# Baby Pigeon with Respiratory Problem?



## Rhevi (Jun 15, 2017)

Hi!
I'll try to keep things short:
I'm currently trying to save a baby pigeon.
I got the little guy two days ago, together with his sibling.
Both were in a pretty bad shape.
The sibling, who was the bigger one but obviously sick, died a few hours later.
The other one seems perfectly healthy, I guess he's now about five days old.
Since I got him, he's been hopping around, squaking, nuzzling my hand, begging for food, and he has a lot of appetite.
However, yesterday, I noticed a very quiet, clicking sound whenever he was breathing. Worried he might get sick like his sibling, I kept a close eye on him. 
He ate normally, seemed happy and aware, everything looked finde.
This morning, he begged for food as usual. 
But he stopped squeaking. And after begging he was breathing very heavily, as if he was out of breath. He's breathing a bit funny when he's calm, too, but not with an open beak, he's just taking strangely deep breaths. 
And he still has that quiet clicking noise.
I panicked and immediately took him to a vet.
The problem is, there is only one vet around who even treats pigeons, and even he's already almost 9 miles away, and no specialist for birds in any way. 
There is no avian vet anywhere near me.
The vet confirmed the clicking sound, but also said that the little guy had a lot of energy for his age and seemed quite healthy. When he looked at him, the little guy even squeaked, just to spite my words that he's been silent. The vet said, if he was eating and pooping normally, I should not worry too much. I got an antibiotic, the baby is supposed to get one drop every day for a week.
However, I'm still worried sick.
Does anyone have any idea what's going on with the little guy?
He's sleeping right now...
How much sleep is normal for a baby this age?
I took care of little birds before, but never this young...
Please help, I'm so anxious about all of this.


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## Rhevi (Jun 15, 2017)

I just saw the little guy had some poop in his nest, so I took the chance and made a short video.
Notice the heavy breathing after he hopped around a bit. 
And maybe you can judge if his poop looks normal, I am not sure about anything anymore.
He did not squeak a single time while jumping around, yesterday he squeaked all the time. When we visited the vet, I heard that he can still squeak, and it sounded normal, he just doesn't do it anymore.

I know the quality is crappy, I had to use my cellphone, my cameras batteries are empty.

https://vimeo.com/222341908


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## cwebster (Dec 11, 2010)

Someone more expert should answer soon. What are you feeding him? Thank you for helping him!


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## Rhevi (Jun 15, 2017)

I'm feeding him NutriBird 21. In the morning, I put a little bit of CalciBoost and some B-vitamins in his food, in the evening I add a drop of Bird BeneBac.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

You may have aspirated them when feeding. That is easy to do with birds. How are you feeding him?


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## Rhevi (Jun 15, 2017)

I'm feeding him with the Syringe-Method.
He understood it immediately, he puts his beak in the hole and drinks by himself.
So, I'm not sure how this should have happened...
Is this the only possible diagnose?
Anyway, if I did indeed aspirate him, will this get better or worse?
Despite the breathing and squeaking he's fine so far, I just fed him again and he has an incredible appetite. And with the antibiotics, he should not develop a serious pneumonia, right?


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

He will hopefully be okay. Can you post a pic of him? How old is he?


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## Rhevi (Jun 15, 2017)

I don't know how old he is, I can only guess.
Five days, perhaps. Maybe a bit younger, since his eyes are still closed.
He sometimes opens his right eye and gives me a look, but that's about it.
I got him under rather nasty circumstances. On a balcony in the apartment house where my father lives, pigeons built a nest on a carpet of artificial grass. The neighbours and the landlord had a problem with that, and one day my father found a nest with two pigeon babies in the dumpster 
Since I'm the only one who has done somthing like this before, he called me and gave them to me. 
It was sad enough that the other baby bird died almost immediately, I don't want to lose this little guy, too.

Can I do anything to help or support his recovery, aside from the antibiotics?


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Do You keep him on a heating pad set on LOW, or under some sort of heat? They need to be very warm in order to digest their food. Otherwise the food just sits in the crop and they will get sour crop, where it sours and won't pass through. It will cause a yeast infection. So they need to be kept warm. Be care with the extra calcium, as usually those formulas do contain it and say not to add more. TCalcium and D3 are important, but too much is as bad as not enough.


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## Rhevi (Jun 15, 2017)

He is on a heating pad set on medium temperature (low is just about 27° Celsius, medium is about 35°-36°), and I put just a tiny bit of Calcium in his food once a day. (I can stop that, if you think it's too much.)
The crop is emptying fine, I doubt that's the problem with him.

I just saw him breathing with his beak open, but just for a moment, then he returned to his "normal" heavy breathing...


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Only time will tell if it will clear. Gotta go to work for a few hours. Will be back on later, but am sure others will be in. 
Can't imagine someone just tossing them away in a dumpster. We always say to set it on LOW, as it can get warm with the baby on it.


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## Rhevi (Jun 15, 2017)

Thanks Jay.
I'll keep an eye on both my baby and this thread.
The next time I'm planning to feed the little one is in about an hour, but when he noticed me checking on him he already started hopping around and begging. (But not squeaking, which still freaks me out...)
As long as he keeps his appetite, it can't be too bad, I guess...


