# I've been adopted by a Pigeon!



## twelvestringtex (Dec 24, 2011)

I came home tonight, and found a dark colored pigeon hiding on my doorstep, which wasn't a particularly good hiding spot considering the porch light, and poor camouflage... it was like the poor thing was waiting on me to come home.

seemed to be well hydrated, and quite hungry initially, no signs of serious injury or illness other than that it can't/won't move one of it's wings. Being the owner of two parakeets and a sun conure, i just couldn't leave the poor thing's fate to chance, and took it inside. he/she seems incapable of flight, and only tried to run from me on the ground, and walked right in my apartment as soon as I opened the door...

I can only guess that the poor thing picked my doorstep after hearing my birds inside, and figured it would be a friendly home. fortunately, she was right!

She's now (or he?) tucked away for the night with plenty of water, millet and 9-grain wheat bread in my old parakeet cage, in a different room separated from the other birds (standard new-bird protocol).

So... now what? I've had my 'keets (Snowy and Bali) for 2 years now, and my Sun Conure (Sunny) for 4 months, but I've never taken in a wild bird.

What all do I need to know? I've googled extensively, but it's midnight now, and it seems all the basic info is hidden by a wealth of emergency rescue advice.


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## Msfreebird (Sep 23, 2007)

Thank you for caring and welcome to Pigeon Talk 
Here's some reading to start with.... http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/f108/youve-found-a-pigeon-now-what-9558.html
And the resource section..... http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/f108/
http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/f107/
Most important is to do what you have done...Isolate, keep warm and quiet. You can add a dash of salt and sugar to his drinking water. Is he eating or drinking at all? What do his poops look like? Is he thin...can you feel his keel bone? Have you checked him over for any injuries, cuts or punctures? If you find any, he will need antibiotics asap.
Any bands on the legs? If not, it is still quite possible that he is someone's pet if he's 'that' comfortable walking into your house......they have been known to do that when their lost, starving or hurt.


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## twelvestringtex (Dec 24, 2011)

okay, just gave him a more detailed physical after a good night's sleep for both of us (I already checked him over well enough to rule out any severe or life threatening issues immediately upon discovery)

he's eating and drinking, we have a water bowl, feed bowl (grain based seeds from petsmart, general small bird feed, the ingredients matched well with the dietary suggestions i found here), a small bowl of grit, and a snuggly ferret hammock that we have for emergency bird snuggling.

there are no apparent injuries, cuts, or punctures, no blood, the bird appears healthy, there are no discrepencies when comparing one side of the body to the other, both wings are fully feathered and basically symmetrical to one another, upon feeling the keel bone the bird is neither over nor under-weight. poops appear to be normal, just little curly squiggles, both feet and legs appear well also.

there is no identifying banding on the legs, and as the bird adamantly tries to run away and hide whenever handled, i'm not so sure it's a pet. When it ran into my apartment it was obviously seeking warmth, I was sitting on the sidewalk so it didn't want to try and pass by me either.

The only major symptom the bird displays is an inability to move his right wing, despite that the wing itself appears intact, properly aligned, and healthy... as i said, both wings appear identical


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## Libis (Oct 8, 2010)

twelvestringtex said:


> okay, just gave him a more detailed physical after a good night's sleep for both of us (I already checked him over well enough to rule out any severe or life threatening issues immediately upon discovery)
> 
> he's eating and drinking, we have a water bowl, feed bowl (grain based seeds from petsmart, general small bird feed, the ingredients matched well with the dietary suggestions i found here), a small bowl of grit, and a snuggly ferret hammock that we have for emergency bird snuggling.
> 
> ...


A lot of pigeons and doves dislike handling. Even pets. My Edmund is totally tame, but hates being petted/handled. It just depends on personality.

Have you checked for canker (yellow blobs in his mouth?)

Oh and he/she will also need grit (being a softbill.) I recommend Kaytee hi-cal grit. Sounds like you've got the food under control--though if you decide to look for something else I highly recommend Kaytee Supreme Daily dove mix. If he wont eat, you can carefully heat up frozen peas (not in the microwave--as that will make hot spots) and then pop them in his mouth.


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## twelvestringtex (Dec 24, 2011)

well then, unfortunately I see no way to find the previous owner, if there was one (there's also a large flock of pigeons that love the puddle that frequently accumulates across the street), will check for the cankers immediately....

