# The part where Squiddy finds a dove



## squidflakes (Apr 26, 2011)

Hello Everyone, 

While walking in the yard about a week ago, I found a baby bird in a pile of leaves. It was wet and unmoving, so I figured it for dead. To my surprise it started moving right as I was about to toss it on the compost heap, and I felt like I had to see what I could do for it. 

I'll spare the details, and get right to the point. I have a dove, about three weeks old, sitting on my shoulder as I type this. It looks like a white winged dove, except that there is no blue patch of skin around the eyes and the bill is a tan color. 

I've been feeding it KAYTEE exact baby bird formula from a cup with a hole in it, which has been rather messy, but results in a full crop and sleepy bird. 

The bird (Stevie, because at the time, I thought it was a White Winged Dove, and I couldn't resist a Fleetwood Mac reference) has gone from a scrawny thing covered in pins to a nearly full feathered bird who is taking a few tentative flights from my shoulder to the table. 

So, where do I go from here? I'd really rather return Stevie to the wild as I've got enough animals in the house. I wouldn't mind if s/he stuck around the back porch being that I've got bird feeders and I've grown a bit attached. 

I think the next step is weening from the mushy stuff to seed. How can I tell if Stevie is ready? 

I've been really bad about handling him. He'll burrow a bit in my goatee and peep, but seems unafraid of anything (cats, dogs, people, fish, etc.) 

Is it necessary to socialize a dove with other birds before releasing them? If so, how would I do it. Can I even release him/her now that s/he's used to people? 

Thank you for any help you can offer!

Oh! I forgot the pictures! 

This is Stevie the day after I found her. 









Here we are making Dove Soup. The recipe is pretty simple. Feed one baby dove, most likely incorrectly. Warm a bowl of water to right around dove body temperature. Add dove to water, stirring gently.


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

Hi squidflakes, thanks for rescuing this little guys and welcome to pigeon. The first link below show a feeding method that may be easier for you, and save this little guy a few baths . The second link maybe worthwhile reading through, as it contains a good deal of information on feeding that may be worthwhile familiarizing yourself with.

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showpost.php?p=390465&postcount=1

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/f6/rescued-feral-help-please-48513.html#post522672

Good luck with this little one,

Karyn


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## squidflakes (Apr 26, 2011)

Thank you very much Karyn!


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## imluvnit01 (Apr 16, 2011)

im not so sure it is a pigeon. I recently found a baby bird JUST LIKE THAT. but it was a morning dove i watched it grow its feathers (with white tips at the end). Look up morning doves, im almost sure thats what you have. Mine past away due to an illness on easter, which is why he had been abandoned. Still crying over it. Wish i could have him :/ Little guy was barely flying when he left us


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## imluvnit01 (Apr 16, 2011)

Do you buy chance live in az?


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## imluvnit01 (Apr 16, 2011)

go to my profile, i have pics of my baby who past away. I believe you have the same kind. I would take him off your hands if you were near by :/


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## squidflakes (Apr 26, 2011)

imluvinit01, 

I'm sorry to hear about your loss. I can only imagine how I'd be feeling if I lost Stevie right now. Its amazing how quickly you become attached to an animal that you have to hand feed. 

I've been looking in to mourning doves, but all of the example pictures I've seen have dark colored bills, and Stevie is sporting a tan bill. Do their bills change color as they get older?


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

No problem, here are two more links that may be of help:

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/f20/help-egg-is-hatching-and-i-dont-have-a-clue-47170.html

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/f20/feeding-help-needed-for-newly-hatched-pigeons-47336.html

Karyn


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## imluvnit01 (Apr 16, 2011)

yes its true, when i found wilbur i thought for sure he wasnt going to make it, the vet also said he probably wouldnt. So i named him, that way atleast he would die with a name and some respect. I named him wilbur just like charlottes web since he never stood a chance. But the longer he lived the more i believed i had succeeded in nursing him back to health. I believe i bonded to him as much as he bonded to me. I would do anything to get him back. Be careful because morning doves are quick to tame themselves. If he has bonded to you, he wont survive outside if you release him. I recomend finding him a rehab sort of place or finding a permanent family for him if you will not keep him. But it is illegal to keep a morning dove so be careful. I keep hoping to find another baby dove outside my apt. :/ pathetic i know.


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## imluvnit01 (Apr 16, 2011)

and yes the mouths do change, go ahead and look at the album of wilbur (r.i.p) on my profile, they look identical.


