# one eyed pigeon, release or not?



## whitetail

Hi Everyone,

Zoe, one of my feral pigeons, has had a recurring eye infection for the past year in one of her eyes and will probably have to have it removed; I have a vet appointment in a couple of days. The issue is that I'm not sure if to release her or not. The vet says she is non releasable, the problem is that I can't keep her in my small apartment and don't have anybody who could take her either. The horrible thing I'm faced with is that she may have to be put to sleep. If I cant keep her and can't release her I don't seem have much of a choice. A couple of years ago I released one who had his eye removed and he lived for 18 months, not bad, but I'm not sure what to do this time around, I would love some insight about what to do, I'm not sure what the right thing is in this situation. Any feedback is appreciated.


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## Bella_F

Its a tough call. I have had one eyed pigeons around here, as well as some other species of wild birds- a one eyed crow, and a couple of one eyed magpies.

They can last for about 2 years, but that's the longest I've seen them survive. 

If its a choice between killing it now and giving it a chance to live another year or so in the wild, I say give it a chance at life. It might live ten years, you never know. Pigeons live in flocks and take a lot of their cues form other birds, so theres that added protection, even without the sight on one side.

The most busted up bird in my area has had two broken legs and two broken wings, and 7 years later, he's still making nests and babies every year. A vet would have killed him years ago if given a chance.


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## Quazar

The problem with one eyed birds in the wild is they are at much more risk to predators as obviously, they have blind areas while feeding etc and even if alerted by others in the flock, they still have limited views as to escape routes etc, so the non releaseable option is by far the best option for a longer, safer & happier life.
I have 3 non releaseables (well actually 2, one with damaged wing (Charlie), one partially blind in one eye (Bouncer) and the third although releaseable is now mated to Bouncer.
All 3 are indoor birds, with free flight, kept in one room (my bedroom) and are actually remarkably easy to look after. Once accustomised to the area, they all have their favourite roosting points, so strategically placed newspapers make easy cleaning.
Bouncer, took a while to adapt to his handicap but did so remarkably well and knows the layout of his surroundings perfectly. 
A single bird is even easier to look after, and if kept in a cage with a couple of hours flight/exercise time would be even easier, and would make a wonderful pet.
If you definately cannot keep him, then there is still no reason to put him to sleep just because of his eye. Post details in the "adoption" section and I'm sure you will find someone able to give him a home, perhaps even amongst other birds in an aviary where he would be perfectly happy - and safe.


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## whitetail

Thank you Bella and Quazar for your replies, I feel more encouraged after reading about your experiences and specially about that one you were mentioning Bella that has been going for 7 years with broken wings and feet! Can he actually fly or does he live with you?

I would really like Zoe to have her life and freedom as well so I would definitely release her after she has recovered from the surgery, I just don't want her to suffer out there because it's too tough with one eye but the thought of taking her life away is awful and she's so young as well.

I'm not sure if my other one eyed who lived for 18 months struggled or not; it did take him a year though to find a partner which must have been very frustrating. I just hope that I wasn't being unfair to him by releasing him into a more difficult life as a one eyed pigeon. I was so sure then that I had done the right thing, I wanted him to have his pigeon life back but I never really thought about how he may have struggled.

It's impossible for me to keep them in my apartment long term, my place is just one room and whenever I have one in a cage because I have to medicate it for 10 days, they go nuts, and so do I 

Thanks for your insights.


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## Bella_F

Bob that was a great idea about trying the adoptions forum. Whitetail, it would be great for you to try that. Even I adopted a pigeon from here once, and I live in Australia 

I suppose the real issue is feral pigeons that are released are probably not going to live so long anyway, if they are not fed and taken care when they get sick. Eye or no eye, the life of a feral is depressingly short compared to those who find homes with people who love them.


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## Quazar

Bella_F said:


> Bob that was a great idea about trying the adoptions forum. Whitetail, it would be great for you to try that. Even I adopted a pigeon from here once, and I live in Australia
> 
> I suppose the real issue is feral pigeons that are released are probably not going to live so long anyway, if they are not fed and taken care when they get sick. Eye or no eye, the life of a feral is depressingly short compared to those who find homes with people who love them.


Sadly a ferals life is a short one in general. The bigger the flock the better chance some have, but also the more chance any illness can spread through it and really decimate it. 
Birds with handicaps can also be picked on by the rest of the flock as they are the weak link attracting predators.
I really would not release a partially blind bird back out into the wild.
As I mentioned in my last post, when feeding and spooked by a predator, although they react with the flock they are limited with their vision, tend to be slower to react, and more chance of flying into objects in panic, injuring them more & putting them at the mercy of the predator who will spot the handicap and take advantage of it very quickly.
Yes, they do adapt to their handicap very quickly when in a SAFE and stable enviroment, but the outside world is anything but stable or safe.


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## Pigeonfriend

Whatever you choose to do, I really don't belive putting the brid to sleep would not be right or fair to the bird, considering she is not in a tremendous amount of pain. Ultimately, you decided to take responsibility for her, so I don't think it would be justified for you to do this. 