.... we are canker free!!!!

also got the Kaytee Hi Cal grit this morning when I picked up the other foods, also will switch to the Kaytee Daily Dove as soon as we empty this bag, and the little one is eating and drinking well, so we're good on the ingestion front!


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## Libis (Oct 8, 2010)

twelvestringtex said:


> well then, unfortunately I see no way to find the previous owner, if there was one (there's also a large flock of pigeons that love the puddle that frequently accumulates across the street), will check for the cankers immediately....
> 
> .... we are canker free!!!!
> 
> also got the Kaytee Hi Cal grit this morning when I picked up the other foods, also will switch to the Kaytee Daily Dove as soon as we empty this bag, and the little one is eating and drinking well, so we're good on the ingestion front!


Good! 

Any signs of fever (fluffing up) or loose poops?

(Still trying to figure out why she can't fly.) 

Glad to hear she feels well enough to eat.  That's a good sign.

It is possible that this is a feral bird, though one also hears of peoples' lost birds looking for a doorstep to get help on. *shrug
It's probably impossible to tell for sure if she belonged to someone, unless you find missing posters or something. (Sometimes people don't have bands on indoor pet birds or when they just don't belong to a bird club. Most of my birds are unbanded, as my bands came a few days late to be able to go over this years' clutch's feet and my adult male dove was a rescue. Whoever bred my diamond doves chose not to band them either.


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## twelvestringtex (Dec 24, 2011)

No fluffing or loose poops (I know basic bird first aid from my other three flock members) the inability to fly is... well, perplexing.... he's to the point now that he'll let me handle him all over, after a few squabbles, (seems he's decided "screw it, i can't run, it's warm here, they're bigger than me, and only eat chickens...") and I can't seem to find anything serious, or particularly disconcerting, the only small thing is a few missing feathers around the head which could be from any one of a hundred things I figure.... BTW i live in an apartment in Houston, inside the 610 loop, so a really dense population area, near a major stadium arena, with major traffic both pedestrian and automotive, and animals, both pets and otherwise ( i know of about 6 dogs that one person walks every night around the place right about birdy bed-time, which has gotten my Sunny to start making puppy noises when she wants to sleep, lol) so... there's no telling what this bird went through before winding up on my doorstep =( we're just glad to have found her!

I was sitting there silently thinking "there's no way my lady will let me take on another bird" when she goes "OMG CAN WE KEEP IT!" =) I've never been so happy to hear those words! Also, my parents know a local rehabber nearby, and there are several in within my county and theirs, so we plan to take it to her (one lives in my parent's neighborhood!) for a checkup as soon as she's available... being Christmas and whatnot we really don't want to intrude too much, especially since the bird's life does not appear to be threatened within our home.

i'm just so perplexed about the wing! everything about her checks out to be as fine as my other birds... but she either WON'T, or CAN'T move the wing on her own, but has no more objection to it being handled than any other part of her, or the other wing.... no matter how much she tries to run away, or if she falls off my hands, she never opens that wing... not even to flap, or to glide to slow her descent


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## Libis (Oct 8, 2010)

twelvestringtex said:


> No fluffing or loose poops (I know basic bird first aid from my other three flock members) the inability to fly is... well, perplexing.... he's to the point now that he'll let me handle him all over, after a few squabbles, (seems he's decided "screw it, i can't run, it's warm here, they're bigger than me, and only eat chickens...") and I can't seem to find anything serious, or particularly disconcerting, the only small thing is a few missing feathers around the head which could be from any one of a hundred things I figure....
> 
> BTW i live in an apartment in Houston, inside the 610 loop, so a really dense population area, near a major stadium arena, with major traffic both pedestrian and automotive, and animals, both pets and otherwise ( i know of about 6 dogs that one person walks every night around the place right about birdy bed-time, which has gotten my Sunny to start making puppy noises when she wants to sleep, lol) so... there's no telling what this bird went through before winding up on my doorstep =( we're just glad to have found her!
> 
> ...



Does it feel/act like maybe a fused joint from an old injury? 