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## squidflakes (Apr 26, 2011)

imluvnit01 said:


> I keep hoping to find another baby dove outside my apt. :/ pathetic i know.


I don't think that's pathetic at all. You're coping with a loss, and it is only natural that you'd want an outlet for your grief. 

I've kept octopuses in the past, and they are difficult and demanding animals to care for. What's worse, is that the species I kept has an 18 to 24 month life-span, so I went through the "Octopus Tears" process a number of times. They don't typically bond like birds and mammals do, but they have the intelligence of a three year old human child and when you can play _together_ with your pet (my last octopus loved Legos) your brain makes all sorts of connections. 

Back on topic, I really appreciate the information. If I can't release Stevie in to the wild with a good chance of survival, or find a rehabilitation center that would accept her, then I would be committed to keeping her. I should probably look in to dove disguises in case the Wildlife commissioner comes around. THAT dove? Oh, no, that's a MORNING Dove, not a Mourning Dove, yeah, common mistake.


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## imluvnit01 (Apr 16, 2011)

omg i didnt know you could keep octopuses or is it octopi?!!!!!! how do they play with legos?outside of the tank? omg i am interested. lol... the dove will become a child to you, no joke, i feel like i have postpartum depression. After all its only been 2 full days. My man came home with a diamond dove he got for me, I love the little fella, but its not the same... Good luck with the lil guy. Its amazing when i wild bird bonds to you. I only had wilbur for a few weeks and he learned all kinds of tricks and literally never left me. in fact he DEMANDED that he was always on my shoulder or the top of my head or something. ... Like i said good luck and tell em more of that octopus!!!!!!


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## squidflakes (Apr 26, 2011)

I'm not sure how the mods feel about going off topic in these forums, so I'll be brief and..

--Warning: Octopus Related Items Below--

The plural of octopus is octopuses, even if most people accept octopi. It just sounds cooler I guess. 

As for playing with legos, it was done inside the tank. An octopus can survive for 15-20 minutes outside of the water, provided they are kept moist, but this really stresses the animal and they don't get around too well. Octopuses have a muscle system that applies pressure through torsion and hydrostatic and hydraulic pressure (imagine wrapping a balloon around your finger and filling it with water, the squeeze is due to hydraulic pressure) This allow them to be amazingly strong for their size, but quite clumsy on dry land.

So, in the tank, I used to float little submarines made out of lego with a dried shrimp inside. Inky the Fourth would squirt water at the sub and sail it around the tank till he got bored, then he'd pry it apart and eat the shrimp inside. If he got really in to it, he'd pull all of the individual pieces apart and stack them up around his den. (sort of like a wall) He would occasionally take some of the smaller pieces to the part of the tank where the filtered water would be returned, push them in to the jet, and try to race them to the bottom. A couple of times, he threw legos at me. 

--End Octopus Related Stuff--

Ok, as for the law on birds. The State of Texas does prohibit the capture or transport of native game birds from the wild. However, I could argue that the bird was found on my private property and that the game commission rules only apply to public land, specifically streams and watersheds. That's a bit weak, so I would alternately argue that the law excludes game birds that are privately owned and raised. Since I am raising Stevie and not attempting or intending to sell or hunt her, that would probably be my best defense. 

I am hopeful though, that there is a prescient for an exemption for rescue and rehabilitation. I did contact a few local wildlife centers who don't seem all that interested in spending their already stretched resources on a common dove.


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## imluvnit01 (Apr 16, 2011)

i know, thats why i never gave my baby up. Because nobody cared. He was better off with me. He may have been sick but atleast he died in his home, full of love.

good luck with your fight, and i intend on looking up those octopuses.


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## squidflakes (Apr 26, 2011)

Stevie update time! 

He's been peeping up a storm, and spent some time with me in the sun today. I was bad and played hooky from work, so I figured some backyard in the sun time was called for. 

The only issue is that Stevie hasn't eaten well since yesterday. His crop is flat and when offered food he gets excited and pecks at his food cup, but he'll take a few gulps and no more. 

Is this normal? He's acting like his old self otherwise, and he's pooping well. From some of the other threads I can tell that his poops are healthy. So, am I worried for nothing?


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## imluvnit01 (Apr 16, 2011)

idk, :/ unfortunately hand feeding is reallllllly a sensitive subject. You could be feeding him wrong and you wouldnt know until he dieD. its a touchy subject. I recomend a vet checkup so you can get the ok, on his health.


