# Charlie the Wood pigeon.



## iris-rose (Apr 12, 2012)

Hi everyone, I'm new here but so pleased to have found this forum.

Three weeks ago my daughter brought home a little baby wood pigeon, she found two but one of them was already dead. I'm not sure how old he/she is exactly but when she brought him home he didn't have any feathers at all just a lot of yellow hair, he was very weak and i've been looking after him ever since. He's doing really well now, and can move about really quickly, especially when he thinks its dinner time lol.

The thing is my intention was to release him/her back into the wild, but I'm not sure if that will be possible now, and I've really fallen in love with the little sweet heart. There is a rehabber about 20 miles from me, do you think if I took him there he would adjust?, or have i had him too long now? Would it be cruel for me to keep him? I'm really not sure what to do. If I kept him would I need to build an aviary?

Please help guys 
xx


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## John_D (Jan 24, 2002)

Hi

Charlie found the right place, anyway 

Woodies can sometimes adapt to captivity but they do need space (like an aviary) and they do like to be with other woodies. Indoors for a woodie would probably not work - they are true wild birds, as opposed to feral pigeons who adapt very well to any situation.

I'd suggest that if there is someone who has rescued woodies and intends releasing them as a group, that may be the best situation.

Whereabouts are you located?


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## Miss-Sassypants (Sep 25, 2010)

Hi sweetheart, thank you for caring for this little darling.

Are you able to furnish more details regarding the situation. How or where was he found? Under what circumstances? How have you been taking care of him? How long has it been?

If you really like him, why not adopt him? I bet he really loves your family too and would be happy to be doted on. Unless you plan on having more than one pigeon, you don't really need an aviary. My domesticated pigeon (also found as a baby), is being kept in the master bathroom!

Perhaps you can decide whether you want to keep him or release him. Honestly, I had the same intention when we found our little one (we wanted to release him back to the ferals) but eventually, we loved him too much and he bonded too well with humans that we had to adopt him. His freedom and fellow-pigeon-mingling had to be sacrificed because he too, wanted to be with us (there were many occasions he chose us over the ferals!)

So there. Thank you again for caring for this lucky little woodie. I do hope you will continue loving him! Do show some pictures!! We'd love to see them! And welcome to Pigeon Forum!

_PS: Didn't see John's post previously but I guess as Woodies are different to city pidgies - then do take his advice over mine! No bathroom for Charlie then! lol_


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## iris-rose (Apr 12, 2012)

hey guys thanks for the quick reply - I live in Southampton uk. There is a bird rescue in Bournemouth that I have seen online, I guess I will give them a ring, and see if they can help. It will break my heart to part with him, but I really want to do whats best for him 
x


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## iris-rose (Apr 12, 2012)

Hey everyone. I wanted to ask a quick question about feeding, as I still have Charlie at the mo. Its difficult to sort anything out until my daughter goes back to school. 
When I first started feeding Charlie he was on ready brek mixed with water, now he is on E.m.P egg food mixed with water, which i hope is o.k as he really enjoys it, it has some tiny seeds in it, and very fine crumbs of carrot etc. 

Yesterday I offered him a little bit in a dish that hadn't been mixed with water to see if he would eat it, and he started pecking at it on his own - so is he old enough to have his food dry, or should i continue with mixing it into a paste for a while? I have had him 23 days, so he is at least that old, he flaps his wings but doesn't fly yet. 

Here is a photo, sorry if its too large i couldn't make it smaller


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## Miss-Sassypants (Sep 25, 2010)

Aww he is so cute! 

I would advise to continue feeding him the mixture.. and teaching him to peck seeds at the same time. You can peck the seeds using your fingers and he will learn as he watch. Soon, he'll prefer eating on his own and that's when you know he's ready to be weaned completely.

A thing to consider - can you make sure he is fed proper food - like pigeon or dove feed - instead of random bread crumbs and carrots? This is to ensure he has the proper nutrition to grow into a healthy adult. In the developing stage, these nutrition are essential to develop a better immunity to combat illness in later life.

You've already done well in looking after him. I'm sure he is a happy little baby! Thank you for your dedicated 23 days of service for this little fella. We'd love to see more pictures as he is such a cutie!! Do update and good luck!


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## iris-rose (Apr 12, 2012)

Ok thanks Sassy , I will continue to feed him it mixed with water a while longer.
They did have some pigeon mix at the pet store, but it was for adult pigeons the seeds were really big. 
The egg food I am feeding him, is the closest thing I could find, it is normally given to baby budgies, canaries etc. It has extra minerals, protein, and vitamins added to it so I hope its ok. I know it can be mixed into an adults bird feed if they need extra nutrients.


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