Do be careful going to a rehabber--as many will suggest euthanasia for pigeons by default (they're not well liked and are invasive species.)  Just make sure you emphasize that you want to keep this bird as a pet. I'm sure if she's your parents' friend it's ok, just warning you because I've heard some horror stories where peoples' pigeons got put down before they had even been told. 0.0

I'm kind of going back and forth about whether to advise you to put her on antibiotics just in case. This is really odd. It sounds like she's feeling ok, though. The fact that she won't open it at all makes me lean towards old injury though. If it is an old injury, I'd just keep her happy on a balanced diet and make sure she doesn't leap off of any counters. (Some birds don't realize when they can't fly/glide and hurt themselves.) Sometimes people make ramps for injured pigeons. 

Also, in the future when she's all the way quarantined, do not let her play with the parrots--as hookbills can be devastating to a pigeon or dove.


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## Msfreebird (Sep 23, 2007)

twelvestringtex said:


> i'm just so perplexed about the wing! everything about her checks out to be as fine as my other birds... but she either WON'T, or CAN'T move the wing on her own, but has no more objection to it being handled than any other part of her, or the other wing.... no matter how much she tries to run away, or if she falls off my hands, she never opens that wing... not even to flap, or to glide to slow her descent


When you examine her/him, can you open the wing? If so, can you feel any broken bones, lumps, or find any punctures or bruising on the wing? Punctures and bruising is hard to find, you have to move alot of feathers. Glad to see that she is eating and drinking, that's a good sign.


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## twelvestringtex (Dec 24, 2011)

Thanks for the warning about playtime! I wouldn't have guessed that on my own, but it makes sense.

I'm not letting the bird out of my sight when I get her checked out (i'm pretty sure it's a girl btw, pelvic check, the set of the eyes, behavior, and other little things)

She'll let me open the wing, nothing stood out to me as untoward, but i'll give it a more detailed checkout this afternoon when home from Christmasing with the fam.

And THANK YOU ALL for the help! especially during this busy season!

hmm... this is my fourth female bird... by pure coincidence. guess that's what I get for growing up in a boy filled house!


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## Grimaldy (Feb 25, 2007)

Hi ttt,

The most likely explanation for the bird's inability to extend one wing is a collision, probably with a motorvehicle, possibly a power or telephone line. The tendons than extend the wing and pull it forward are located right at the forward or leading edge of the wing. There are actually no muscles to move or flap the wing located in the wing itself, the musculature is all in the breast, connected to the wing by these long tendons and nerves. A hit on the leading edge of the wing will often produce that result.

A quick and dirty test is to hold the bird by both feet and lift it up and down rapidly at arm's length. Instinctively the bird will try to extend its wings. If the one wing does not extend, probably nerve or tendon damage.

Nerve damage will heal itself, but it takes several weeks, sometimes a couple of months. Tendon damage never repairs itself and the wing remains "frozen".
In any even give the bird exercise by trying to get it to flap its wings; at least once a day, don't be discouraged if progress is slow.

Best of luck!


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## twelvestringtex (Dec 24, 2011)

Well, I couldn't find any signs of damage on the wing, and as Grimaldy suggested PI (that's what we named her... short for PIgeon, and 3.1415926.... and we get to call her Cutie PI) doesn't extend the wing on the way down.... Whenever she tries to make an escape attempt and bail out of my hands only the one wing extends.

Sounds like the wings are very analogous to our hands... I'm a rock climber, and it's amazing how many people can't be convinced that our hands/fingers have no muscles (other than the thumb meat)

Any suggestions for how to get her to exercise?


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

Try feeling the wing, where it connects to the body. Feel both wings at the same time so you can tell if one feels different from the other.


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## Grimaldy (Feb 25, 2007)

