# baby with missing feathers



## sabina (Mar 11, 2006)

Well here we go again. I was looking forward to a night of relaxing, de-stressing from today's sadness (our early morning loss of a pigeon) and a hectic workday, and what did I arrive home to? Another little pigeon. After I got over my shock and distress (I really wasn't ready to face another bird) and a phone call from Fred, who is an extremely experienced pigeon rehabber, I calmed down a bit, and was finally ready to acquaint myself with the pigeon.

What a cute funny squeaky feisty little baby! He is incredibly scrawny though and missing A LOT of feathers. Here is a link to see him:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/100fires/tags/sept18/
If you look at the pictures individually instead of as a slide show, you can see with more magnification and detail.

The baby is missing almost all the feathers underneath one wing (on his trunk). His head is kind of scaly and white. Fred thinks he's probably not really sick, just very deprived nutritionally. But the pijie has an appt with the vet tomorrow (Tues).

Sabina


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## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

Hi Sabina,



Oh! what a sweet little face...

Looks to me also like he has not had a very good diet so far.


If it was me I would mix up a Gallon of the famous "ACV-Water" (3 Tbsp-to-the-Gallon) for his drinking Water...

And lightly 'glisten' his Seeds with some fresh Olive Oil ( and not any other kind of oil BUT from a NEW Bottle of Olive Oil)...and when serving his Seeds adding some nice yummy Anise Seeds on top...and some nice Grit on-the-side...

And just give him a month or five-week, and see how it goes...

Maybe offer him the occasional Bath...cool Water should be fine.


If he is 'thin' have a heating pad set-up for him for the time being and if he likes it fine and if not you will see...

I get similar youngsters, ughy or wierd poops messy Feathers, patches where feathers are not in yet...rancid oil smelling body odor...they usually were raised behind fast fod places and have been living on such food scraps...usually they fly poorly for their age or even not at all.

Mites can make for bald patches of course but usually this kind of thing seems to self-correct once on good chow good Water and plenty of both...and excercise also of course after a month or five-week of Cage time 'R & R'...

But have the Vet do a fecal of course and keep an eye peeled for what the urates look like once there are some to see...looks like none I could see there in the poop picture...let us know if any 'yellow' urates...

Does he nuzzle at all if you gently massage his Beak? ( from below his eye level...) Just move always slow and easy with him, if he will nuzzle, he'd probably really love a few 'Baby Meals' a-day for a while, as well as giving him Seeds of course, to boost his moralle...and it would get you in good too of course...!


Good luck with him...!


Phil
Las Vegas


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## Larry_Cologne (Jul 6, 2004)

Sabina,

What a cute little pigeon. Good food should make him look and feel so much better. Perhaps you can take a poop sample to the vet. (I once put a sample in a sandwich baggie to keep it fom drying out, so the vet could do a quick microscopic exam). But you probably know this already.

Larry


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Hi Sabina,

What a cutie!

AVC, probiotics will definitely be beneficial as well as the vet appointment.


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