# week old pigeon found... HELP!



## gracielain (Jul 14, 2010)

I found a week old pigeon and have been feeding him (i don't know if its male!) with granivore rearing stuff from the vet and he's kept nice and warm on a hot water bottle.
is there anything else i can be doing to keep him alive? he seems so delicate...
ta,
gracie


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## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

Hi gracie,



Images?


Is he pooping well and often?


Is he active and vital and 'peeping' happily at chow times?


How are you feeding him?


Phil
Lv


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## gracielain (Jul 14, 2010)

he's pooing happily and reasonably readily and i'm feeding him with a syringe, drop by drop. he struggles to poo though, or it seems he does, the strain! I've had him for forty hours and he's pooed about four times, usually about an hour after a meal. I have been opening his beak a little with my fingers and putting a bit of the piquid in, being careful not to push it into the crop (read about it last night online?). No pics as yet, my digi cam is broken but i can post some tomorrow (my friend is coming over with her camera). he's constantly ona hot water bottle (obviously coverred with towels) so warm ans i'm feeding him every two and a half hours. is that about right? do i have to feed him through the night? he seemed very up for being fed every two hours last night (i'm shattered...)... and how much should i feed him per go?! my syringe holds 1ml and last feed he ate about 1.5 ml... i reckon about half went on me...
is there anything else i should or could be doing?
gracie


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## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

gracielain said:


> he's pooing happily and reasonably readily and i'm feeding him with a syringe, drop by drop. he struggles to poo though, or it seems he does, the strain! I've had him for forty hours and he's pooed about four times, usually about an hour after a meal.



This is not good...


He should be pooping effortlessly, and making about 45 poops in 24 hours.


He needs to be adequately Hydrated, and, Nourished.


You can try this method -


http://public.fotki.com/PhilBphil/baby_dove_-_july/


Click on the first image, and it enlarges, allowing you to read the Captions.


Formula needs to be 'soupy'...needs to be close to body temp but NEVER heated by microwave...

Make formula in advance, in a Tea Cup or low flat bottomm Coffee Cup...combine formula powder and water, then freeze it...thaw it in it's Cup in a Pan of warm water...add more Liquid if need be for it to be about like Melted Ice Cream on a Hot Day.


Baby Pigeons or Doves will gladly eat volentarily from the hollow 'nip-ple'...formula needs to taste good, and be right temperature.

Baby needs to feel upper sides of the 'nip-ple' on their Beak sides to imitate the 'feel' of mom or dad's Throat, from which they would normally feed.


Get him 'nuzzling' to be fed by gently massaging his Beak with warm slightly moist finger tip pads...then softly guide his Beak into the 'nip-ple', and softly squeeze the 'nip-ple's upper area for him to feel the sides of it against his Beak.


Trim nip-ple as shown.


Tepid Water can then be offered in the 'nip-ple' between meals also to promote adequate hydration.


This method of feeding takes a little finesse, but is easy once mastered...and natural and easy for the Baby...they very soon learn to 'dive in' to it with little3 to no guedence needed.

I have been feeding Babys this way for a long time, and it always works well for me, and it allows Water to be offered and drank between meals, as mentioned.





> I have been opening his beak a little with my fingers and putting a bit of the piquid in, being careful not to push it into the crop (read about it last night online?).



No good...and dangerous.


Their Crop is a long ways down their Esopgahus anyway...




> No pics as yet, my digi cam is broken but i can post some tomorrow (my friend is coming over with her camera). he's constantly ona hot water bottle (obviously coverred with towels) so warm ans i'm feeding him every two and a half hours. is that about right? do i have to feed him through the night? he seemed very up for being fed every two hours last night (i'm shattered...)... and how much should i feed him per go?! my syringe holds 1ml and last feed he ate about 1.5 ml... i reckon about half went on me...
> is there anything else i should or could be doing?
> gracie



I need to see some images to tell how big he is.


The very yound Dove in my link was soon eating 70 or 80 mL of formula a day, then very soon onbto whole small Seeds, and she was likely about on par with a six or eight day old Pigeon Baby for size or weight.

Post some images, with something for scale...and we can see on some guesses on how much to feed.


Where are you located?


Phil
Lv


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## gracielain (Jul 14, 2010)

p.s he cheeps at feeding sometimes but not always... not too vocal. he moves a lot though, tries to move his wings and shakes his head.


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## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

Also...make a 'Nest' for him...

Take any smaller Cardboard Box...cot it off at about two inches, so yoy have a 'Tray'.

Line the 'Tray' with some soft Towel.

Set this then onto a Table or Shelf or somewhere at least waist high or elbow high...Baby will stay put, and he will poop out of the Nest.

Set the warm water Bottle next to him as you like, set a larger Box over all if need be for over night.


Something like this works very well also ( Only the first three images are revelent ) -


http://good-times.webshots.com/album/512124277uXlSSR

Box on it's side on a Towel, on a Table...'tray' is inside Box...

Heating Pad under 'Tray' and regulated to proper warmth for the Baby.

A Shirt is draped over the whole, making an entrance...

Baby feels safe, hidden, secure...easy to slide Tray out for chow times.

As Baby gets older, Baby comes trotting out when called for feed times on the front 'lawn' ( ie: onto the Towell area on Table...)

Baby trots back into his Nest once feed time chow time is done.

Simple, neat, fun, and Baby understands it perfectly.


