# 3-4 week old rescued spotted dove, need help with weaning



## baby-dove (Dec 14, 2012)

Just over 2 weeks ago my cat bought in a baby dove late at night. The dove didn't yet have any feathers and based on photos online I estimated it was about a week old. After having no luck finding the nest I brought it to the vet clinic the next day. I was told I could either hand rear it or have it put down so I decided to give rearing a go with a syringe and moistened egg, seed and biscuit mix from the pet store. The Dove has survived and grown a full set of feathers and is just now learning to fly (she can go a pretty short distance at the moment but is constantly flapping her wings).

I want to start weaning her onto dry food as I'm going away over Christmas so will need someone else to feed her and I'm not sure how many will volunteer to use the syringe method 4 times a day! I can get her to eat the dry egg and biscuit mixture from my hands and from the ground if I tap away at it but I'm not sure how to get her drinking water or eating the food by herself.

Also would like to know what is the best sort of dry food to move onto?

I'm hoping to release her once she's fully grown so want to give her the best chance of surviving in the wild (I'm fully prepared to keep food in an outdoor cage for her if she doesn't want to go however).

I have one other question. When I first started feeding her I wasn't so good at cleaning her off afterward.. unfortunately some of the pastey rearing mix ended up drying and sticking to the feathers under her beak and on the tops of her wings where she flapped them against the syringe. Any advice for getting this off?

Thanks so much!


----------



## Reti (Jul 20, 2003)

Sounds like she is starting eating on her own with your help. Keep doing what you're doing and you can add some small seeds for her to start pecking at them. She should be self sufficient in a week or so.
Also do the same with a bowl of water. Dip the tip of the beak in the water and she'll start drinking.
Give her time out of her cage so she can learn flying well. 
As for releasing her, best to do a soft release where there are other birds of her kind. A lone bird will not make it on her own.

Reti


----------



## baby-dove (Dec 14, 2012)

Thanks very much Reti. Any idea what the best seeds are to use? She started drinking a bit this morning when I put her beak in a bowl so I think she is getting the hang of it.

Once she is happily eating by herself will it be enough to leave seeds and water in her cage once a day?

Also, any advice on how to clean the dried food from her feathers?


----------



## Reti (Jul 20, 2003)

A damp cloth should clean off the dried food. If that doesn't work you could give her a bath with Dawn. But make sure after that she is dried well and warm.
You can use finch or canary seeds, they are small enough for her to start pecking on them.
Yeah, once a day you can leave about se spoon full of seeds or even a little more.

Reti


----------



## PigeonMom86 (Dec 11, 2012)

I had the same issue with my baby pigeon. Her feathers matted on her chest and looked very uncomfortable! I took a warm damp cloth and held it to the clumps of formula. After they soaked for a while, I took a pair of tweezers and broke them up enough to where she could pick them off herself. She did the rest!


----------

