# Rescued Baby Spotted Dove



## lahadeedah (Dec 29, 2011)

Hello,

Found what i take to be a spotted dove baby at the racehorse yard i work at. It was found in one of the stables, can't fly and judging by photos online i guess is around about 20 days old. I left it outside on the lawn for a couple of hours to see if any of the other birds took an interest, they didn't. Couldn't leave it out over night as the cat/rats would get it. Now its living in a box in my room.

I'm giving it sugar/salt water, it will drink when i dip its beak in but i haven't noticed it drinking on its own initiative. I am feeding it warmed up peas and sweetcorn. About 4-5 at a time every couple of hours during the day. Again, doesn't eat of its own accord however i have left food in with it over night and found some had been moved but not eaten, so perhaps interested. It is quite difficult to feed and unsure how to check its crop is full/empty so have been trying not to over do it.

Poo _seems_ normal (not green) anyway, but not entirely sure what to look for. It is fairly lethargic which worries me slightly. Seems to preen and stretch its wings but thats it.

It still has the yellow feathers (pin feathers?) and is bald under its wings and breastbone.

Can anyone offer any advice/recommendations?

Also i am living in Sydney but i don't have residency so cant keep the dove forever. Is there anyone in the area or anyone with friends over here who could take him on? Or know of a wildlife place that will take him? I know they aren't native so few places will be interested.

Thanks, all and any help appreciated.

Lah


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## Libis (Oct 8, 2010)

does he feel cold? when you find a bird, it's best to make sure they're warm enough before feeding them. You might try "pecking" some seeds with your finger in front of him each day to start teaching him to eat, or at least give him ideas. 

Another thing that some people find helpful is to give the little one a stuffed animal "buddy" of similar size in the nest that he can cuddle up to. 

For a more balanced diet (until we can switch over to kaytee supreme daily dove mix or similar pigeon food) maybe try feeding Kaytee Exact baby formula until we get all the way weaned.


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## lahadeedah (Dec 29, 2011)

Hi, thanks for the reply.

I don't think he is cold, have him in a box lined with newspaper, straw, bubblewrap and at night covered with fleece. I will have to get down the petshop and see what products they have. 

His poo is completely clear with a black blob, bit runny. Is that indictive of anything?

Do you think he is younger than 20 days and the peas and sweetcorn to much for him?

Lah


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## Libis (Oct 8, 2010)

lahadeedah said:


> Hi, thanks for the reply.
> 
> I don't think he is cold, have him in a box lined with newspaper, straw, bubblewrap and at night covered with fleece. I will have to get down the petshop and see what products they have.
> 
> ...


It's hard to tell w/out seeing a picture of the poopies.

How is the bubblewrap set up? It could pose a hazard if it's set up certain ways. The easiest way to go is a small bird cage with a blanket over the top of it and a heating pad along one side (setup so he can scootch away from it and isn't directly against it.) With a dog bowl (disinfected and dried) with some hay in it for him to rest in. 

He looks kind of young, with those yellow fuzzes and bald spots. I just think he'll get best nutrition if you give Kaytee Exact and then slowly add dove food into the food as he ages (once he has all his feathers.) He needs changed over right away--he'll need all he can get nutritionally to live. 

I'll have to look back at some pics to tell how old he is. I just remember what stages looked like and what they were eating then (I think in pictures, not numbers.)


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## Libis (Oct 8, 2010)

Based on pictures of my baby ringneck doves, this bird is closer to 10-15 days.


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## Libis (Oct 8, 2010)

If you can't find Kaytee Exact, Roudybush Formula 3 would also be ok (make sure to get the right Formula--almost all Roudybush packaging looks similar.)


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## lahadeedah (Dec 29, 2011)

I went into 4 different pet shops, the only stuff i could get was Vetafarm parrot hand rearing food. Asked a shop assistant whether it made a difference, said no but probably doesn't have a clue. Doesn't say on the packet that it can't be used for regular birds. 

Followed the youtube video as best i could but had limited success, bird really didn't want to eat. Only think he got a little bit down his throat so will try again in a couple of hours. Should i keep giving him the salt/sugar/water solution if he starts eating the baby mix? He's not in the least bit interested in the bird seeds.