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## gracielain (Jul 14, 2010)

he is tiny compared to the dove you have in the pictures, absolutely tiny. a quarter of the size.
and i don't have a nipple! i can't get one til tomorrow either, its the middle of the night here! i am in australia. i have tried getting him to open his beak voluntarily but he wouldn't, with a massage and stroking the sides of his beak gently. maybe not having a nipple was the cause? will he be ok until tomorrow?
i wondered about giving him water, my other half said he would need it but as the feed is very soupy i wasn't sure. i have also been microwave heating it... so that will have to stop. seventy to eighty mls?! i think seventy mls weighs more than him! why can't it be microwave heated?


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## gracielain (Jul 14, 2010)

he doesn't have any feathers yet if that gives you an idea of his age/size?


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## gracielain (Jul 14, 2010)

i have a picture, but its on my computer. can i email it to you? do you have an email address i can send it to?


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## gracielain (Jul 14, 2010)

Ah, also, I found out this afternoon, he is a Turtle Dove, or so we think, not a pigeon. Sorry, I just realised I had left that out of my message, and therefore the title of the thread is misleading. I attempted to attach the picture but it wouldn't let me, if you email me ([email protected]) I will gladly send you the image of him. I am afraid he is too small... Everyone tells me he won't live but I feel like I have to keep trying. I have become very attached to him already.


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## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

gracielain said:


> he is tiny compared to the dove you have in the pictures, absolutely tiny. a quarter of the size.
> and i don't have a nipple! i can't get one til tomorrow either, its the middle of the night here! i am in australia. i have tried getting him to open his beak voluntarily but he wouldn't, with a massage and stroking the sides of his beak gently. maybe not having a nipple was the cause? will he be ok until tomorrow?



Hi Gracie, 


For now...guide him to drink..."tepid" water...in a small low Cup or Custard Dish for now...pending your getting some 'nip-ples' for him to eat and drink from.

They do not open their Beak as Song Birds do...in Nature, they eat fropm their Parent's Throat...so they sort of 'gobble' their food...in a way.

Do not be trying to open his Beak...rather, permit him a feeding opportunity which appeals to his Naturel History, as represented in the images of the young Dove.

Here is another Link, showing images and feeding images, of a 7 or 8 day old Pigeon -

http://good-times.webshots.com/album/547324376ZDjOCU





> i wondered about giving him water, my other half said he would need it but as the feed is very soupy i wasn't sure. i have also been microwave heating it... so that will have to stop.


Do not microwave his formula...




> seventy to eighty mls?! i think seventy mls weighs more than him! why can't it be microwave heated?


Well, I need to se how small he is!!!

One feeds according to -

Their Size, and...

How rapidly their system processes the food.


One does not want to over feed...

Post some images, and we can find some idea of what might be a reasonable amount of formula for him to volentarily eat if he is empty...and we can go from there.



Phil
Lv


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## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

gracielain said:


> i have a picture, but its on my computer. can i email it to you? do you have an email address i can send it to?



Just sent it to you as per your following post.


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## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

gracielain said:


> Ah, also, I found out this afternoon, he is a Turtle Dove, or so we think, not a pigeon. Sorry, I just realised I had left that out of my message, and therefore the title of the thread is misleading. I attempted to attach the picture but it wouldn't let me, if you email me ([email protected]) I will gladly send you the image of him. I am afraid he is too small... Everyone tells me he won't live but I feel like I have to keep trying. I have become very attached to him already.




That's fine if he is a Turtle Dove...diet and care is the same...


If you have a Blender or small electric Coffee Grinder, consider to emulate the formula making I have shown in the last link.

Get some people-baby-nursing-nip-ples.

Get some Malted Barley, or Malt or Malt Sugar also if you can, since Doves seem to like the flavor, and they can be more picky then Pigeons if we wish them to eat volentarily.

Get some Goji Berries.

Get some good Seeds, White Safflower, dried Peas, Millet, Oat Groats, raw Sunflower Seed 'Hearts' ( or any good Seed Mixes for Birds )...make sure they are 'good' and not old and dried out.


4:15 A.M. here, time for all the little Beaks, and me, to hit the Hay.


I am [email protected] ( pdp one, not a lower case L )


Phil
Lv


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## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

Okay...I got the image, and, this is rather a teeny one.


Report in??


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Here is another way to feed. It usually works pretty well. Some, one way will work better, and some another. 

http://urbanwildlifesociety.org/WLR/BabyPij&DuvFeedg.htm


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## gracielain (Jul 14, 2010)

Hey again,
Thank you so much for all the advice! Especially the pics of the 7-8 day old pigeon. "Louis" as he has been named (as I found him on Bastille Day), is the same size as the bird you had photographed. 
At the moment he is eating beautifully from the nipple which I got from the chemist, formula which I am pan heating! He pooing more frequently and finally (its day four now) has a serious appetite! He opened his eyes yesterday which I was ecstatic about.
Also he is taking water between meals.
When should I begin feeding him the seeds...?
Many thanks again,

Gracie


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## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

Hi Gracie, 


Do Formula Feeds and between Meals Water drinking for now...

If you can mince up some fresh Greens very very fine, you can add those to the Formula...Cilantro or Parsely would be good, probably just toss some into the Blender along with Seeds and Goji Berries for making the Formula 'meal' powder.

Similarly small amounts of very finely minced Apple or even APPLE Sauce if organic and unsweetened, could be added to the Formula also.



Once about say ten days old, you can begin adding smallest whole Seeds to the Formula, along with some fine Grit like Parakeet Grit.


At two weeks, we can run through some methods for him to be eating Seeds and finely minced Fruit and Greens for some meals, and Formula continued for other meals.


Keep those images coming!!


It's always more fun when we can see the little Darlings!



Phil
Lv


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