# Dove with no eyes



## pidge-girl (Jun 10, 2009)

I work at a wildlife rehabilitation center and three weeks ago a baby dove was brought to us and she has no eyes. They must have never developed while she was in her shell because her head is very small and narrow. She has tiny eyelids that are about a third the size they would normally be, yet they are slightly sunken in and sealed, making her completley blind. 
She has grown very well, I have been tubeing Exact formula throughout each day and she is very spunky and knows my voice real well and knows I feed her, but she is growing up and all the other doves in her age group here have been upgraded out of the incubator and into larger net cages where they are learning to pick up seed and to fly. 
I'm worried to add her to them because she has tried to fly and I do not want her to injure herself and I also want to teach/train her to pick up seed on her own. Any suggestions would be very helpful. She is an Inca Dove and very sweet, she tilts her head towards sound so I know she can hear well.
I am willing to spend as much time with her as I can, it is very busy here at the center but I will always find time to help a dove or pigeon no matter what :]
Thank you. This is my first post so I'm not quite sure how this works, but anything would be helpfull, and she has a strong little will to survive! We all just got to help her :]


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

Read this ....
http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/f5/happy-birthday-rae-charles-13721.html?highlight=blind+pigeon


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## Pigeonlove (May 6, 2008)

I too am a rehabber. One day while walking I found a little baby Inca Dove. It was as big as my big toe. It was too young to fly and right next to a gate that said "Beware of Dog". I scooped him up and broght him home. I hand fed him, and loved him so much. One day I let him out to fill his food bowl and got busy looking for my purse. I jumped on the bed, and there he was, beneith my knee. "I killed Squirt" was all I could scream! My child told me to take him to the Vet, which I did. After 2 days on oxygen and several medicines, I was able to take my little baby home. He is the light of my life--the sweetest being I have ever known--and you are blessed to have come across one of your own. Take good care of him. Hold him, pet him, just love him. Good Luck!! Joni


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## Whitefeather (Sep 2, 2002)

I have a blind pigeon that I trained to eat on her own and she has done wonderfully for 5 years.

Rae Charles is in her own cage within our aviary so she is able to hear the other birds but is safely confined.

What I did was to place a flat perch low to the floor of her cage and then positioned her water, seed and grit dishes right in front of the perch. 

At meal time I would shake the seed dish near her to get her attention. Then place the dish on the side of the cage and tap it against the cage. As she followed the tapping sound she would 'bump' into the perch, then stand on it. 
After a little while of doing this she associated standing on the perch to having her water, seed and grit available. 

I have never changed the order of her water, seed or grit.

I hope this helps a little. 

Please keep us posted on how things go.

Cindy


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

I have several blind pigeons and a couple of blind ducks. They do just fine on their own BUT you have to pick them up every couple of days and make sure they aren't going light (losing weight). The key things are to keep their food and water in EXACTLY the same place every day. Once they know where that is, they will eat and drink just fine. Obviously, you also have to make their enclosures TOTALLY predator proof as they cannot see and would not know if/when they were being attacked.

Blind birds and animals seem to have an extra ability in sensing "mass" around them, and they know where things are. Turning in circles seems to help them identify where the "masses" are.

Terry


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## Whitefeather (Sep 2, 2002)

Charis said:


> Read this ....
> http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/f5/happy-birthday-rae-charles-13721.html?highlight=blind+pigeon


Thanks, Charis. 

Here I am typing everything out when I could have gone the easy route and just posted Rae Charles' birthday thread. 

Cindy

I was just reading that thread over and noticed I have Jan 2005 as the date I got her. I was looking back at her first photo and it's dated April 2004. The Jan 2005 was an updated photo.


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

pidge-girl said:


> I work at a wildlife rehabilitation center and three weeks ago a baby dove was brought to us and she has no eyes. They must have never developed while she was in her shell because her head is very small and narrow. She has tiny eyelids that are about a third the size they would normally be, yet they are slightly sunken in and sealed, making her completley blind.
> She has grown very well, I have been tubeing Exact formula throughout each day and she is very spunky and knows my voice real well and knows I feed her, but she is growing up and all the other doves in her age group here have been upgraded out of the incubator and into larger net cages where they are learning to pick up seed and to fly.
> I'm worried to add her to them because she has tried to fly and I do not want her to injure herself and I also want to teach/train her to pick up seed on her own. Any suggestions would be very helpful. She is an Inca Dove and very sweet, she tilts her head towards sound so I know she can hear well.
> I am willing to spend as much time with her as I can, it is very busy here at the center but I will always find time to help a dove or pigeon no matter what :]
> Thank you. This is my first post so I'm not quite sure how this works, but anything would be helpfull, and she has a strong little will to survive! We all just got to help her :]


Our member Grim had the same thing with a baby pigeon born in his loft, he could not keep it with his birds as they would take advantage of it. Our county rehabber has the baby, she has lots of experience with blind birds, these birds make wonderful pets, you just have to work with them a little and teach them where their food and water is, as tery explained. They also have to have their own space as other birds will take advantage of them.


