# Karma's inspection



## Farm Girl (Mar 17, 2012)

Hey Jaye, I thoroughly looked at Karma and this is what I found. It's kinda lenghty but I just wanted to list everything in case there is something else I need to do for her/him. 

eyes: clear, bright, no draingage or swelling.
beak: no drainage from nostrils, slight overhang, no foul odor from mouth, no white spots or yellow patches, moist and pink with no phlegm.
legs: straight, well positioned under body, smooth with scales flat and tight, toes straight, claws a little long.
crop: smooth, not droopy
feathers: slick, soft and flat against body, shiny, no mites or lice, no holes in feathers.
vent: clean, no mats or staining.
appetite: very good and drinking water
diet: a mix of 16% layer pellets, cracked corn, ground oyster shell, mixed seeds with probiotic, small gravel grit, and fresh water with apple cider vinegar.
behavior: active outside of cage, curious, very comfortable in cage, calm and quiet, calm when handled, preens, likes to be pet and stroked, has not cooed or vocalized in any way.
cage: large rectangular rabbit cage, has enough room to stretch and fan wings/legs, installed a roosting platform large enough to sit down on, shredded paper on floor.
If there is anything else I need to do or provide, please let me know.
Thanks guys


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## Jaye (Mar 13, 2008)

Interesting...glad she isn't apparently ill or injured.

I am gonna guess that she/he was human-raised, because a Feral would not act like that (calm to the touch, etc.). 

If so, quite possibly a stray and it's good that you took her/him in because human acclimated Pigeons don't last for long out in the Feral world.


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## Jaye (Mar 13, 2008)

BTW...you need not begin new threads each time your thoughts go off on a tangent  It is sorta hard for a reader to be jumping around all of these different threads. If I were you, I would contact a moderator (send a PM to John_D, for example) and ask to have your threads combined into one....that way we all can keep a consistent discussion going and not miss anything someone might have said elsewhere....


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## Farm Girl (Mar 17, 2012)

So sorry Jaye, still new to forums. I will try, just wanted to let you know what I found.


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## Farm Girl (Mar 17, 2012)

Ive noticed whole seeds in droppings, is this normal? I top dress her feed with grit or should I offer it alone? Thanks


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## Jaye (Mar 13, 2008)

Don't apologize...I know you are new. Just a tip for future reference 

Don't mix the grit. If she is a domesticated Pigeon (probably is), she likely already knows how to deal with separate crocks....

Wanna post a pic of the poops ?


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## Farm Girl (Mar 17, 2012)

Thanks Jaye, will do. Wall-e is growing like a weed. Oh, BTW, we do not have avian vets here in Odessa/Midland, just vets that do treat birds and other pets. Not specifically just avian tho, I was told there is no vaccinations for pigeons? Is this true? That blew my mind.


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## Jaye (Mar 13, 2008)

Well, generally speaking if you are only keeping a few, vaccinations usually are not given. The idea being they are in a somewhat 'closed' environment so would only catch things from each other.

There are some pre-emptive meds you can give a rescued Feral. This is completely at the volition of the rescuer, however...and generally if the Pigeon is not showing symptoms, the course most folks take is not to treat with anything.

Some typical pre-emptive treatments:

1) Flea powder for Pigeon lice (don't get freaked out...it is species specific and will not cross to humans/mammals, or even other species of birds for that matter). But most Ferals have Pigeon lice...and it's nice to know yours doesn't have 'em. So giving 'em a light dusting with Permethrin Flea Powder will kill them quickly (make sure you cover eyes, cere (nose) and mouth when dusting).

2) Worms ~ some folks treat with Ivermectin oral. The symptoms of worms are loss of weight and activity level despite eating well, and/or the appearance of worms in the poop.

Your question brings up a good point, though. If you aren't familiar with birds, keep in mind that (unlike mammals), birds cannot 'fight off' infection. They generally get infected, and slowly decline until death. So it's important to keep vigilant and notice any changes in behaviour...including loss of appetite, sleepy-eyedness, lethargy, sneezing, phlegm in the mouth or nose, and fluffy feathers often. At the first sign of these, treatment needs to get started.

With a mammal, you can kinda be like "I dunno, he seems a bit sick, but maybe it'll pass...", and it often does. Not so with Avians. Beling flock creatures, they suppress their symptoms as long as possible so they don't get kicked out of the flock. By the time they can no longer hide their illness and they become symptomatic...it has already gotten pretty advanced.


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## Jaye (Mar 13, 2008)

Since you have a pair and will be keeping 'em, yes (?)...and since there is no Avian Vet close by...I'd suggest a few things.

1) Find and keep on file the nearest Avian Vet. Even if she/he is two hours away, there may come a time when such a trip becomes necessary. Just have the info ready now.

2) Typical Pigeon Meds. There are threads on this, if you search for "Medicine Cabinet". But in summation, having a couple of antibiotics (Amoxycillin or Augmentin, Cipro/Baytril, and/or Trimeth Sulpha) already on hand is a good idea. Then an anti-canker med such as Spartrix, Ronsec (Ronidazole) or FishZole (Metronidazole) is also a good idea. Perhaps a wormer (Ivermectin) and then an anti-coccidial (Appartex). Lastly, a good topical cream such as HealX Soother.

Jedds.com or Foys.com are two good online resources for typical meds, although Cipro can only be bought with a prescription.


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## Farm Girl (Mar 17, 2012)

WOW Jaye! Thank you so much. I will get started on this right away. Yes, Im gonna keep them. Will visit the websites right now, hopefully they will have a catalog i can request. Will also cut and paste the info you gave me to put into my care binder.


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