# Baby pigeon that will not eat



## Feather (Dec 8, 2005)

Hello Everyone, My name is Linda, and I will now be signing in as feather. I am a new member who would appreciate some advice. I have a baby pigeon that was injured by another pigeon about 1 1/2 weeks ago, I noticed yesterday that he did not have any food in his crop, while his brother was over stuffed. I also noticed that he has trouble holding himself up. Both parents have tried to feed him, but he does not approach them and open his mouth. I brought him inside and fed him with an eye dropper. This morning after breakfast he was vomiting. 
I know he needs nourishment and I know I didn't over feed him. If anything I didn't give him enough. I do not own a digital camera, so I will just have to explain his appearance verbally. It appears there is something wrong with his little leg or foot. But, right now I am more concerned with him getting food. I am worried and confused. I will stay close for guidence. Thank You, Feather.


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Hello and Welcome to pigeons.com

Sorry to hear about the youngster.

A baby needs between 15 to 20 ml's of baby bird formula. What are you feeding him and how much? Kaytee Exact or Harrisons baby bird formula will do.

Please check down the baby's throat and see if you notice any kind of blockage, especially yellow cheezy looking stuff, it is possible the baby has canker, and that makes him unable to eat and digest, or candidias, this is only guesswork.

Is the foot extended out, and not under him? The bird should have both feet neatly folded underneath him, in sitting position. 

Can you have the baby checked by an qualified avian vet to find out if there is an injury that needs repair? I hate to second guess this..and time is of the essence.

The baby needs a heat source to maintain body heat, a heating pad set on low, underneath him with a towel between is crucial also.

Please get back with us and gives us an update and answers.


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## Feather (Dec 8, 2005)

*Baby bird that will not eat*

Treesa, Thank you for responding so quickly. I am feeding him KayTee Exact with Vitamins and Electrolytes mixed in the water which I boil before I mix it up. I can't tell you how much I am feeding him, ecept that it is about 4 tiny tiny drops from that eye dropper he doesn't seem reseptive so my plan was to give him more drops during the day. Sometimes I can tell he is swallowing it and when I see that he is not I stop. Once again they are just tiny drops. 
I thought of cancer, but I have never been able to see it in these tiny ones. In order for me to get their mouths open wide enough for me to see it, I'm 
afraid I'll hurt them. When I approached the little one before my call for help 
I had added a antibiotic for canker in the formula. When I spotted him vomiting I went straight for Pigeons.Com without giving him the formula. Now, as for a trusted vet in my area. I only know one vet that sees birds, and I have had a couple of bad experiences with her. I have the opinion that she is more into the exotic birds and that pigeons are not that important. The other diseases I do not know any thing about. Oh both feet are under him but one is not a strong as the other and he lays down on it. Thank You for your concern. Do you know of any good vets in the San Dimas Ca. area?
Feather


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

I'm sorry the baby is having such a hard time eating.

You are going to have to try to feed the baby much more then that, at least 11 ml's of baby formula every three hours, if you can.

Is the baby pooping?

Here are some resources to check to get help:

http://www.pigeons.com/prd.htm

http://www.tc.umn.edu/~devo0028/contactA.htm#il

http://aav.org/vet-lookup/


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## dnrslucky1 (Oct 13, 2005)

You say he was injured 1 1/2 weeks ago. How old is he and have the injuries healed? Have you warmed him and given him lukewarm water before feeding?

Denise


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

Hi Feather,

There are a couple of very good vets in the Norco/Corona area .. Dr. Stoddard in Norco and Dr. Bart Huber in Corona. We also have a couple of members fairly close to your area that could probably help you by showing you how to syringe/crop feed and perhaps also be able to tell what's wrong with the leg. (Rena and Debbie ... helllllllooooo)

I'm a pretty long way from you but would be happy to try and help too .. Lake Forest in South Orange County.

Terry


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## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

Hi Feather,

You must not 'boil' the contens of their formula, rather, merely warm it to be about your own 'wrist' temperature when feeding it to ther Bird. Use a cup, in a pan of hot water to warm it ( no microwave ). And, make extra sure it is mixed thoroughly with no lumps, and not too thick either...mix to about like a 'good' Milkshake.

Now, how old is this Bird? Sorry, I may have mossed that part...

Sometimes young Pigeons will develop a Candida infection, and this will usually kill their appetite...and it can kill them also of course if not treated.

Antibiotics will not work to any extent against Canker.

If he has Canker, you will need medicines specifically for it.