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## altgirl35 (Sep 5, 2008)

will they let you keep her as a pet?? she obviously cannot be released back to the wild.


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## pidge-girl (Jun 10, 2009)

Thank you all so much for the tips! sadly no, I can't keep her as a "pet" because the views at the facility I work for are that no wild animal should be keep as a pet. Which I think in certain situations like this it would be best for the bird. We will however keep her here at the center as a perminant resident with me as her caretaker. She is so tiny! I've raised pigeons for 16 years so I'm used to bigger birds, but I love her so much! 
She is doing very well, I still have her on Exact because she is under a month old but soon I will try all the suggestions here. 
I have a scale and we keep very close watch on all our birds weight so I will be sure to make sure she is gaining and then keeping steady.
In all other ways she act's just like any other juvi dove, peeping and flapping her wings when she hears me come in the room, she perches real well on my hand and preens herself often. I feel like a dork but I have been cooing to her and it seems to comfert her, 
It's amazing to see how such a tiny little being has such a strong will to overcome these things in life and be happy and bring me so much joy as well.
I will take care of her and give her the best and most natural life she can have, but keep her 100% safe :]
Thanks again everyone!


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

What care center do you work at?
Does the center treat Pigeons? 
Could you be a resource for us?


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## pidge-girl (Jun 10, 2009)

I'm doing a six month internship at Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation (WRR) in Kendalia, texas. We have a really wide variety of animals but i spend most of my time with the doves and pigeons. We have close to 100 doves and about 20 pigeons right now. Most come from towns and cities that have been attacked by cats or hit by cars, but sometimes we get in lost, injured or just exausted racing homers. I have been working at wildlife rescues for a long time and really enjoy it but pigeons are my main love so I am planning to own a rescue just for them in the future. 
I kinda have in a way already because my coop is a random mixture of birds no one wanted or could care for, so I have had ex pets, ex racers, one's with missing legs or wings, beak or other deformities, and orphaned babies. 
I'm from Oregon originally and know there arn't many places around there to care for pigeons. Wildlife Rescue of the North West (WCNC) in Astoria might take in pigeons, or know of a center that will care for them. I volunteered there last year and they treat mainly birds and the woman that runs it is amazing and really caring and gives the animals her best. :]


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

pidge-girl said:


> I'm doing a six month internship at Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation (WRR) in Kendalia, texas. We have a really wide variety of animals but i spend most of my time with the doves and pigeons. We have close to 100 doves and about 20 pigeons right now. Most come from towns and cities that have been attacked by cats or hit by cars, but sometimes we get in lost, injured or just exausted racing homers. I have been working at wildlife rescues for a long time and really enjoy it but pigeons are my main love so I am planning to own a rescue just for them in the future.
> I kinda have in a way already because my coop is a random mixture of birds no one wanted or could care for, so I have had ex pets, ex racers, one's with missing legs or wings, beak or other deformities, and orphaned babies.
> I'm from Oregon originally and know there arn't many places around there to care for pigeons. Wildlife Rescue of the North West (WCNC) in Astoria might take in pigeons, or know of a center that will care for them. I volunteered there last year and they treat mainly birds and the woman that runs it is amazing and really caring and gives the animals her best. :]



I'm in Oregon and finding a place here to take a Pigeon is a real challenge.


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## pidge-girl (Jun 10, 2009)

yeah, I used to be 'pigeon girl' when I lived in Oregon (I lived in a small town outside of Eugene) cause I was the one they would call. People would drop pigeons off at the feed store and I'd go pick them up. I had the most mix match flock ever but I loved them :]


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

Well when you're done...come back to Oregon. We need you here!


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## pidge-girl (Jun 10, 2009)

Haha I do miss it there, but there are so many pigeons that need me here too! I have one in my care that was doing really poorly but today he stood up for the first time on his own in a week! I was so happy, he has a band on his leg and is registered with AU and hatched 2009 so I'm guessing he was in training for the young bird racing season and got lost then somehow injured both legs. A third of his feathers look bad too but he's looking better :] so you live in Portland? with pigeons? :]


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

Yes...I'm in Portland. I've been doing rehab for years from my home. I currently have about 25 Pigeons. I have been moving my rehabs to a friend's loft outside of Seattle.
The remaining ones, with an exception of a few, will join them in a few weeks.
I'll send you a private message with my contact infgormation.


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