Hi again tst;
Actually the wing skeleton of the bird is an evolved mammalian arm, complete with humerus, radius, ulna, wrist and finger bones. By placing the muscles in the chest, it allows significant weight reduction, but running the tendons and nerves along the leading edge of the wing exposes them to injury.
The bird should be allowed to rest and heal for about three weeks before starting exercise. By the way a sprain or a fracture is determined by the fact that one wing tip will hang down significantly lower than the other. Otherwise, most likely a leading edge injury. The best exercise is to hold the feet in one hand and raise the bird quickly up and down several times. You will be able to easily see any progress. Best done once a day for about five minutes, increase the time as the bird starts extending and using the wing.
Wing injuries are very painful business for birds. That crouching down in the corner is a sign of trying to protect the owie. You should consider a pain reliever NSAID such as Ibuprofen. You can get the pediatric liquid form at the drugstore over the counter, which is flavored and birds like it too. It is usually sold as 100 mg/5mL; a teaspoon full is about 5mL. The dose for an adult pigeon is about 3-5mg once a day. So if you take one teaspoonful of Ibuprofen and add 9 teaspoons of water you get 10 mg/mL. At the drugstore you can also get eyedroppers wich may or may not be graduated in milliliters, but a three inch eyedropper is usually one mL. If you give one-third of an eyedropper full you give 3mg.
Be certain to place the eyedropper in the left side of the bird’s throat, never the right side (as the bird faces forward). Right side has the windpipe and you can easily feel it in the neck on the right side (feels like a plastic tube about 3/16 inch in diameter). Pry the beak open, insert the eyedropper carefully about one inch into the back of the throat to the left side and administer slowly. If the bird coughs or chokes, you are in the windpipe, back off and try again. Do not squirt into the mouth above all. The drug takes effect in about 10 minutes and you should see a noticeable improvement in the bird’s attitude and demeanor. Do not give more than five days, once a day.
Keep us informed about how she is doing and Good Luck!


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## twelvestringtex (Dec 24, 2011)

No fracture or sprain, the wings hang at the same angle.

Also, what about parakeets? are they a threat to our pigeon? or too small to do damage? they seem think our conure (Sunny) is a Velociraptor... and Sunny tries to encourage this belief whenever possible. (Sunny gets jealous of anything that draws my attention)


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## Libis (Oct 8, 2010)

twelvestringtex said:


> No fracture or sprain, the wings hang at the same angle.
> 
> Also, what about parakeets? are they a threat to our pigeon? or too small to do damage? they seem think our conure (Sunny) is a Velociraptor... and Sunny tries to encourage this belief whenever possible. (Sunny gets jealous of anything that draws my attention)


All hookbills can injure a pigeon. The strong parrot beak can rip right through the soft pigeon skin and the soft bill of the pigeon cannot do anything about it.  I would not recommend any contact between your pigeon and your parrots. (Some people get away with it, but if you decide to do it never leave the room or get too far away. It only takes a second!)

Some people have had pigeon beaks ripped off by small parrots.


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## twelvestringtex (Dec 24, 2011)

Libis said:


> All hookbills can injure a pigeon. The strong parrot beak can rip right through the soft pigeon skin and the soft bill of the pigeon cannot do anything about it.  I would not recommend any contact between your pigeon and your parrots. (Some people get away with it, but if you decide to do it never leave the room or get too far away. It only takes a second!)
> 
> Some people have had pigeon beaks ripped off by small parrots.


Libis: That is sooo sad! we want nothing but the best for our sweet little PI, so she'll definitely be kept safe from our other birds. She makes a better studying companion anyway, and seems to enjoy the quiet and relaxation of the bedroom =) (The parrots get the living room and love the zany action)

I'm planning on inspecting the wing joints tomorrow (as I don't want to stress her too much in any one day), and will also then call the local bird expert to set up an appointment to drop by for an inspection. Macy and I have been trading off duties with PI in sort of a good-cop bad-cop manner... I get to handle the "medical exams" and other tasks that might annoy our friend, and Macy gets to the the consoling cuddler (which works out great as she has a *ton *of love, but less animal-handling knowledge... i grew up with about 12 horses, 6 cats, 4 dogs, a ferret, a chinchilla, 4 iguanas, a sugar glider, a guinea pig, and a few hamsters, spread out over my formative years)

So PI loves her, Sunny loves me, Snowwy and Bali love each other.

And we love our pigeon more and more each day =)


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## Libis (Oct 8, 2010)

twelvestringtex said:


> Libis: That is sooo sad! we want nothing but the best for our sweet little PI, so she'll definitely be kept safe from our other birds. She makes a better studying companion anyway, and seems to enjoy the quiet and relaxation of the bedroom =) (The parrots get the living room and love the zany action)
> 
> I'm planning on inspecting the wing joints tomorrow (as I don't want to stress her too much in any one day), and will also then call the local bird expert to set up an appointment to drop by for an inspection. Macy and I have been trading off duties with PI in sort of a good-cop bad-cop manner... I get to handle the "medical exams" and other tasks that might annoy our friend, and Macy gets to the the consoling cuddler (which works out great as she has a *ton *of love, but less animal-handling knowledge... i grew up with about 12 horses, 6 cats, 4 dogs, a ferret, a chinchilla, 4 iguanas, a sugar glider, a guinea pig, and a few hamsters, spread out over my formative years)
> 
> ...


