# alpha male sick, nodding out.help!!!



## cooingsosweetly (Apr 3, 2005)

i have 6 rock doves, two rescue, two mated pair, and two offspring from the mated pair. 
Ku, the alpha male is unable to fly, but can jump down from anything below 6 feet and land quite successfully. I m afraid he bumped his head, but these are the symptoms he is exhibiting.

bad balance, trouble climbing, head bobbing back and forth like he is "nodding" off, eyes open though. 
He is usually quite enthusiastic about doing his mating dance, and courting his mate, but hasnt been doing that. he is mostly resting, is on electrolytes(water with sugar and salt and potassium) beak is pink on the inside, and vent is clean but a little stained. Fluffy, shiny coat, and he is grooming. mostly, his mate is grooming him and exhibiting signs of concern and being very protective.

he looks almost like he has nausea. he is nodding back and forth, i dont think it is TMV. Please respond with any advise as soon as you can, 

much thanks, sincerely, queenie in Toronto.

i have him in his nestbox, with his own food and water and make sure i put a blanket over it for naps several times a day. he is warm, and the place is very calm.

is it a bug bite?
did he have a crash landing i am not aware of?
does he have a parasite?


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## feralpigeon (Feb 14, 2005)

cooingsosweetly said:


> i have 6 rock doves, two rescue, two mated pair, and two offspring from the mated pair.
> Ku, the alpha male is unable to fly, but can jump down from anything below 6 feet and land quite successfully. I m afraid he bumped his head, but these are the symptoms he is exhibiting.
> 
> bad balance, trouble climbing, head bobbing back and forth like he is "nodding" off, eyes open though.
> ...



Do you treat on your own for coccidiosis or anything else?

fp


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## Guest (Aug 20, 2007)

Firstly, please don't use refined sugar. Yeast cells love it and it can set up something very nasty in the future. Use glucose only.
It sounds like a concussion and if it is, it can be very serious. If a bird develops one, the only thing that can be done that I know of, is to get him over to a vet early on, for a steroid shot. Sometimes it can help stop potential bleeding in the brain and shrink swollen tissues. If it's a bad concussion, they usually don't clear up so let's hope it isn't. 
With all that said, I would still have the bird tested for anything in the system. If you can't get to a vet, do you have any medications on hand?


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## eric98223 (Aug 4, 2007)

im pretty new but it sure almost sounds like pmv. saw a bird with it this weekend and the bobbing head (it almost is like they are rocking out to unseen music). hope it helps. Eric.


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## cooingsosweetly (Apr 3, 2005)

*concussion*

my hypothesis was concussion, he cant fly very well and i think he may have had a crash landing when i wsnt home jumping from his usual perches in the room. 
i will use glucose instead of sugar, and also i have enfalac for emergency skinny squab situations, but no medications otherwise but electrolites.

the vet can check for concussion, he is eating and drinking and announces himself bowing ad cooing when i put him back in his nestbox with his mate, who is looking after him too.'

i will look into an avian vet in the area. toronto, downtown. i think ther is a good one in high park.

thank you for the tips. anymore will be appreciated.


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## feralpigeon (Feb 14, 2005)

I don't know about the PMV, I think these are indoor birds, Eric. 

Cooingsosweetly, you might want to pm Pigeonpal2002(Brad) and ask him
how he goes about ordering from the supply houses here. It would
be good for you to have some meds on hand for the known issues that
pigeons deal with health wise. Maybe there is a feed and grain store
in the area that also carries meds that you could get from as well.

Coccidiosis is one common reason why birds will stay on the ground,
but in an instance where you are worried about a concussion for
your bird, I would think you _would want a vet involved._

Am I mistaken or did you not have a concussion situation perhaps 
a year or so ago, give or take? If so, could be something in the way
that you have things 'set up' that need to be re-examined in terms
of risk potential. Hope all works out for your Ku, and he gets back on track
soon.

fp


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## joefi2 (Aug 11, 2005)

*Old Timer*

Sounds Like P M V First Get It Away From The Rest Of Your Birds Keep It In A Cage All By Its Self With Water And Food And Keep A Eye On Your Other Birds It Can Wipe Out All Of Your Bird .it Comes Quickly And Im Not Sure What To Do About It , I Know What I Do ,you Will Haft To Hand Feed It And Use A Eye Dropper To Give It Water ,i Hope It Gets Better, I Never Have Any Luck When My Bird Gets It ,were It Comes From I Don,t Know But It Is Deadly


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## cooingsosweetly (Apr 3, 2005)

*not paratyphoid*

hey, it is not pmv. it is awful to assume that with little knowledge, may make a less experienced pigeon lover very emotional and paranoid...(para..typhnoid...)

First of all, Ku was hit by a streetcar, and it ran over his wing completely, so he is unable to fly up.I adopted him and took him in, and at that time i administered steroids for possible concussion. he does enjoy jumping from high windowledges down to the ground, (my place has no decorative items in pigeon room, it is very safe and am dissapointed that this looks like a crash landing.)
He climbs the plants and walls to get to these places, and generally it makes him feel more comfortable with the flock, because they can all fly. 

Thank you for the advice, and information. i love pigeon talk, and in my time i have informed many non believers that pigeons are beautiful doves and not winged rats.

My birds are indoor birds, and i wash my hands when i have been feeding feral birds as to not transmit any virus, parasite, germ.

He is a beautiful pied checker, my first pigeon actually. have had him for a year!!! He is mated to squabus, a squabby looking hen that is very protective and fiesty. they have two young, sparky, the hen, first born and wylie bo dean, the beautiful pied male, bigger than Ku and only two months old!!! (new alpha male???)

there are my adoptees, foster care birds, angelle and elvis. angelle has pants, feathered legs. elvis is 10 weeks, and smaller than wylie. so skinny, had him on the similac and enfalac. (diluted of chorus) and he is getting shiny and chubby.

I do well with pigeons, but will have those items on hand for emergency first aid. safety first.


gracias amigos, palomita bonita
cooingsosweetly


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## eric98223 (Aug 4, 2007)

sorry was just suggesting a possibility. like i said am new so didint mean to upst you. i just saw a case this weekend and the bobbing head sounded like that....
Eric..


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## cooingsosweetly (Apr 3, 2005)

*it is okay*

eric, my rock doves are indoor birds. i wont take them out on flight suit untill they have their vaccinations for pmv and so on.

it is a scarry sight, i lost many a foster squab to it. really sad. the best thing you can do when it is too late is keep them warm and play the "world's smallest violin" on the beak wattle (cere). it seems to be what they really like.

the concusion is mild. i love him so much, my dad is going for a tattoo today, he is 62 and never got one, i am getting KU, a little checkered pied above my heart.


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