# what could be wrong with his poop?



## hibou (Jul 7, 2015)

soi found a baby pigeon on the beach on friday. (it is now tuesday). i took him to the local vet here (barbados) but they don't really deal with pigeons. so i took him home and fed him quaker oats original. he seemed to be doing really well, energetic and very happily eating. admitidely within the first day, i made amistake before checking any websites and mixed his food in with a little milk (I KNOW) and possibly one over feeding. but even after that he seemed to be doing fine. happy, and his poop seemed okay. khaki and firm with a dollup of white on the top. 

two days ago, i noticed that his poop was a little runnier than usual, it was still khaki and topped with white but there was a little excess water around the sides. i didn't think too much of it until yesterday when i noticed he was leaning back to try and poop, but couldn't. i realized he was constipated and so i gave him a warm bath and massaged his stomach a little. He expelle a lot during the night, but it didn't look healthy at all. very runny and black/dark green. but i just figured again, it was like that because it was in there for a while. 

then when i got back from an outing this evening, i noticed he was more lethargic than usual. i took him out to feed him and while he still wants to eat, he is isn't receiving the food so well. 

he leaned back to poop again and this time it was awful. mostly green diarrhea, VERY loose and runny, with only a little white. i will include a picture here. 


points
- i have only been able to feed him quaker oats original, blended, heated and fed with a syringe feeding apparatus. i live with my parents who are not the most caring people, and don't see any need to buy other foods that we don't normally keep, just for a pigeon. 

-i think he is just. little over two weeks old. 

-he is still somewhat active and willing to recieve food. he prunes and cheeps when he is hungry, but aside from that, he sleeps most of the time. 

-there are not many vets here willing to deal with pigeons. even if there were, I wouldn't be able to afford it on my own (teenager) and my parents would not be willing to pay. 

any advice about his diet/what i can do to help him recover, or at least make him more comfortable is welcome.


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

For one thing, I don't think you are feeding enough. Can you please post a picture of the baby? The baby may be older than you think.

Here are some pre-written instructions for babies that are feathered or nearly feathered.

You can hand feed defrosted corn and peas. Run some hot water over them until they are defrosted and slightly warmed. Put the bird on your lap and hold it next to your body. I f it helps, you can wrap a towel around it or put it in the sleeve of a tee shirt, with the head out the wrist. That confines them without hurting them and makes it easier to handle. With babies that have been hand raised, this won't be necessary. Gently open the beak and pop the piece of corn and peas at the back of the mouth and over the throat. You will need to feed 40-50 per feeding and every time the bird’s crop empties until you know it is eating on their own. I buy the petite variety.
This is a wonderful method for teaching babies to eat because they feel the whole food in their mouth and it’s soft and easy to pick up and hang on to. The next step… seeds. 
The crop is located right below the throat and with food it fills up like a little balloon. The peas and corn make it lumpy and squishy.
In addition to the peas and corn, the baby needs a calcium supplement. All babies need calcium to grow. Look for powdered oyster shell at the pet store and put a pinch on the pease and corn, once a day.


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## CBL (May 13, 2014)

Well if he is not eating enough, it could be starvation droppings, if not then E. coli. Would need meds. Try feeding him defrosted warmed peas one at a time in his beak at the back of his mouth, sounds like he is not feeling well and may need meds. Can you post a video and picture of the bird. Is the food warm enough but not burning hot? Many variables to consider. Also when young the mix has to have more water than food for hydration, make sure the mix is not too thick. They need good hydration when young. Post a video that may help.


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## hibou (Jul 7, 2015)

Sorry for the late response. I am now getting back to the computer. I will include a picture of him in this post.

So an update, i took him too the vet and he agrees that i'm probably not feeding him enough, and also the wrong things. That quaker oats is a very dry cereal and would probaly have a lot to do with his digstion problms. The suggested dog food or cat food, and berries, or things closer to what they tend to go after in the wild naturally.I also found out he is actually a west-indian varient of the pigeon called the Scaly-Naped pigeon. Seen here. http://www.birdforum.net/opus/Scaly-naped_Pigeon

I bought some corn and fed him the warmed cernels one at a time. His poop is still very runny, but now khaki and white. ( i will include a picture of this also), and he was able to pass it without straining.

He seems generally more responsive now, though still a little lethargic. He still eats and drinks really well.

The food that i give him is warm, but never hot. I rest a smaller bowl with the food in it in a bigger bowl of warm water to keep it that way while i extract it with a syringe/ feed it to him.

A detail i forgot to include, one of his legs is slightly swollen and he doesn't like to put too much weight on it. The vet said to ice it, and bring him back tomorrow/ when i was able to get him onto a better diet. 

http://imgur.com/VREnWeo,IxACXvY9TjGi9,tMtLOIz,etjHC6b#0 

(note, the pictures of him were taken this morning, before the vet trip)


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

Did you read these instructions? 

You can hand feed defrosted corn and peas. Run some hot water over them until they are defrosted and slightly warmed. Put the bird on your lap and hold it next to your body. I f it helps, you can wrap a towel around it or put it in the sleeve of a tee shirt, with the head out the wrist. That confines them without hurting them and makes it easier to handle. With babies that have been hand raised, this won't be necessary. Gently open the beak and pop the piece of corn and peas at the back of the mouth and over the throat. *You will need to feed 40-50 per feeding and every time the bird’s crop empties until you know it is eating on their own. I buy the petite variety.*
This is a wonderful method for teaching babies to eat because they feel the whole food in their mouth and it’s soft and easy to pick up and hang on to. The next step… seeds.
The crop is located right below the throat and with food it fills up like a little balloon. The peas and corn make it lumpy and squishy.
*In addition to the peas and corn, the baby needs a calcium supplement. All babies need calcium to grow. Look for powdered oyster shell at the pet store and put a pinch on the peas and corn, once a day.
__________*________

The peas and corn have liquid that will keep the bird hydrated.

Please post a picture of the entire pigeon and at an angle where the lump on the foot is visible.


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## hibou (Jul 7, 2015)

i'm feeding him the corn. he seems a little better. more responsive

the the pictures of his feet were hard to get because when i move him too much he seems to be in pain. he never really stands or uses them, I don't think that he can. he will sit on the balls of his feet, they are beginning to swell.

http://m.imgur.com/dQvRCz3,t059IPy,rqfk8k3,bg0Eb6K


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## CBL (May 13, 2014)

hibou said:


> i'm feeding him the corn. he seems a little better. more responsive
> 
> the the pictures of his feet were hard to get because when i move him too much he seems to be in pain. he never really stands or uses them, I don't think that he can. he will sit on the balls of his feet, they are beginning to swell.
> 
> http://m.imgur.com/dQvRCz3,t059IPy,rqfk8k3,bg0Eb6K


Everything is FINE, he is about 2 to 2.5 weeks old and at that age they CANNOT stand or walk, it is NORMAL, so dont fret, poop looks pretty good too, I would say that he needs to be WARMER tho, he looks a bit hunched and fluffed. So continue to feed the peas, feed this baby 3 to 6 times a day. Keep him warmer, use a heating pad under one side of box or a heat lamp on one side of cage or box and allow a cooler side so he can shuffle to not be so hot or cold. 

Post more pics if u can. Keep up the good work.


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