Wrap him gently in a small towell, hold him upright between your knees, and, in a good strong Light, a Lamp of some kind next to where you will be sitting, open his Beak and look down in there closely. You are looking for any tiny cottage-cheeze smal-curd lumps of yellowish material.

What have (or had ) his poops been looking like?

And are you keeping this Bird consistantly "warm" so his whole body is warm?

Candida will also tend to make their Crop not pass it's contents, or for their digestive processes generally to slow way down or cease...but you say there are no contents for his Crop, or were none to speak of...but Candida could still be a culprit here.

One rough guess would be that after injuring his foot-leg, he was not able to ambulate or assert himself well to be fed...and or on top of that, he may have gotten chilled a few times.
Once they are not eating enough they can chill easily.

...chill can induce Crop stasis, and then Candida can get going from that to make it's own Crop Stasis and loss of appetite.

I would, if you do have a good Avian Vet, have them do a Crop Swab for Candida, and bring any recent poops you can find with you for them to do a fecal analysis on.

Keep him Warm...use an electric Heating Pad...see my thread here somewhere on 'Squeaker Warm House' or I will find it and post a link later sometime.

Do the Vet thing a.s.a.p. if at all possible.

If Candida, he will need Nystatin, or ACV-Water and it will take a week maybe to clear up, during which time he will have to be hand fed in some effecient manner, but starting off with quite small soupy meals for the first several days, and keeping a good eye on how the Crop is emptying...since, for now, if Candida, his digestive system is not going to be working very well to process food anyway...no matter how you get it in there.



Phil
Las Vegas


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## Feather (Dec 8, 2005)

Hello Everyone, I don't know if you will receive this, but I need to try. Time is not on my side. I wrote two replies last night and one this morning that I lost. I'll try to answer the questions if I leave something out excuse me. The little bird is 3 wks. old, about 1 1/2 wks. ago he and his brother were attacked by a pigeon that invaded their nest. I brought them inside and treated their wounds. When it looked like they started to heal, I put them back into their nest. I have not been giving him luke warm water before I gave him the formula. Would you please tell me a little more about this? I boil the water and the dropper before I mix his formula, and thin I let it cool off, but I don't give him anything that is too hot. I have not treated him with anything after giving him antibiotics though. I need to know about this too. Today I took him to the vet that I don't especially like out of desperation. They told me she was booked but I could go and wait to see if anyone did not show up so I and my stole-away hopped the bus. I was there for 2 1/2 hrs. and there was no openings. Last night when I was trying to answer some of the questions, he stood, walked around, and looked very bright eyed. He ate good last night and today. However, I think that Phil's scenario about Candida is more than likely. He wears his crop high. Yesterday morning his poop looked like a cheeze puff, not in color but in form.
Today it was watery. He is half the size of his brother. That and the fact that he had been injured probably aided in the fact that he missed a few feedings. I was caring for another bird and mistook his puffed up stance as that he had a full crop. My problem now is he still doesn't have what he needs to get well. I have never heard of Candida, but last night I was reading about it. When I returned from the vet, I found that CNbirds had a treatment called Gentian Violet for Candida. Do any of you know anything about this? I try and put this through. I am keeping him warm. I don't remember anymore questions. Forgive me if I have left out something important.


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

Hi Feather,

I've privately e-mailed Rena and Debbie asking them to come have a look at this thread and see if they might be able to help you in some way. I'm not at all familiar with the use of Gentian Violet for candida .. Nystatin or another anti-fungal drug would be the usual treatment.

Terry


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## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

Hi Feather,

Well...if he was feeling perkier, and eating ( do you mean he was pecking? eating by pecking Seeds? Or eating by you feeding him?) ...then probably he does not have Candida.

Okay..."formula"...it is good to steralize your impliments, and simply washing them well and letting them dry well would be fine.

For making formula, make it fresh each day...make it in a Cup, and have the Cup in a pan of hot water...stirr it very well so it is for sure all mixed thoroughly. Serve it at 'wrist' temperature, try a dab on your wrist after just stirring it, when it feels like 'no temperature' then it is right.

Keep in the refridgerator, covered, between uses/re-heats. Toss out at the end of the day, make fresh the next day.

Really, at three weeks, these youngsters can certainly be pecking Seeds, so...may as well scatter some little Seeds on a white Towell and 'peck' with your crook'd index finger and see if you can get them pecking.

Bring in a friendly adult Pigeon to show them too.

Keep them warm...!


Good luck...!

Phil
Las Vegas


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## upcd (Mar 12, 2005)

*Welcome*

Feather, Would you like to bring your baby pigeons over? I could take a look and help you feed them. I'm in San Bernandino, off 215 and 10. Email me at [email protected]


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