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## squidflakes (Apr 26, 2011)

I'll try that. In the mean time, I'm going to see what I can do about getting Stevie to eat more seeds. So far, we've gotten three picked up and swallowed and she made the most awesome noise after it went down, sort of like a video game success noise. 

Anyone have any advice for better weaning? I read some other threads on the board, and I've tried the method for getting them to drink by gently holding their beak and guiding it toward water, but Stevie is having none of it. Should I be nuzzling his beak with my fingers first maybe?


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## imluvnit01 (Apr 16, 2011)

i dont know. My wilbur past away right after he started learning to eat seeds. Be careful. The fact that little stvie was abandoned eans there could be soething internally wrong with her/him... :/ my wilbur wouldnt drink the water or eat the seeds willingly. I never had the chance to perfect the teaching method. He went too soon


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## imluvnit01 (Apr 16, 2011)

how is the wee little one doing?


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## squidflakes (Apr 26, 2011)

Much better tonight. She's filled her crop about 3/4 on all her feedings and she's pecking at seeds. Not eating them, just playing with them in her bill and dropping them. 

Its funny, even when i thought she wasn't eating enough, she was pooping just like normal, so.. I don't know. 

As for Stevie being abandoned, the neighbor found a dead baby dove a couple of days ago near the same place I found Stevie. It looked to be about the same age, and checking the weather report from that weekend, we had a lot of really high wind. I think the peepers got blown out of the nest, or the nest disintegrated around them. 

Again, I don't know. I've got a vet visit scheduled for later this week and I'm looking in to some options for building a roost. The local pigeon and dove rescue group finally got back to me and gave me some great tips on soft release. 

How are you holding up luvin?


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## imluvnit01 (Apr 16, 2011)

Missin the lil one. After non stop research (and a ridiculous amount of tears) I think i finally found the killer to my wilbur  .. Its hard but i dont know if i could have done anything. Im glad stevie is doing so well, its sad that his sibling didnt make it  but hopefully stevie will.. Soft releases are great but speaking from experience, once he/she bonds with you, a soft release might not work. :/ worth a shot though i guess


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## squidflakes (Apr 26, 2011)

We'll see. If it doesn't work, I'm getting prepared to... is there a special term for dove keeping? Doving? Doveronomy? Dovetailing?


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## imluvnit01 (Apr 16, 2011)

i think its just called like ''dove hobbying''


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## ocipura (Apr 27, 2011)

Yours looks just like my Birdy, who I'm 99.9% sure is a mourning dove. I'm in TX as well, so whatever you find out about laws and loop-holes, pass it on, would you?! 

You said yours has full feathers now? Can I see a more recent pic?


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## squidflakes (Apr 26, 2011)

Ahh, I finally have a moment to sit down and write. It has been a very busy weekend, and Steive is doing just fine. Her appetite is pretty stable, but I haven't had much luck getting her to eat seeds. She's pecking the ground every so often, but hasn't been able to get a seed in her bill and get it where it needs to go.

Anyway, here are pictures! 

http://gallery.prairiesquid.com/d/29712-1/stevie_008.jpg

http://gallery.prairiesquid.com/d/29714-1/stevie_009.jpg

http://gallery.prairiesquid.com/d/29716-1/stevie_010.jpg


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## imluvnit01 (Apr 16, 2011)

oh my gosh, she is as big as mine was when he passed..  she is adorable!!!!!!!!!! you know you have to keep her right. lol.


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## squidflakes (Apr 26, 2011)

Haha yeah, that's how things are shaping up. I'm still going to build an aviary in the back yard and have her stay outside most of the time. I'm also looking in to getting another dove so she doesn't get lonely.


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## ocipura (Apr 27, 2011)

Stevie is lookin real good!  Definitely different coloring than the mourning dove I've got, but still very similar. Enjoyed the pics !


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## Birdbabe (Jan 24, 2006)

Hi all! Been reading this thread, great job with the baby. Are you sure thats not a white wing dove?


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## squidflakes (Apr 26, 2011)

Yeah, since those feathers on Stevie's wings have been coming in, her whitewing-ness is pretty obvious. 

Funny thing happened about an hour ago. I was taking a drink of water from a cup with Stevie on my shoulder and then BAM! Bill in the mouth, drinking my water. 

I'm a bit concerned about human mouth bacteria, anyone ever have this happen?