Glad it sounds like it's going well for you guys 

Yeah, it can work out really well to have the hookbills and softbills play in different rooms. I have 8 doves (half are ringnecks and half are diamonds) and we just alternate between dove playtime and parakeet playtime, or use separate rooms for playtime.


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## twelvestringtex (Dec 24, 2011)

*Good News Everyone!!!!*

We took our coin jars to the coinstar machine and purchased PI a new home!
Seeing as she's infirm and flightless right now, and we'll likely let her out as often as possible if/when she heals enough to fly, we went with a rabbit cage, since it gives her a lot of ground space, and it came with ramps she can walk on. Macy made PI a comfy little nest from a dog bowl and some nesting supplies.










While I was inspecting both wings simultaneously as suggested we had a very good surprise... She can move her other wing!! she could only move it slightly... definitely didn't get more than quarter extended, but this looks like a good sign for her recovery! We're making sure to let her relax as much as possible for the next 3-4 weeks so she can heal as well as possible.


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## Libis (Oct 8, 2010)

That looks like a great pidgie home!  She'll be happy as a pet in a pretty home like that!  Looks like she appreciates her nest bowl you have in there too.


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## Grimaldy (Feb 25, 2007)

Hi all;
I notice an error in the dosage calculation for Ibuprofen. Silly me!
At 100mg/5mL, that is 20mg/mL. If you add a teaspoon full of water (5mL) you get 100mg/10mL or 10mg/mL. Putting it another way, take one teaspoonful of Ibuprofen at 100mg/mL, add a teaspoon of water and then one eyedropper full (1mL) is 10mg, so 3mg is about one-third of a eyedropperful.

Sorry about that!


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## twelvestringtex (Dec 24, 2011)

Cool, I haven't tried the Ibuprofen yet, I want to let PI settle in more, and avoid over-handling her and injuring what little trust we've accumulated thus far, but i'll note the new recipe for if/when we need it in the future!

Also, she seems to be settling into her new home, we moved the ramp/platform to the other side, above her nest, and she enjoys the secure cover. She tends to alternate between hiding under the ramp and nesting. She LOVES her nest... she didn't want to use it at first, but gave it because it was really comfy =P and we moved her food/grit/water bowls to the opposite side of the cage to make her move around a bit.

so now she can relax and chill out in a tucked in cozy protected nest, then move out and "forage" for provisions on the end of the cage closest to her family. Macy has been hanging out on her computer in the bedroom somewhat near PI for the past few days now and that's making PI less and less nervous about humans.


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## Grimaldy (Feb 25, 2007)

As long as she is up and moving around I would not bother with the Ibuprofen.
A warm safe place is often all that is needed for complete recovery.

You should expect however that at some point she will make it entirely clear she wants her freedom. Ferals rarely domesticate; sometimes they do but it is really very rare.


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## twelvestringtex (Dec 24, 2011)

Grimaldy said:


> As long as she is up and moving around I would not bother with the Ibuprofen.
> A warm safe place is often all that is needed for complete recovery.
> 
> You should expect however that at some point she will make it entirely clear she wants her freedom. Ferals rarely domesticate; sometimes they do but it is really very rare.


and how do they demonstrate that? do they just start acting batty, or something?


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## Grimaldy (Feb 25, 2007)

It can take the form of simply fighting you anytime you come near; repeated attempts to escape; marking off territory within the confines available and attacking other birds that come too near, biting or striking with its beak, etc.

Believe me you won't have any problem recognizing when and if it wants its freedom. On the other hand I note that several members have successfully tamed ferals to accept domestication, but I suspect these are really escapees from a private loft that for whatever reason did not return or were abandoned by their owners. Pigeon racing can be a very lucrative business and breeders cull the weak or non-performing or simply lose them.

Since this bird came to you for help, it knew something about you. It may be an escapee.


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## twelvestringtex (Dec 24, 2011)

you know, it never ceases to amaze me how much smarter birds are when compared to critters of a similar size... especially when thinking parakeet to hamster, or Pigeon/Parrot to a guinea pig, or large lizard... whoever came up with the term "bird brain" was a hamster head! (no offense to anbody's pet hamsters, i just had bitey experiences with them growing up... they're a bit of a shelf ornament pet, not the cuddly interactive type)


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