# Help!Ten Day Old Pigeon



## PDY55 (Apr 22, 2012)

I have found a 9-10 year old pigeon near our building. I have put it inside a box with some insulation and a hot water bottle, but I do not know what to feed it. Please help.I do not have access to any pet food or pet storeso it would be helpful if you could suggest alternatives.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

You must mean 9-10 DAY old pigeon? Can you post a picture of the bird so we can more closely determine its age?


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## PDY55 (Apr 22, 2012)

I'm so sorry! Yeah, a 9-10 day old squab. It has managed to stay the night in the box that I told you about, but when I took it out it it was lunging or trying to peck at my fingers. Its crop feels empty right now and it needs to food, fast. I did feed it some warm boiled peas and it ate them easy enough. I think its a little older than told earlier. Its feathers are about 1 inch long but they are bare.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Peas are good. Warm, not hot. Make sure you give him about 30 peas every time the crop empties. Probably be about 3 times a day. Just make sure the crop empties between feedings. Gently dip his beak into some tepid water, but not over the nostrils. Eventually he will learn to drink.


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## altgirl35 (Sep 5, 2008)

Yes like jay said, wrap him in a towel and gently open his beak and put 1 pea in and let him swallow


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## PDY55 (Apr 22, 2012)

How do you post an image?


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## altgirl35 (Sep 5, 2008)

Hit the go advanced button down next to the quick reply button 
Then on the tool bar hit the paper clip and you can upload a pic from your puter


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## PDY55 (Apr 22, 2012)

The pics are too big but I think he is doing well. His feathers are starting to get little tufts on the ends. The only thing is that he keeps squeaking and squeaking I don't know what the problem is. He is fully fed but not drinking water yet. How should his poop look like?


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## PDY55 (Apr 22, 2012)

Also I have noticed that I can see the peas through the skin from underneath. His crop has not emptied since I fed him 2-4 hrs ago.


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## altgirl35 (Sep 5, 2008)

They always act like they are starving even when they couldn't be any fuller
The way of the squeakers 
Don't feed till crop empties


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## PDY55 (Apr 22, 2012)

Also, the squab is flapping/vibrating its throat. Is that normal? How often will it need wat
er?


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## altgirl35 (Sep 5, 2008)

I usually tube birds, will let someone else advise on how to get water into them with the pea popping method
You can try to dip his beak (not nostrils) in a water bowl to teach him to drink
Flapping is normal, it's part of the hungry dance
Not sure what u mean by vibrating throat


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## PDY55 (Apr 22, 2012)

Well, its like he's stretching the skin of his throat away from his body then taking it near again. He does it really fast and his throat looks like its vibrating. Its a little like a dog panting.


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## altgirl35 (Sep 5, 2008)

Hmmm that I cannot answer
How bout trying to get a video of it


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## tjc1 (Aug 22, 2012)

If he is opening his throat and panting I would open his beak and look down it to see if something is stuck or if he has a cheese like growth there may be canker. I have never seen a pigeon pant like a dog before.


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## Quazar (Jul 27, 2010)

Normally an adult bird will pant like that if it has been flying hard and is stressed, needing water, or too hot. Obviously, being a youngster it hasnt been flying so that leaves stress, water or too hot.
You said you had a hot water bottle, is the bird able to get OFF the heat if it needs, also, is the bottle covered with a towel ? 
maybe its a combination of all three, if its too hot & all the squeaking (which all young birds do most of the time) it is stressing as it is looking to you as its parent. Try dipping its beak in water as suggested (may have to do it several times). 
Definately sounds to me like its hot and needs water.
Whatever you do, Do NOT try to force water down its throat or it may aspirate & die.
If it wont drink on its own you can dribble a few drops along the edge of its beak.


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## PDY55 (Apr 22, 2012)

There are very tiny specks of white at the beginning of the throat on the top.


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## Dima (Jan 15, 2011)

That could be canker. Please post a picture. You will need to medicate him.


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## PDY55 (Apr 22, 2012)

Thanks for the info. I have replaced the bottle with a heating pad tthat I put on top of the box. I think the heating pad was too hot so I have taken it off for the time being. How much water does it need in a day? Also please tell me when and how to wean it.


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## PDY55 (Apr 22, 2012)

I can't take a pic because its not letting me keep its beak open and if I open it my fingers come in the middle. I'll keep trying but I gotta go to school now so I'll post after 6-7 hrs.


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## PDY55 (Apr 22, 2012)

The whit spots are gone  .I think they were specks of food.


