# What to feed??



## Pidgeys (Nov 18, 2012)

So a little while ago a posted in the 'feral pigeons' section about yet another pij I had found. This one has now bonded with me and is very affectionate and sweet. So this new post can now go into the 'pet pigeon and doves' section 

Anyway, when i first got 'pika' as I have called him/her i was feeding her (lets call it a her) peas as suggested on this site, as well as a little seeded bread, water of course and mashy cat/dog food, again as suggested on this site. She is now able to peck off the ground but I have come to realise I have a very picky pij on my hands! Every day I put out a dish of wild bird formula that i buy from the supermarket which has maize, sorghum, barley, oats, wheat, panorama, white millet and hulled oats in it. To that I add un popped popcorn, broken up pumpkin seeds, linseeds, rapeseeds, a small amount of broken up almonds, pine nuts and another seed a can't remember the name of. I also add grit to the mix. Out of all of those seeds Pika only eats these little round red ones that come in the premade mix from the supermarket. They look like red milo seeds but they aren't on the ingredients list...

Because Pika only eats those seeds, I still give her some seeded bread and force feed her peas because I am worried she is not getting enough food or vitamins! I also add Ornithon to her water every day which is a vitamin and mineral supplement for birds. 

Any help on what this little pij would like to eat??? Of course she loves bread (which i don't want to give too much of) and the little red seeds in her mix but that seems to be about it!


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## tjc1 (Aug 22, 2012)

Good morning, what makes you think she is not getting enough food or vitamins? Can you see or feel her keel bone. Good determination factor to see if she is underweight. Sounds like you are giving her more than enough items to eat. Unless she is under weight I would stop giving her all the nuts as they can be very fattening. You are giving her enough vitamins with the supplements I would just make sure she is getting vitamin d3 and calcium. Also dont mix the grits together with the mix. Separate in another dish and allow her to get it as she wants. A picture would be great so we can see what she looks like.


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## Pidgeys (Nov 18, 2012)

She never actually eats the nuts, they are just there if she suddenly decided to eat something different, i'm trying to see what she will eat!

I can feel her keel bone yes, am i mean to feel it at all? Or a little bit?

She gets lots of vitD as I take her outside everyday for an hour or so. Hopefully the vit supplement will help also. 

Thanks for the tip on the grit :]


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## tjc1 (Aug 22, 2012)

Mine were picky also. Some days they eat everything but leave the corn. Other days they eat the corn first then eat everything else. But I dont give them many options other than there pigeon mix. I use peanuts as a treat. Here is a picture of a healthy pigeon you cant see it keel bone and it should be full to the touch.


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## Pidgeys (Nov 18, 2012)

Here are two pictures of Pika, one on the couch and two falling asleep on my chest.
I think she is ohkay, hopefully she will just come round with her eating and try out some new stuff.
Does any one know where I can find a canker treatment in pill form here in New Zealand?


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## tjc1 (Aug 22, 2012)

She looks good. Why you looking for canker meds? Just to have it or do you suspect she has canker?


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## Pidgeys (Nov 18, 2012)

On another thread I mentioned that every now and then she throws her head back with her beak wide open, kind of like a yawn. She also sneezes. I checked her beak for anything but no sign of anything. I know it can be more i the throat/crop however. 
I have been told that the yawning thing is a sign of canker, and that it might be a good idea to treat her


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## Pidgeys (Nov 18, 2012)

There is also slight feather loss around the front of the neck and side of the beak


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Cute little thing.


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## Ross Howard (Nov 26, 2009)

Pidgeys said:


> There is also slight feather loss around the front of the neck and side of the beak


Probably moulting.


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## Pidgeys (Nov 18, 2012)

I hope so, would hate to have a sick pigeon that i didn't do anything about :[


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Does her throat look clear? Any vomiting? Usually when they do that what you are calling a yawn thing, they stretch their neck out and do it, as if something were caught in their throat. They can do that if they have canker, probably because it is in their throat and bothering them. I don't see a lot of feather loss in the pics. Maybe a close up head on pic?


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## Pidgeys (Nov 18, 2012)

Throat is clear and no vomiting which is good. The yawning thing is like a big neck stretch backwards with the beak wide open. I can't take any more pics at the moment but the is definitely thinning of the feathers on the front of the neck and a little around the side of the beak under the eyes


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

There was a post about buying pigeon supplies in New Zealand a while back. Here's the link.
http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/f5/nz-pigeon-keepers-59604.html


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