Just a thought - you could try to keep her in the apartment. I live in a small NYC apartment that only has one room (a studio) - I also never thought I would be able to keep a pigeon permanently, but it looks like I am. You could give it a try and keep her there while looking for another home for her. Maybe you could contact MickaCoo pigeon rescue and see if there are any potential adopters near you.


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## Charis

I would never release a one eyed bird. I had one that accidentally got out a few years ago, I was trying to get him back in when a hawk nabbed him, right in front of me, and flew off with the pigeon. The poor thing didn't see the hawk coming. He didn't have a chance.
I have 3 now, with just one eye, and they do very well as kept birds.
If the pigeon is a feral, I don't think MickaCoo will help.


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## whitetail

I have just posted in the adoption forum so I just have to wait and see. 

As to keeping her in my apartment, I have thought about it but it seems impossible, I have all my windows and balcony door open at all times so that my little group can come in and feed. When I'm medicating one I keep it in a cage in the bathroom but when I first started caring for pigeons I would sometimes put the cage in the main room so they could interact with the others and it was the worst thing to do, they were so distressed that I had to put them back in the bathroom; being a captive bird while seeing others be free is heart braking.

Anyways, thank you so much for all your advice, this is a difficult situation and my heart feels really heavy at the moment.


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## Bella_F

Hi Whitetail,

So sorry for not recognising you earlier in the thread, or noticing that you live in Australia. That makes the situation a little different.

My guess is finding a home for this one via the adoption forum will be a long shot, but you never know. Sometimes caring Australians pop up here and offer to take in feral pigeons, so lets keep our fingers crossed. 

The PMV virus complicates things at the moment, with people not wanting to risk mingling their birds with unvaccinated birds, especially one form a flock with PMV. If I was in your situation, I would find a little bit of money and vaccinate her for PMV as a first priority. She would need this to survive in the wild, or to increase her chances of being rehomed with another pigeon keeper. 

I guess the situation is kind of complicated. I consider vaccinating her with the PMV vaccine to be more important than the eye issue right now.


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## whitetail

Hi Bella,

I doubt that any vet would vaccinate her in the state she is in, I think she has gotten really sick. I was going to trap her yesterday to take her to the vet but she never came and I'm waiting today to see if she comes, her partner hasn't come either so I'm not sure what is happening. I wrote a bit more about the PMV in my little group in my other thread, have a look.


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## Bella_F

Oh no, I'm sorry to hear it! What kind of symptoms did you notice? Do you think she has PMV, or a more regular kind of sickness? They get into so much trouble in the wild, don't they?

Regarding vaccinating well pigeons versus ill pigeons, I've read that they are supposed to be in good condition for vaccination too. But although my pigeons are probably the fattest & most cherished ferals in Brisbane, only a handful are in top shape. Many are a bit thin and droppings are a bit funky in some cases. I'm vaccinating them anyway, and so far so good, but I really don't know the threshold where a pigeon becomes too ill to vaccinate. 

I suppose yours might have an eye infection, do you keep antibiotics on hand?


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## jameswaller

*to free or not to free*



whitetail said:


> Hi Everyone,
> 
> Zoe, one of my feral pigeons, has had a recurring eye infection for the past year in one of her eyes and will probably have to have it removed; I have a vet appointment in a couple of days. The issue is that I'm not sure if to release her or not. The vet says she is non releasable, the problem is that I can't keep her in my small apartment and don't have anybody who could take her either. The horrible thing I'm faced with is that she may have to be put to sleep. If I cant keep her and can't release her I don't seem have much of a choice. A couple of years ago I released one who had his eye removed and he lived for 18 months, not bad, but I'm not sure what to do this time around, I would love some insight about what to do, I'm not sure what the right thing is in this situation. Any feedback is appreciated.


--this is a tough call,-i was holding one ferral in my i.c.u for about 6 months due to a clutched left foot,,-therapy didnot help,,but i decided he was better off with the others,--and i still see him most days,,...my thinking was he was up against the odds/environment/competion ,etc,-but he is eating and having his life--my 2 cents --sincerely james waller--


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## Quazar

jameswaller said:


> --this is a tough call,-i was holding one ferral in my i.c.u for about 6 months due to a clutched left foot,,-therapy didnot help,,but i decided he was better off with the others,--and i still see him most days,,...my thinking was he was up against the odds/environment/competion ,etc,-but he is eating and having his life--my 2 cents --sincerely james waller--


A clutched foot is a big difference from only having one eye.


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## christopher patrick

*one eye pigeon*

I found a feral pigeon on the road one day. He had been hit by a car
.Cars were driving right passed him almost hitting him again. As if he wasn't even there. I took him home and kept him warm and left him in a quiet room. Not expecting him to make it through the night I was suprised to see him up walking around in the morning. He had a broken wing and lost one eye. It's been more than a year since I brought him home. He can not fly so I can't release him. But I learned that pigeons are smart. They have personality. The more time I spent with my pigeon. Pigi wigi is his name. And he knows his name and comes running when you call him. The more time I spent with my pigeon the more he trusted me. Now he is my friend. And I know he is a happy pigeon. One eye and all. Dont put a pigeon down because of a handycap. Like me I never knew what a friend a pigeon could turn out to be.


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