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

This was a post made by one of our members, who does very well raising babies from hatch. You may find it helpful.

Old Today, 08:55 PM
http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/f5/new-here-and-have-a-few-questions-98482.html
FredaH's Avatar 
FredaH FredaH is online now
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Join Date: Apr 2016
Country: United Kingdom
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Posts: 717
I've only had two eggs together and they were tumblers but hatched on the same day, 19th August last year - so I wonder if yours will. My three ferals were from different batches.
I don't feed the hatchlings until they've completely dried off and had a sleep, around six hours after hatching, just to make sure they've gained their strength from the hatch - some folk say you can wait as long as twenty four hours because they've only just ingested the yolk from the egg and don't need feeding right away but I give a few small feeds on the first day anyway. I don't make the Kaytee mix as liquid as suggested on the can because I found it too watery and worried it may choke the babies by running too fast, instead I make a runny paste - as you will see in the video below it runs but rather slowly - so you want a little less water than stated but that's just my opinion. I feed five times per day and I also feed if there is still a little in the crop from a previous feed, if I wait until the crop is completely empty I wouldn't be able to feed the chick as much as he needs - again just my opinion. If the crop is rather full after four and a half hours I feed just a small amount of tepid cow and gate baby apple sauce to get it moving but just a 1/2 ml. I would never feed by spoon as suggested on the Kaytee can, pigeons don't eat from spoons and they have no problem with feeding from a syringe and balloon from day one. I really don't measure how much I have given because I go by a nice plump crop, I like it to feel like a bean bag that has a few beans missing, kind of like a squishy cushion - I'd say they take around 2 ml in the first few feeds but you will know if it's more or less by the look and feel of the crop. Make sure the nose holes aren't completely covered when feeding, although this is difficult because they are so keen to feed - typical pigeons right from the start, lol. Once you've done a first feed you'll feel much more confident and go from strength to strength.
I keep my babies in the incubator for the first five days because they must be warm in order to digest the food and I keep them at 34 C degrees, once they start to get adventurous I move them to a well ventilated but heated tub - if the weather is warm I place a heat mat under the outside of the tub because overheating is dangerous just as under heating can be. The tub should be large enough to have a nest area and a jar one third filled with water for humidity and space for the chick to move around and toilet, as you know they don't toilet in the nest. With the water jar I just punch a few holes in the lid once it's screwed back on so the babes can't fall in and drown and the sharp edges from the holes are on the inside. In the corner I call the nest area I also put a small soft toy for them to nuzzle up to. Once they have enough feathers I take the heat source away and do this a few degrees at a time over the course of a week, I keep them at 34 degrees for the first week then lower it to 30 degrees. Measure the temperature at ground level because if it's 34 degrees at the top of the tub and the heat mat is at the bottom it will be hotter down there obviously.
As you won't have the incubator to keep your babies in you'll need to monitor the temperature in the tub, I do this with a probe thermometor for reptiles but I'm sure you can find a way to measure yourself. You don't want food rotting in their tiny tums and the need for a correct heat is imperative.
I hope this helps and please post pics when they arrive - I'm so jealous, lol and would love to raise a baby right now, I have a chick just hatched but this one has parents - sigh.

This video is my last born feral - Gideon - having his first feed after hatching and he's still as greedy today, ha ha!

http://youtu.be/XwJdc1usNc8


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## Rhevi (Jun 15, 2017)

Well, I just fed him for the last time today...
He still has his legendary appetite.
But he did not squeak at all, and the breathing is still very heavy. 
He also seems sleepy and a bit weak, despite his intense begging for food.
As long as he eats like that, he's not going to suddenly die on me, is he? 
I wonder how he will be tomorrow...
How much time does an antibiotic need to work in cases like this?
I even forgot to ask which antibiotic the vet gave me...
Is there any particular kind of antibiotic that's recommended for this kind of problem?


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## Rhevi (Jun 15, 2017)

Thanks Jay, we wrote at the same time, I'll read it right now.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Here is another:

HOW MUCH TO FEED
Cynthia Roberts
http://www.urbanwildlifesociety.org/WLR/BabyPij&DuvFeedg.htm

Cut the tip off a feeding syringe.
The syringe size varies with the age of the pigeon.
Start with a 5ml syringe.
Feed 1cc of very thin formula (eg Kaytee Exact) using 1 part formula to 5 parts water.
Feed 1cc every 2 hours at days 1 - 2
3cc every 3 hours for days 3-4
10-11cc every 5 hours days 5-7, thickening the formula every time.
By day 20 they should be taking 30-40 ml 3 times a day from a 60ml syringe.
Quantities are guidelines only. Crop sizes vary so feed carefully stopping to let the pigeon breathe and to check how [full the crop is.]

Cushiony crop
After feeding, the crop should feel soft and cushiony.
Do not overfeed or crop will stretch and sag forming a fold that traps food in it.