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## altgirl35 (Sep 5, 2008)

Try to find videos on YouTube of baby pigeons so you can see how they behave


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## PDY55 (Apr 22, 2012)

I am concerned how to make grit, because I haven't given it to him since I took him under my wing.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Can you buy some pigeon grit?


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## PDY55 (Apr 22, 2012)

No I can't. None of the pet stores nearby sell it. I'll search, but meanwhile it would be more useful to know how to make it.


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## altgirl35 (Sep 5, 2008)

Mbe clean some fine gravel
Rinse and boil it, spread it out on a towel to dry
Crush up egg shells bake a a few minutes and mix it all together 
Don't have to worry about grit so much until she is eating seeds


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## altgirl35 (Sep 5, 2008)

Can you get chicken grit at the store?


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## PDY55 (Apr 22, 2012)

Nope. The guy in the shop had love birds, lorikeets etc. And had food for then aside from that I don't think he ever heard the word 'grit' in his life. I'll keep searching though


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## PDY55 (Apr 22, 2012)

Do I have to teach it to swallow the grit or is it some sort of gut instinct?


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Chicken grit is really too large for pigeons. 
Don't feed it to him, just leave in a small dish and he will take some when he needs it. As altgirl35 has mentioned, he doesn't need grit until he is eating seeds. That's what it for.....helping to grind up the seeds. Pigeon grit also has other minerals and things added in that pigeons need. Collecting small pebbles the size of a pea and smaller, and as was also mentioned, baking or boiling to sterilize them, then mixing with crushed chicken egg shells that have been washed and baked for a few minutes would be good.


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## PDY55 (Apr 22, 2012)

OK, I got it. Thanks to all of you, I have been able to keep my squab healthy. The only thing remaining is the name of the squab.


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## Tashy/Rob (Jan 18, 2012)

PDY55 said:


> OK, I got it. Thanks to all of you, I have been able to keep my squab healthy. The only thing remaining is the name of the squab.


Galeno the squab!!!

Or Boxcar lol

They cover both sexes!!!


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## PDY55 (Apr 22, 2012)

The squab has almost been fully weaned. He has been eating peas that I put into the box. I've given him sorghum and he's eating those too. however, I am still worried about the grit. If he doesn't eat it himself, should I feed it to him? Also, where does the grit go after the food has been digested?


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## Tashy/Rob (Jan 18, 2012)

Squirts out in a volatile fashion from his/her bottom!!!


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## altgirl35 (Sep 5, 2008)

Grit is stored in the gizzard, when you start offering seeds
Make sure she has a little dish of grit too
She will instinctively eat what she needs


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## PDY55 (Apr 22, 2012)

What should be the ratio of eggshell to grit?


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## altgirl35 (Sep 5, 2008)

Half n half just do the best you can, she will take what she needs


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## altgirl35 (Sep 5, 2008)

Doesn't need to perfect


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## PDY55 (Apr 22, 2012)

*Pics*

Here are a few pics of him right now:


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## PDY55 (Apr 22, 2012)

sorry, didn't realize they were so big lol


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## altgirl35 (Sep 5, 2008)

Will wait for others but he looks like he might have canker
If you look in his mouth and throat 
Do you see whitish yellow stuff, kind of looks like tofu


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## PDY55 (Apr 22, 2012)

He does have tiny spots on the upper jaw. I heard that ronidazole is used for curing it. Could I get it at a regular chemist's or a special pet store?


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## PDY55 (Apr 22, 2012)

Other photos:


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## altgirl35 (Sep 5, 2008)

I'm not sure where u would get it there
That or flagyl (metronidazole) can get it a fish pet stores here its called fish zole


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## PDY55 (Apr 22, 2012)

http://youtu.be/ehJ5gHhGeno this is a vid.


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## altgirl35 (Sep 5, 2008)

He so cute, he looks like he has a goofy toe too
Has it always been like that?


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## PDY55 (Apr 22, 2012)

Yeah the toe has always been like that. I didn't notice at first, but it become evident after a week or so. He can fly a bit too. I take him in my hand for walks in my apartment and when he sees his cardboard house, he flies right off my hand and lands perfectly at the entrance. I'm thinking of buying a cage. How big should it be?


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## altgirl35 (Sep 5, 2008)

Cages that are good for pigeons should be long rather than tall
I like bunny cages for them, I'll go look for a link for the cages I like
I also put a box in so they can either go inside or sit on top


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## altgirl35 (Sep 5, 2008)

This is the kind I like
http://www.coburn.com/Coburn/ECommerce/Product-Detail.htm?catID=206&productID=150958
Always the bigger the better and of course it depends on if he is going to be your pet
Did you have any luck getting medication for him?


