# 19-21 day old injured pigeon found... PLEASE HELP!



## prizka09 (May 30, 2007)

On Sunday (the 27th) I found a baby pigeon outside my hotel. He was on an island between a parking lot and a drive-thru and his right wing was limp. I looked around and waited about 45 minutes but didn't see any other pigeons in the area... I was scared he would get hit so I decided to take him home with me.

He has most of his feathers (and a TON a pinfeathers) and all of his flight feathers so based on some research I've done I think he's about 19-21 days old. He's very docile and sweet and generally doesn't shy away from me at all... except when it's time to feed him. I've been hand feeding him 3-4 times/day with a 10ml (2 tsp) syringe. It takes about an hour and a half to give him 2-3 of those. I feel AWFUL because after every feeding his crop still feels fairly empty AND he won't come near me for the next hour or so. He's lost some weight and I am beginning to become very concerned. I'm in school and I'm working 3 jobs so it's been difficult finding time to squeeze in feedings. Is there an easier way that I can do this??

A couple of other things:
He will peck at things on the ground (as if to eat them) so I left bread crumbs around but I've never really seen him eat any. Is there a seed someone can recommmend that I buy for him?

His right wing hangs limp. He doesn't _seem _to be in any pain, but I'm not sure. He jumps onto things and off of my finger but only uses his left wing to do so. He stretches them both often and for a short time immediately afterwards, his injured wing doesn't hang limp anymore.

What about bathing? He preens plenty on his own but the feeding can be a bit messy plus he's molting like crazy (and my roommates are beggining to complain!  

I live in College Station, TX and so far I haven't been able to locate a Wildlife Shelter... there are plenty of veterinarian offices (per the Vet School here) but I'm really nervous about that because I feel like they'll want to take him away-- and if he were going to leave me, I'd prefer it'd be to a no-kill location. Does anyone know of any place (or any person) near College Station (about 100 miles from Houston and Austin)?

Anyhow, any advice would be appreciated... and the sooner the better! I don't want him losing any more weight!
Thanks so so much!!
-prisca


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Well, what kind of formula are you making him and how thick are you mixing it?

Pidgey


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## prizka09 (May 30, 2007)

Kaytee Exact... it's on the thicker side since I know he's not getting as much as he should down. Probably a little thicker than pudding...


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Here are some feeding links:

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?t=9682

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?t=16235

In a real pinch, one can feed a bird puppy chow bits (try not to get the tainted stuff) that have been wetted.

Pidgey


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Well, that's good stuff so it's a matter of getting enough in him. Usually, they eat 10 to 15% of their weight per meal when they're that young three times per day. Tubing it in if you've got the stuff is by far the fastest although most people are scared to death of that the first couple of times. Do you have a Lowe's or a Home Depot around there anywhere close?

Pidgey


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

How are you weighing him to know that he's losing weight? And do you have any idea how much he weighs?

Pidgey


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## feralpigeon (Feb 14, 2005)

Hi prizka09, welcome to PT and thanks for helping the bird out. In answer to 
your question about places to bring the bird, here's a link to a list of rehabbers
and vets who will treat pigeons from our resource section:

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?t=8817

The main thing about anywhere you bring the bird for help is to call first
and ask the pertinent questions before you bring the bird there. Like what 
will they do if the bird is unreleasable. Then keep calling around if you don't 
get the right answer.

If at all possible, the bird should be seen as soon as possible by a medical
person as the time is ticking away in terms of a window for best results when
setting it. Hope this helps.

fp


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## prizka09 (May 30, 2007)

Pidgey said:


> How are you weighing him to know that he's losing weight? And do you have any idea how much he weighs?
> 
> Pidgey


kinda just eyeballing it... the way his wings fall around his frame, how he feels when I pick him up, that sort of thing. He was a pretty good size when I found him and he still is (but not for long at this rate)... I read somewhere that they are supposed to be gaining weight everyday which is why I'm so incredibly nervous about him _losing _weight.


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Is there any way you can take a picture and post it? And as to that wing, does he stretch it up above him and back at all? Another thing that seems strange is that he's molting--they don't usually do that at that age so you're saying that lots of feathers are falling out? What kind of feathers do they look to be?

Pidgey


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## prizka09 (May 30, 2007)

Pidgey said:


> Well, that's good stuff so it's a matter of getting enough in him. Usually, they eat 10 to 15% of their weight per meal when they're that young three times per day. Tubing it in if you've got the stuff is by far the fastest although most people are scared to death of that the first couple of times. Do you have a Lowe's or a Home Depot around there anywhere close?
> 
> Pidgey


I do. What should I buy?


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

There's some picture of the exact product in that one thread on tube-feeding for a quickie that's safe. It's heat-shrink tubing for electrical wires. There's a pack that it comes in at either store that has assorted sizes. If you've got a fairly normal syringe (but of a good size like 20 cc's or so), one of the tubes can be just barely slipped on and used to go down to the crop. You can load the stuff in pretty quickly that way and reduce the feeding time to less than the time it takes to clean the syringe.

Pidgey


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## prizka09 (May 30, 2007)

I can try but it may take a couple of days.
And normally, he'll lift both wings over his head, but not extend. But then today I noticed he would stretch and extend one foot and one wing behind him at a time (including the injured one) from time to time.


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

This is a link to that product:

http://pets.webshots.com/photo/2230231940073664377yNkprq

They're soft enough that you can't actually hurt the esophagus going in but just stiff enough to work it down to the crop relatively easily. As long as you've pulled the bird's neck pretty straight, it'll almost drop in.