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## Rhevi (Jun 15, 2017)

That was really informative.
And I noticed something, maybe that was the problem.
I never managed to keep the baby pigeons nostrils out of the syringe.
He just stuffs his beak in there, I think if he could, he would put his whole head into his food.
Could he have inhaled some of the formula through his nostrils?

Should I try to aim for the same temperatures as described in the first post, which would be at least 1 or 2 degree lower, or does the little one need it a bit warmer since he's sick?


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

What temp do you keep him at? Do you use a thermometer?


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## Rhevi (Jun 15, 2017)

I'm using a thermometer, yes. The sensor is on the ground of his little box, hidden on the side under cotton. It says 36,7 degree right now.

His breathing got worse over night, the clicking louder.
However, he still loves to eat.
He even squeaked a bit while begging.
I just gave him his second dose of antibiotics, and suddenly wondered - The formula is warm, is that bad for the antibiotics? I read somewhere antibiotics should not be mixed with something warm...


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

The formula isn't _that_ warm. If you are mixing it into the formula, then you have to be sure that he eats all of the formula. Otherwise he won't get the full dose.


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## BurryThePigeon (Apr 4, 2021)

Rhevi said:


> Hi!
> I'll try to keep things short:
> I'm currently trying to save a baby pigeon.
> I got the little guy two days ago, together with his sibling.
> ...






hi, I have the same thing wrong with my pigeon and I am worried about him too.


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## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

Can you start your own thread with a photo?


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## HanaReed (5 mo ago)

Jay3 said:


> The formula isn't _that_ warm. If you are mixing it into the formula, then you have to be sure that he eats all of the formula. Otherwise he won't get the full dose.


Would you please tell us how it went in the end? I have a two weeks old wild baby pigeon suffering almost the same. He was ok even tho he's had a cold but when I started giving him Avigold solution (minerals and vitamins) the droppings turned wet but gooey which I didn't like but hey, can't argue what experienced pris so I kept it on. Now sometimes he'd periodically gasp for air or gag maybe?! I'm strony with fedding natutal foods so I'm considering stopping the yellow solution Gos kniws what is in it and keeping my herbal teas instead. 
The question is.. will he survive? 
My baby also has say leg and I had the band aid method on for a week now. Taking it off in a few more days. It looks better already but still limps a bit. MUCH better than his previous state which is fortunate and I'm grateful. He did attempt to fly from the rim of his nest down in 20 mm distance with a great landing and I was all smiles. Good on you. He's a fighter and I'd hate to see a fighter lose.


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## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

HanaReed said:


> Would you please tell us how it went in the end? I have a two weeks old wild baby pigeon suffering almost the same. He was ok even tho he's had a cold but when I started giving him Avigold solution (minerals and vitamins) the droppings turned wet but gooey which I didn't like but hey, can't argue what experienced pris so I kept it on. Now sometimes he'd periodically gasp for air or gag maybe?! I'm strony with fedding natutal foods so I'm considering stopping the yellow solution Gos kniws what is in it and keeping my herbal teas instead.
> The question is.. will he survive?
> My baby also has say leg and I had the band aid method on for a week now. Taking it off in a few more days. It looks better already but still limps a bit. MUCH better than his previous state which is fortunate and I'm grateful. He did attempt to fly from the rim of his nest down in 20 mm distance with a great landing and I was all smiles. Good on you. He's a fighter and I'd hate to see a fighter lose.


How are you feeding him? Are you using a cut-off syringe (where he sticks his beak inside to eat) as in youtube videos? If he is constantly open mouth breathing (raspy breathing) then he probably aspirated some food and will need antibiotics to prevent aspiration pneumonia which will kill him.


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## HanaReed (5 mo ago)

Marina B said:


> How are you feeding him? Are you using a cut-off syringe (where he sticks his beak inside to eat) as in youtube videos? If he is constantly open mouth breathing (raspy breathing) then he probably aspirated some food and will need antibiotics to prevent aspiration pneumonia which will kill him.


Thank you for replying and sorry for the horrible typos.
He's better now. But is there a way to avoid aspiration? I'd like to take precaution.
Yes, I use the syringe and will be switching to small jars better. His beak is getting broad now that he's almost 3 weeks old and the 5 ml syringe I use is no longer comfortable.
Thanks again. Take care.


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## Doves Witness (Apr 23, 2016)

​


HanaReed said:


> But is there a way to avoid aspiration?


















"Syringe method for feeding young/baby pigeons/doves"








Syringe method for feeding young/baby pigeons/doves


Syringe method for feeding young/baby pigeons/doves This is just a plastic syringe with the end cut off, filled to the desired level with a suitable formula (e.g., Kaytee Exact all baby birds reari…




duneks.wordpress.com





Cut the tip from the syringe.

Use the plunger only to move food forward to the end of the tube.

Let the bird take the food from the end of the tube instead of pushing food into the bird's beak.

Don't push food into the bird's beak.


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## HanaReed (5 mo ago)

Doves Witness said:


> View attachment 102533
> 
> 
> View attachment 102534​
> ...


I know. That is exactly what I do. Appreciate the effort.


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