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## PDY55 (Apr 22, 2012)

I'll try to get the cage from the link. As for the medication, he doesn't seem to have any problems, and I've been really busy with schoolwork, so I haven't looked for it yet. I'll get it soon.


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## altgirl35 (Sep 5, 2008)

As long as that cheesy stuff in his throat isn't growing 
Canker can kill or deform him, it's very serious


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## PDY55 (Apr 22, 2012)

I found this site http://www.homingpigeon.com/article/Dosage.html
where a lot of dosages and info for medicines is given. It seems pretty useful: "Metronidazole (Flagyl): 25-50 mg per pigeon per day - 1250-2500 mg per gallon (4 liters) for 4-6 days."


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## altgirl35 (Sep 5, 2008)

Direct dosing works better,sent you a pm with dosage


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## PDY55 (Apr 22, 2012)

There isn't any canker anymore that I can see. I said in an earlier post how he could eat by himself, I was wrong. I have tried getting him to eat the seed, but he only eats about 5 or 6 and stops eating. He is also losing weight and the bone in his crop is sticking out. He still doesn't have a lot of feathers under his wings and the top part of his neck. Also he is losing his tail feathers every day. While grooming, he seems to attack his feathers viciously.


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## PDY55 (Apr 22, 2012)

Oh yeah, and when he is sitting or standing in one place, he puffs out his feathers.


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## altgirl35 (Sep 5, 2008)

Do u know how to pee pop? 
Wrap him up and put 1 pea at a time in, should try to get 30 or so into him 3 times a day
Being that he is thin, he would prob appreciate a heating pad under half his cage
That way his body won't have to waste calories on keeping warm


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

When did you treat for canker, with what, and for how long?
If there is still feather loss, then he needs to be treated.


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## altgirl35 (Sep 5, 2008)

He used flagyl, not sure how long, btw I meant pea pop! Not pee pop! Lol
How r ya jay!


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## PDY55 (Apr 22, 2012)

I treated him for 10 days with metronidazole. He doesn't really have feather loss. I just see from time to time that one of his tail feathers are broken. After a few minutes it completely breaks off. And he didn't ever have feathers on his upper neck and behind the ears.


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## altgirl35 (Sep 5, 2008)

Insufficient diet and starvation will effect feather growth they become weakened and break easily
He should have feathers on his neck and face by now
Are you feeding him the peas now?


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## PDY55 (Apr 22, 2012)

Yeah I'm feeding him right now. Guess we're back to square one.


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## altgirl35 (Sep 5, 2008)

Keep us updated on his progress


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## altgirl35 (Sep 5, 2008)

How's the baby?


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## Dima (Jan 15, 2011)

I hope you give him some vitamins with all those feathers breaking up.


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## PDY55 (Apr 22, 2012)

[Well, there doesn't appear to be any progress. He is a little more active. He flies up on top of a row of cabinets on the wall in my room, which is his favourite place. He also sits on the ceiling fan, so we don't dare to switch it on. He bites my little sister who's 5 years old when she goes to touch him. We've had a lot of fights on that hehe.


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## PDY55 (Apr 22, 2012)

Which vitamins should I be giving him? Any special avian vitamins or normal ones?


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## altgirl35 (Sep 5, 2008)

Are you handfeeding him? I use avi-era but use what you can find


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## altgirl35 (Sep 5, 2008)

Vitimins for birds that is


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## PDY55 (Apr 22, 2012)

I don't really have the time to search for those vitamins since I have my final tests going on right now. Is there any substitute for them? I have a lot of human vitamins and multivitamins lying around.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

PDY55 said:


> I treated him for 10 days with metronidazole. He doesn't really have feather loss. I just see from time to time that one of his tail feathers are broken. After a few minutes it completely breaks off. *And he didn't ever have feathers on his upper neck and behind the ears.*





That's what I meant by feather loss. Canker will cause them not to feather there, whether you can see it or not. Can't always see canker. 
With a pigeon loose in the room, you would never turn on a ceiling fan anyway. People have had birds die from colliding with a moving ceiling fan. I don't remember if you have sprayed or dusted him for lice?


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## PDY55 (Apr 22, 2012)

No I haven't sprayed or dusted him but I do give him a warm bath twice a week. Should I continue with the medicine?


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