


Karyn


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## emilygoat (Apr 27, 2011)

it practically sits on that perch all day. only pic i could get at the moment..


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

Bird looks good, dropping not too bad as well. So unless you look under this little guy's wings and see little things crawling/moving, I would hold off on treating/spraying him for anything, unless he is showing excessing itching/scratching, I also would not treat him with any Ivermectin at this point. You could gather up a few days droppings, keep them in a small container in the refrigerator while collecting, and call around to some local vets and ask them if they can do what is called a fecal float. This is an exam of the droppings that will be diagnostic if they have any worm/protozoal infection issues. Are there any immediate injury issues you did not mention?... can he fly?

Here is a link to help you find a vet in your area, this would be an avian certified vet, but because the things that infect birds infect a number of other small animals, most vets that don't see a lot of birds can still run this test, it cost about $25-40. 

http://www.aav.org/search/

Also, why don't you spend some time on this site doing some reading there is a lot of information on how to care and look after doves/pigeons, and then if you have specific question(s), ask. He may like a mix of seeds like these to get him going:

http://www.petsmartdeals.com/bird/food/petdovesuprememix.htm

Good luck with him,

Karyn


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## emilygoat (Apr 27, 2011)

okay, thank you! he can fly now, better than in the beginning. ill definitely do that!


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