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## Birdbabe (Jan 24, 2006)

Once wont hurt her, but dont make a habit of it,Thats great shes drinking on her own. Her own water bowl, cleaned and refilled a few times a day. Looking forward to future updates.


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## squidflakes (Apr 26, 2011)

Oh, there will be no more of that. Everything tastes like beak and birdseed.


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## imluvnit01 (Apr 16, 2011)

hahaahahha omg. um they really should not drink out of your mouth, but thats funny. My wilbur tried that.


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## squidflakes (Apr 26, 2011)

I'm sorry I haven't been updating on Stevie, but I've been sick and trying not to handle him. 

When I brought his cage in tonight, I noticed some very ruffled feathers on the right side of his neck, and a drop of dried blood. When I gently moved the feathers, I saw a few small seeds, and on closer look, it seemed there was a hole in his crop. 

I looked at the back of his neck, and it looks like something lacerated the entire thing. I thought at first that maybe his head got stuck in the cage bars somehow, but I'm using a really open bar pattern with avian mesh. 

Right now he's responsive, can move his neck and flap. I put him down in his nest bowl and he's sleeping. One thing I noticed though, if he puts his neck too far forward, he has a hard time lifting it again and seems to be in distress. 

He also hasn't made a sound since I brought him in the house, and that's very abnormal. 


My question here, should I see the emergency vet, wait till the vets office opens in the morning, or just make him comfortable? 

My bare knowledge of general anatomy says that this is a pretty grave injury, and if his crop is exposed to the air I would guess he wouldn't be able to grind seeds and would most likely starve to death.

**UPDATE**

The wound is worse than I thought. It is almost like the skin has been peeled back on Stevies neck, and her crop ripped. When I moved her to a different cage she went right for the water dish, but after swallowing it flowed right out from under some feathers near the keel. 

At this point, things are well beyond my ability to handle and I've decided to take Stevie to the bird rehabilitation center that's close-by. This means I have to give Stevie over to their care and if she can be saved, they'll either release her, keep her, or put her down. 

I wish things could have ended differently and I'm questioning if I should have even tried in the first place. My only hope is that Stevie makes it and lives a long full life. 

I really appreciate all the help and advice that has been offered on this forum. You're all wonderful people in my book.


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## imluvnit01 (Apr 16, 2011)

im so sorry  i always wonder if i wouldnt have tried to keep wilbur, maybe he would have survived? but then i remember that i didnt have much of a choice and it felt 100% right at the time. I bet you did the right thing. i dont know what happened to the poor lil guy.I cried for days straight and still do sometimes but it doesnt help to freak out
. Dont beat yourself up over it. You did all you could do. stay strong bud. :/ feel free to write and vent or anything if you need to. i wish you and the lil birdie the best


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## squidflakes (Apr 26, 2011)

Thanks imluvinit. 

I took Stevie to the vet today and has his wound cleaned and disinfected. Its bad, but not fatal, according to the vet. However, they wanted $800 for the surgery to repair it and could only give me a 60% chance of it holding. 

I then took Stevie to the wildlife rescue and they were much more confident in their approach. Instead of sutures and tissue glue, they would pack the wounds with a beta-lactam antibiotic powder and let Stevie heal on his own. This approach sounded a lot more like what I would have done with an octopus in a similar situation. 

The only thing about the wildlife rescue is that it was a one-way thing. I left Stevie there, and that's it. He gets care, but would be socialized with other doves until they were confident he was able to survive in the wild. 

I honestly didn't want to let him go, but at this point, I figured that was the best option. The people there were really nice, even if they did handle him a bit more roughly than I was comfortable with. I got to see him one last time after they had given him some additional antibiotics and some pain medication. 

I guess this is where my story ends. The staff promised to e-mail me in a week to let me know how he's doing, but once he's released, he'll be just another dove in the sky. 

I miss him terribly.


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## imluvnit01 (Apr 16, 2011)

he will never be just another dove hun. It sucks, i know, Think of it this way. He gets to fly high and far some day. If only we all had that same chance.  and you saved him. He would have probably died young, cold, sad and in alot of pain if you hadnt saved him and helped him survive. He is happy and safe because of you . i know it hurts, i went through it. I made it better by getting another dove  it helps alittle lol


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## squidflakes (Apr 26, 2011)

I'm glad you've made peace with your new dove! I saw a diamond dove at a bird show today and it reminded me of your story.


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## imluvnit01 (Apr 16, 2011)

lol my new dove still hates me but owell. lol. how are you holding up?


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