# Wood pigeon with a broken leg



## Antonella (Sep 10, 2008)

Hi Everybody!
I'm Antonella and I've just joined this forum. Last week I found a young wood pigeon on a sidewalk. He couldn't use his left leg. I took him to an animal hospital and they said the leg was broken. They kept him at the hospital to treat his leg and after a couple of days I picked him up and brought him home.
I usually leave pigeons free to move around, but this time I decided to put him in a cage at least to start with, so I have him in a cage for cockatiels, actually very small for Woody, as I called him. He is a little thin, but otherwise fine except for the leg. My little past experience with woodies is that they are much wilder than feral pigeons and don't adapt very well to captivity, so I'm worried how to tackle the all thing. Tomorrow I have to take him back to the hospital where they have to change his bandages. I hope it won't be too stressful for him! They said that it would take between 4 to 6 weeks before he can be released. Maybe it would be better to hand him over to a wild life center for the releasing part. I didn't take him there in the first place because I was afraid they would have put him down, if they had to take care for him too long!! It's terrible what they do sometimes!
I really like to do the best I can, but my knowledge and experience are limited, so I appreciate any advice!
Greetings
Antonella


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

Hi Antonella,

Just take it one step at a time, don't make any decisions about how to release until you know how well his leg has mended.

One advantage of releasing him yourself is that you know where he was found and can release him back into familiar territory. However, you might want to put him into a larger cage where he can exercise his wings before release (but keeping him in a smaller cage until his dressings are off would also be a good idea as it will be less stressful for him when you try to catch him).

Cynthia


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## Antonella (Sep 10, 2008)

Hi Cynthia
Thank you for your reply! Today the vet changed the dressings and said that the leg looks fine. The bones will never join perfectly, but enough for him to be able to go back to the wild. He said I should keep him in the cage and go back to the hospital in about 10 days. Actually he sounded more optimistic than the other vet ( there are two "avian" vets at this hospital ), maybe too optimistic, and thought that after removing the bandage Woody would be ready to be released after a couple of days! I should just let him fly out of the window! I forgot to mention that his tail feathers are gone, maybe after an attack by a dog or some predator. He did't think it was necessary to wait until they have grown back. I'm not sure about this!
But you are right, I should just take one step at a time!
In spite of the hard day Woody had today, he seemed less stressed when we came back, he ate when I was near him and seemed almost pleased to be back"home".
Bye for now
Antonella


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## Antonella (Sep 10, 2008)

*Update on Woody*

Hi everybody!
Woody is doing fine, but I really don't know what to do with him at this point!
All the bandages were removed from the leg about two weeks ago. The vet meant that I should keep him a couple of weeks more and then hand him over to a wild life center. I contacted the rehabber yesterday, but he said that I can release Woody myself, just making sure he can fly, letting him free in my apartment a couple of days and then open the window.
Now his tail feathers are still very short, so he's practically tailless. He is still in his little cage and I wonder how wild he's gonna be if I let him loose! On the other hand he needs to practice! But is my kitchen a suitable place for that? I really don't feel comfortable sending him out with no tail and directely from a warm place to the outside!!
It surely doesn't fit the release criteria I've just read in this forum!
The rehabber could of course have him in an outdoor aviary, but I understand that he would release him right away, because, as he said the sooner the better!
I really want to give Woody the best chances to survive, but how???
Bye or now 
Antonella


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Thank you for your wonderful supportive care of Woody.

I am sure Cynthia can better answer your question, please do not make any decisions until she posts.

The release criteria on the forum is basically for regular feral pigeons, and not necessarily geared for wood pigeons.


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