Cheers
Lah


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## Libis (Oct 8, 2010)

lahadeedah said:


> I went into 4 different pet shops, the only stuff i could get was Vetafarm parrot hand rearing food. Asked a shop assistant whether it made a difference, said no but probably doesn't have a clue. Doesn't say on the packet that it can't be used for regular birds.
> 
> Followed the youtube video as best i could but had limited success, bird really didn't want to eat. Only think he got a little bit down his throat so will try again in a couple of hours. Should i keep giving him the salt/sugar/water solution if he starts eating the baby mix? He's not in the least bit interested in the bird seeds.
> 
> ...


I think that brand will be ok. It looks alright online. I'm sorry I didn't realize you were in Australia at first and just blurted out the American brands. 

You shouldn't need to give water separately right now, since you'll be mixing it into the formula. 
Sometimes it takes them a little bit of time to figure out how to get the food. How did you setup the syringe or bottle? (There's a few ways you could've done it--I can help most if I know which.) 

Once he's got full feathers all over his body and up along the beak (not just pinfeathers,) and all of his baby fuzzes are gone, then we can start adding seeds to the formula and thinning out the formula. Then he's more likely to start getting interested in the seeds and you can really start showing him your hand "eating." 

Do check with your local wildlife people to make sure the little guy isn't going to get you fined and that they can't take him. Because if you raise him this way, he will be unreleasable. Without other doves in hand to teach him, he will bond to you as a flockmate and parent and will not have any idea what to do to look for food.


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## Libis (Oct 8, 2010)

Oh--and be sure you are not making the formula too thick or too thin. Too thick and he won't be able to swallow it or digest it well. Too thin and there won't be enough nutrients. 

Go until his crop (the bag in his neck) feels like a "squishy balloon." Then, when his crop has emptied it's time to eat again.

Here's a development page on ringnecks (I know they're not exactly the same, but it shows what they look like and describes what the parents do and I found it really helpful in the past.)
http://pet-doves.com/petdoves/baby_birds.htm

btw--this page i linked to has a pic of a baby w/ a doughy crop who needs to be fed some plain water to help him.


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## lahadeedah (Dec 29, 2011)

Hello,
So i now have 2 doves, another left out on the lawn. I kept an eye on it for a few hours and just took it in when it was evening. At least the first has a friend now. 

Dove 1 is eating much better now, dove 2 not so much but only had it a couple of days. Still feeding the hand rearing feed but not entirely sure on how much and how often i should give, alot of the sites give conflicting advice.

The situation here is that the doves arn't native so organisinations are not interested in them as they would be fined for releasing them. Spoke to one lady however who was very helpful and said i could soft release them on the sly when they are older and explained how best to do this. Have recieved another email from a wildlife park saying they are willing to find a home for them but knowing they are not native i wonder if they will just kill them. 

I live on a horse racing yard, there are lots of other doves here and always plenty of food. Keeping this in mind do you think i can soft release if i follow the lady's instructions. This seems like the only option at the moment.

Thanks

Lah


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## Libis (Oct 8, 2010)

lahadeedah said:


> Hello,
> So i now have 2 doves, another left out on the lawn. I kept an eye on it for a few hours and just took it in when it was evening. At least the first has a friend now.
> 
> Dove 1 is eating much better now, dove 2 not so much but only had it a couple of days. Still feeding the hand rearing feed but not entirely sure on how much and how often i should give, alot of the sites give conflicting advice.
> ...


As to feeding: Feed whenever the crop is empty until it is full. (not over-packed, just a nice squishy balloon.) A lot of people also suggest giving them a bit of water in between meals to keep the crop from getting all solid.

This baby has a nice full crop:









Another full crop:









For flexibility, here is some info on different feeding methods: http://pigeonchat.forumakers.com/t3469-various-methods-of-feeding-young-or-baby-pigeons


I think soft release is possible, though do be aware that these little ones could easily become extremely imprinted on you and it may be difficult to undo that. Make sure the person giving you advice on soft release has done it many times--you'll want very good guidance to do it right. Even experienced rehabbers sometimes do end up taking a bird back in, though, do be warned.


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