# Rescued wild pigeon missing tail feathers



## midousuji (Nov 10, 2017)

hello! i am brand new to this forum. for about a week i have noticed a pigeon resting on the ground outside my apartment, he seemed to go away at night so i figured he was just comfortable chilling out there until i walked right up to him and realized he could not fly. i had been tossing him some corn chips for a few days but today i caught him and now have him in a large box in my bathroom.

he seems to be missing about 3/4 of his tail feathers. otherwise he seems healthy, he has been alert and i saw him outside sleeping and cleaning himself just this morning before i caught him. he can fly about 15-ish feet up into the air before he crashes back down. he tries to fly up to land on a tree branch but he doesn't seem to have the control or balance to land on it, so he just crashes back to the ground. i know if i left him outside, a cat or a hawk would come grab him eventually. he has a chunk of feathers remaining on the left side of the tail but other than that they are all gone.

i am not sure if those particular feathers regrow or if he will be stuck on the ground for the rest of his days? it is friday evening and the only vet in town that takes wild birds is closed until monday morning at 8 AM. i plan on taking him there as soon as i can, but until then, is it safe to keep him in a large cardboard enclosure in the bathtub? i don't have a cage nor do i have the funds to get one at the moment, so is a box an acceptable place to keep him? The box takes up most of the bathtub and i have cut several air holes in the top. there is also a light on so that it shines through into the box so he can see. i gave him a bowl and water and some wild bird seed from the pet store as well. i am not sure if i should keep him in the house or if he should be on the patio. if i let him out of the box, he is able to fly out of the patio area and i would just hate it if he got snatched up by a cat before i could take him to the wildlife vet on monday. 

i would go in to take some pictures of him and try to get a shot of his tail, but i have an epileptic rescue dog who had a seizure as soon as i closed myself off in the bathroom with the poor bird. i am not sure if the seizure is related to the pigeon at all? but for the moment i have to stay out with the pup, though i can go in and take a few pictures of him later.


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## cwebster (Dec 11, 2010)

Thank you for rescuing him! Hopefully his tail feathers will grow back. Keeping him safe inside the house and providing seed and water are great. Be careful taking him to a vet. If you dont say he is your pet they might euthanize him even though it sounds like he just needs a safe home. Where do you live? There may ge a pigeon rescue in your area. Would you like to keep him as a pet or find him a home? As long as he has no open wounds he just needs TLC. If he has any open wounds he may need antibiotics. Thank you again for helping him! Our first pet pigeon was a seriously injured feral, Phoebe, who was the greatest loving and lovable pet we ever had.


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## midousuji (Nov 10, 2017)

i live in las vegas, and there is a vet here called animal kingdom that takes wild birds. we have brought pigeons to them many times in the past and the vet there always helps them with the broken wings, etc. for free! as far as i know she releases them when they are fully healed. it is a really great place for birds, just sadly closed over the weekend.

as far as i can tell he has no open wounds. he seems to be asleep in the box so i will try to go back in later and see if he's awake so i can check him a bit more. would i be able to get antibiotics from a regular vet over the weekend if i found any wounds, or would it be safer to just wait for the wildlife vet to open on monday?

also as far as i can tell, he has not eaten any of the seed i put in there for him. i'm not sure if his is normal or if he should be eating by now. thanks for your fast response!


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## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

His tailfeathers will grow back in about a month's time. Is there no way you can provide better housing for him? The holes in the box might not allow enough light through for him to eat and drink. You don't need to spend a lot of money. You can cover 3 sides of a table with blankets and maybe shadecloth in the front to allow enough light through. Lots of newspapers underneath and a couple of bricks on top of each other for him to perch on. Do this in a room where there won't be a lot of disturbances.

If you do take him to a vet or wildlife centre, insist on getting him back when the tailfeathers have grown out again. Always best to release them where they were found.


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