Another thing that I'd be worried about, though, is the possibility that the little fellow might have coccidiosis (it's rained a lot down there lately, hasn't it?) and might possibly need a Sulfa drug. If there are any feed stores down there, it can be gotten pretty cheap.

That said, what do his poops look like--are they fairly liquidy, or solid, or what?

Pidgey


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Well, then, it's probably not broken and he might not be sick. It's fairly typical of them to just absolutely wilt, complete with wing drooping, when they've gotten dehydrated and starved so maybe that's been the worst of it. They don't usually do the stretching much when they're sicker'n dogs or hurt real bad. They certainly don't stretch broken wings.

Pidgey


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## prizka09 (May 30, 2007)

Pidgey said:


> This is a link to that product:
> 
> http://pets.webshots.com/photo/2230231940073664377yNkprq
> 
> ...



Thanks! That sounds a bit scary but I'm willing to try _ anything_ at this point. He's got spunk and it's really hard to hold him down when I'm feeding him... how problematic do you think the squirming will be?
His poop, up until today, has been fairly solid and regular. Today it was mostly liquid.
And what is coccidiosis? ... It has rained ALOT here lately. I meant to ask, should I be worried about anything I can catch from him? I've been getting that alot lately from a lot of people....


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Nah, he's got more to fear from getting something from you, quite frankly. Coccidiosis is one of those things that every species can get but they only get their "species-specific" variety. It's worse during wet years because the oocysts (kinda' like an egg) have to "ripen" in a moist environment for a couple of weeks before they can actually be ingested and cause the problem. It's a complicated process, but suffice it to say that it can be easily controlled. He might not have it, you know.

Anyhow, do you have a syringe like they give shots with, only probably bigger?

Pidgey


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

You asked a question about seeds that you can feed him, earlier. Well, while you're at the Lowe's or Home Depot, you might go check the section that has bird seed and look for some wild bird seed. You'd prefer something that was a dove mix with popcorn, peas, small sunflower seeds, safflower seeds, wheat, barley, milo and mostly mid-sized grains. I'd tend to steer clear of a bird seed that has a lot of millet in it. If they don't have something like that then you could see if there's a pet store like Petco, PetsMart or something like that where they will have it. Probably where you got the KayTee, for that matter.

It's hard to say what he'd do if you put stuff like that in front of him--he might throw it all over the place and only eat five seeds out of a small bowl's worth or he might go to town, no knowing. He might not even know what the stuff's for in which case you'll have to teach him by pecking with your finger and that kind of thing. He'll get used to you fairly quickly here.

Pidgey


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Well, it's time for me to clock out for the night as we're getting into the graveyard shift (for those of us on OK/TX time, anyhow). Feel free to post more and ask more--somebody will likely answer. G'nite!

Pidgey


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## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

Hi prizka09,



...is there any chaulky 'yellow' to either the liquid or to his poops or on the Feathers around his Vent?


Are you letting him drink Water between meals?



If you keep him on a white Towell, is will be easier to evaluate the poops.

Formula should be about like melted Ice Cream on a hot day...about that consistancy...


Is he decidely making his own body heat? Does he feel definitely "warm" if in your palm?


If he is willing to 'nuzzle', I can post some links to info on guiding him to Peck Seeds successfully...



Best wishes,


Phil
Las Vehas


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## prizka09 (May 30, 2007)

hey phil,
there was a bit of yellow yesterday but up until then it had been mostly green and mostly solid. I always though solid, consistent poop meant healthy poop, but should there be more liquid than solid?

and no, I didn't think to give him water... I thought he would be getting enough from the KayTee. Should I sit it out in from of him or give it to him through a dropper?

And he is definitely warm. I would appreciate it very much if you would post that link. Thanks!


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## prizka09 (May 30, 2007)

Pidgey said:


> Well, it's time for me to clock out for the night as we're getting into the graveyard shift (for those of us on OK/TX time, anyhow). Feel free to post more and ask more--somebody will likely answer. G'nite!
> 
> Pidgey


Thanks for all of your help last night! I was begininng to panic when I found this site.
Last night I wondered what happened to you... and then this morning I realized I needed to flip over to page two.
that's how sleep deprived I am.


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## prizka09 (May 30, 2007)

*Another Question*

How much ideally should I be feeding him at each feeding?
And how many times per day?


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Yeah, college students have a habit of being sleep-deprived.

The whites of their poop are always somewhat off-white when on Kaytee. So, what you're saying is that he's pooping just fine and that nothing's staying in his crop?

Pidgey


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Well, I still don't have a feel for how big this guy is. 10 to 15 percent of his weight per meal. Let's say the bird weighed 200 grams, then you'd go with 20 to 30 milliliters (cc's; same thing for all intents and purposes) per feeding, three times per day. Since you don't have a scale, how long is he from the tip of the beak to the end of the tail?

Pidgey


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## prizka09 (May 30, 2007)

Pidgey said:


> So, what you're saying is that he's pooping just fine and that nothing's staying in his crop?
> 
> Pidgey


Exactly.

And he's right at 9 inches from tip to tail.


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

I'd shoot for between 20 and 30 cc's of the formula per feeding. Personally, I don't usually give them extra water until I start them eating real seeds while slowly tapering off the formula. Most won't, but some youngsters will drink too much and cause themselves problems.

Pidgey


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