# Pigeon found - can't fly, green watery droppings



## Sunshine1 (Aug 30, 2017)

Dear all, I am so lucky to know forum of this type exists, because I don't know where other to ask for help. On August 29 around 6 p.m. I heard noises below my window. I opened it and saw cat attacking little pigeon. I tried to scare the cat from the window, but it wasn't so successful so I run in front of the building where I live, and in the mean time the pigeon was trying to get rid of the cat by waving with his wings and escaped under my car. The cat than run away and I tried to catch the poor bird and take her to my home because she was in danger since it can't fly. It took a while, but I finally managed it to catch it and took it home. It was scared and immediately ran in the corner of the room. I gave it food (I had only bread and rice) and water and put newspapers below it. In the morning I found it on the same place, poops were ok. That same morning I took it to the vet, but unfortunately the one who knows about birds was on vacation. I was only told that its wings were fine, but it can't fly because it is very young. I also went to shop to buy food for pigeons but I only found food for parrots, which it does not like to eat, so I give it bread and rice until the food for pigeons comes to store. I am very concerned about its watery droppings and the fact that it can't fly. It tries but nothing happens. Its droppings are green, sometimes formed but mostly watery and it comes from it very often. I change papers so it does not stand on wet. Please give my some advice what to do. I really want it to be healthy and be able to fly. Thank you so much.


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## Sunshine1 (Aug 30, 2017)

This is the picture of my sweet little pigeon.


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## Sohan (Sep 2, 2017)

Please forward this message to FredaH she knows a lot of peigion she will tell u everything


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## FredaH (Apr 5, 2016)

If you don't have pigeon food for him you can give him defrosted frozen peas for now, they will be much more nutritious than bread and rice. He may eat them by himself or you may have to put them into his beak. If you stand him on a towel on your lap and gently wrap it round him it will be easier to feed him as he can't struggle free. Place one hand over his upper back with a finger and thumb either side of his beak. Open his beak with a fingernail from your other hand and use the finger and thumb that's either side of his beak to keep it open until you put the pea right at the back of his beak. If he manages to spit it out it's because it wasn't far enough back in his beak but they usually swallow it once you let them close the beak. For his size start off with 15-20 peas, feeling his crop (on his chest just below his neck) to see if it feels full enough. It should feel plump and not too full, kind of like a loosely filled bean bag. He's had a shock so it may be best to feed little and often at first, perhaps ten peas every couple of daylight hours for the first day. 
Did he have any flesh wounds after the cat attack? If he did he will need antibiotics because cats carry a bacteria that birds have no resistance to and it can kill them. Baytril or amoxicillin will work for him. If you need medication advice please start a new thread because I am not sure of the dosage for a bird of his size but there are others who will be. 
Don't give him water into his beak as it's very easy to aspirate them, either put drops with a finger along the outside of his beak or put a small dish in for him to help himself. If you're giving him peas he won't need water anyway as they contain enough moisture. 
Thanks for helping him, he probably has something going on inside because of the green poo, he may have infection beginning or just be in shock. Only time will tell but at least he's safe and being cared for.


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## Sunshine1 (Aug 30, 2017)

Thank you so much for all these informations. I will keep posting regarding his/her condition. Since it had so much green watery poop I consulted a vet and he told me to give him probiotic for babies, which I did. It is still green but formed and with much less water. I will buy peas and do as you told me to. He/she is really sweet, and so easy to love. I will do everything that I can to make him healthy and flying.


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## Sunshine1 (Aug 30, 2017)

No, luckily he/she did not have any wounds, at least vet who checked it said so. But I will bring it to vet once again as soon as vet for birds comes back from vacation.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Hard to believe that if a cat had him that he didn't receive some sort of puncture that would be difficult to find with all his feathers. He needs to be on antibiotics, which you should be able to get from the vet. Rice and bread has no nourishment. You can try feeding the defrosted peas, or peas which have been cooked to soft and let cool to warm. Leave a water dish in with him.


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## Sunshine1 (Aug 30, 2017)

Thank you Jay3, I will give him peas tomorrow. He has water by him all the time. He also has his place in the corner of the hallway of my flat. At fist he wasn't moving a lot, now he likes to walk around and likes to stand on threshold of the room where mom and I sit and watch tv. We opened the door so he is not alone because he doesn't like to be alone. As for the antibiotics I will bring him to the vet again and see.


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## FredaH (Apr 5, 2016)

I see he's already stolen your heart, that's what they do, they are such adorable birds and very friendly once they get to know you. I hope you and your mama enjoy his company for a very long time. Beautiful little baby.


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## Sunshine1 (Aug 30, 2017)

Yes she has (I am not sure but I think it is a girl ?). Eventhough mom and I enjoy her company we hope and wish she would be able to fly and be back to freedom and have her own family. ?


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## Sunshine1 (Aug 30, 2017)

FredaH said:


> I see he's already stolen your heart, that's what they do, they are such adorable birds and very friendly once they get to know you. I hope you and your mama enjoy his company for a very long time. Beautiful little baby.


I gave her peas this mornig but she wasn't interested at all to eat. She haven't eat anything today and it is 11 a.m. She is very passive today maybe because of the rainy and cloudy weather. She moved to threshold of room again. It seems she likes it there and picks her feathers all the time especially those around the tail and wings. I don't know if it is regular part of pigeon cleaning? Her feathers now look very shuttered and the small white ones fly all around the room. I would try to give her peas by putting it in her beak but it seems impossible because she would be terrified and it is also hard to catch her now even with the towel because she waves with her wings and is very fast with her legs.


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## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

She won't eat the peas by herself, you will have to forcefeed her like FredaH suggested. Either that, or she will die if she does not know how to eat seeds. You will have to catch her, cover her with a towel and let the beak stick out. Then feed her one pea at a time. They learn so quickly how to eat the peas by themselves, I've had some young ones that will grab the pea from your fingers (by day 2) if you're not quick enough with the feeding process. Feeding peas sounds complicated, but it's actually so easy.


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## Sunshine1 (Aug 30, 2017)

Marina B said:


> She won't eat the peas by herself, you will have to forcefeed her like FredaH suggested. Either that, or she will die if she does not know how to eat seeds. You will have to catch her, cover her with a towel and let the beak stick out. Then feed her one pea at a time. They learn so quickly how to eat the peas by themselves, I've had some young ones that will grab the pea from your fingers (by day 2) if you're not quick enough with the feeding process. Feeding peas sounds complicated, but it's actually so easy.


Thank you Marina, she is not that small anymore. She has eaten rive and bread by herself, but today she didn't want to eat anything. So I gave her 9 peas in her beak using the suggested method but now she is scared of me and stands in the corner. I don't know what to do.


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## cwebster (Dec 11, 2010)

She will get over the fear as she realizes that you are helping her to eat.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

She needs to be in a cage of some sort. Not flying loose where you have to catch her to feed her. If you want her to eventually be free, then you first need to keep her alive. That will require making her eat the peas, whether it scares her or not. You cannot worry about that right now. What is more important............saving her life, or not upsetting her? Just need to get the food into her. Cage her, get the antibiotics. She will either die from infection or starvation at this point. Feeding the peas. Start with about 30 per feeding 3 times a day.

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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## Sunshine1 (Aug 30, 2017)

Thank you Jay3, I catched her and fed her. Tomorrow we are going to the vet, we will see what he says. We still don't have cage for her. She has her place on the corner of a hallway of our flat. That's where she sleeps and eats. During the day she likes to be on a threshold of a room and from there look at us. It seems it is her favourite place.


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## Sunshine1 (Aug 30, 2017)

Today we went to the vet. They did x ray and saw that she has luxation of her left wing. They said there is nothing that can be done, and that only time will show what's gona happen with her. They don't know whether she will be able to fly again. I asked if she is in pain but they don't know. Analgetics can't be given because she is too young. I broght her home and gave her peas 2× 20 beans (with the pause of 5 hours inbetween). I bought her pigeon food but she does not eat it. She only eats rice by herself, other grains she ignores. When only pigeon food is on plate she eat's nothing. So better rice than nothing at all. Beans are given by hand feeding. She is stressed everytime I catch her for that kind of feeding and it really breaks my heart but I hope she will eventually get used to it. It is second day I've been feeding her like that. At the clinic I was given vitamin B to give her few drops every day with water to improve her apetite. However knowledge here about pigeons is equal to zero unfortunately. It seems that I've learnt more here on this forum from you dear people than from vet today because he didn't know to respond to any of my questions.


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## cwebster (Dec 11, 2010)

Our beloved Phoebe never could fly much after having a broken wing but healed. Would continue to feed your friend and see how he does. The fact that he is eating is an excellent sign. Would gradually mix in other foods with the rice. Thank you for helping him!!


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## FredaH (Apr 5, 2016)

Sunshine if you can get hemp seeds from a local food store she may try eating them on her own, all my six hand reared started on hemp seeds and sesame seeds before they would touch anything else. Scatter some around her on the floor, not in a bowl, and use your index finger to tap them in a kind of beak pecking motion. They see that like another bird eating and often start by just picking them up and dropping them at first but eventually will swallow them. My little ones still go crazy for hemp seed and I buy them from the cake making department of my local supermarket.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

I can't find hemp seeds here, so have to have them shipped. All my birds like them, but none of them started eating on them. They all like different things. Hemp is one of those things that most would like, but if you cannot get it, they will learn on other seeds. Not always the smallest ones either. Better actually to get them used to different seeds at the beginning. 

I know you feel that eating rice is better than nothing, but it really isn't. If you don't give the rice, maybe she will get hungry enough to eat what you give her. Come on, in a loft, or out in the wild, they would have to get used to the different seeds. Spoiling her is only going to make it harder to get her to eat what she needs to. Put down the seeds, as Freda has said, by sprinkling them around her. She will if hungry enough, start picking them up. She wouldn't be stressed by you catching her, if she was confined in a cage or similar. Then you just pick her up. This is going to take a little tough love. If it was a child, would you allow it to only eat cheerios?


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## Sunshine1 (Aug 30, 2017)

Dear FredaH and Jay3 thank you for advices. I wil do as adviced and keep posting on her progress.


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## Sunshine1 (Aug 30, 2017)

My little one still does not want to eat by herself. Food for pigeons that I gave her stays untouched. Ones I saw her picking but nothing enters into her beak. Grains spread around as she picks them  like she doesn't know how to put them into her mouth. This is the 3rd day I've been feeding her with beans by hand. I give her around 20 beans twice a day. (20 in the morning aroind 9 , twenty around 5 when I come from work. She still protests when I catch her to fed her. Every time I catch her with white towel and when she sees I take the white towel she starts walking fast around. I don't put her in cage. I brought her a box in which she csn walk in whenever she wants. At first she was avoinding it but now she goes in. I am worried about the food. Is it normal for a pigeon of het age (around month old) to avoid grains? If not how can we overcome that obstacle. Thanks a lot in advance.


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## Sunshine1 (Aug 30, 2017)

I also forgot to say that she spends almost all day puffed up. I don't know if it is normal. She doesn't like being on the balcony so she is in the hallway in our flat. She has a box there to walk in but is rarely in. She is very passive. Is it because of the dark in hallway ( it is not to dark just less light then in other rooms). Could she be cold? It is around 26 C by day and around 6 C at night and in the morning. Does she need some kind of heater and more light? Thanks a lot.


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