# very weak young pigeon



## Chandra (Mar 4, 2012)

Another baby found me... I swear they know who to go to! I was feeding the pigeons at Union Station, LA and this little guy/girl walked up to me and sat down up against my leg. His (going to use masculine pronouns just for simplicity) beak was sealed shut by yellow stuff, poop, and dried blood and he was unable to open it to eat, and he smelled of human urine. I brought him home and washed him up, dried him, hand fed him 41 defrosted peas and now he's resting on my bed on a heating pad. He is VERY thin and weak and he loses his balance easily. He isn't fully feathered under his wings, and has a small bit of yellow fuzz left... but he can fly a little and still has enough spunk to wing-slap me. He has not pooped yet.

I have no idea whether he is sick, or just malnourished. Hoping maybe someone here can tell something from the pictures.

I have another baby that I hand raised... he's about 3 1/2 months old now. He's the best! I absolutely adore him! I wouldn't mind keeping the new baby too, but what safety measures can I take to ensure that neither catch anything from each other. How long should I keep them separate?


















Also, a HUGE thank you again to all of you who helped with Pie's foot/leg diagnosis and treatment. He is doing GREAT now! He still doesn't fly... I think he can, but he's not really interested. I can't resist posting an updated picture of him too. I love my baby : )


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Have you looked down his throat? He probably has canker, judging from the feather loss, and mucous. How does his breath smell? I'd definitely treat for canker anyway.

Keep them separated, as any new birds should be in quarantine for a month, just to give them time to show symptoms if they are carrying an illness. 
Feeding the peas is good, but be sure to wait til the crop empties before feeding again. Is he drinking? Keep him warm. A heating pad covered with a layer of towel, and set on LOW would be great. He is obviously sick, and trying to keep himself warm uses up a lot of energy that he really needs right now. Just keep them separate, and wash hands well before handling your other bird. Good that you saved the little guy. He's cute.

BTW. Pie looks great.


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## jondove (Nov 17, 2011)

He probably also swallowed some of the nasty stuff you say was on his beak, I would give him an antibiotic, just in case.

Also, what's the matter with his eyes? The left eye in both pictures is half closed. What about the other eye?

Do post pictures when he poops, though at first it might look bad just because he was starving before he found you.


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## Jaye (Mar 13, 2008)

Chandra, as noted above...are there any yellow or white growths in his/her mouth ? You probably would have noticed when he ate the peas, but check again. If he does, cease the pea-feeding; he will need baby bird formula instead.

The eyes could simply mean the poor guy/gal is just hurting and extremely weakened. I would put him on heat, I mean either a heating pad set on low under a layer of towel, or in a heated room at 80 degrees F. Do make sure his feathers dry off, even if this means a quick blow-dry.

Do you have any meds left ?

Can you call around to pet supply or aquarium stores and see if they have anything called Metronidazole or FishZole ? You may need some.

I'd say he is in a very fragile state, he looks thin and weak.

The big question is the mouth/throat issue, do get back to us on that because it's important.


I think I may have mentioned to you once before, after your first rescue, they DO start coming to find YOU.

Pie looks great, BTW....guess we will never know for sure if it was gout or paratyphoid...but who cares, as long as he has recovered !


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## Msfreebird (Sep 23, 2007)

Oh.... poor little guy  I would definitely do as suggested and treat for canker.


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## Chandra (Mar 4, 2012)

Good news! Apple (that's what I've been calling him/her) made it through the night and is doing MUCH better!  It's amazing what a night of food, water, and warmth did for him. His eyes are open; he's alert and he's feisty. Here is this morning's picture:










I don't see anything in his mouth or throat, his mouth does look a little paler than Pie's though. I don't smell anything bad or unusual on his breath either... but he still smells pretty bad (like urine) even after a bath. 

Yes, he's drinking TONS of water. Ok, I'll definitely keep them separate. Pie hates being in a cage, so I let him have the run of the apartment. I put Apple in a dog/large cat carrier on top of my dresser. Pie never goes up there because he doesn't fly.I think he can smell the new baby on me even though I wash my hands every time... he has been pecking at me and even chased me last night! lol 

I have antibiotics that I can give him (clindamycin and amoxicillin) and I can look around for Metronidazole or FishZole. He could hardly keep his eyes open yesterday; I don't think anything is wrong with them... he was just so tired/weak. His poops look nasty... like baby food peas.


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## Chandra (Mar 4, 2012)

Taking pictures of the inside of his mouth was NOT easy!... here's the best I could do:


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

You would have to look way down his throat with a flash light, and sometimes you can't see it anyway. He should be treated with Metronidazole. If you can find Fish Zole, make sure it's just Metronidazole. Call around to the tropical fish stores in your area. Some should have it. But I'd treat as soon as possible.


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## Chandra (Mar 4, 2012)

Ok, going to work on that today. Thanks


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## Jaye (Mar 13, 2008)

Nice clean mouth, though. That's kinda odd, actually. Could be crop canker, but it is odd that it would show as canker detritus on the outside of the beak, then....and be absent of bad breath.....

Just in case, as Jay3 said...I would also treat with Metronidazole/FishZole (or Spartrix/Carnidazole also works as well...but generally is less available over-counter and needs to be ordered from Jedd's).

He looks GLORIOUS in that second portrait !!!!! He may seriously have been exhausted and on his way out when you found him.

...if your wallet is a bit healthier these days, I'd suggest you order some meds from Jedds if you cannot find the Metronidazole locally (again, fish stores are a good bet ~ you just gotta confirm it is PURE Metro with no other additives).

Metro: http://www.jedds.com/-strse-523/MEDITRICH-100-tablets-(Medpet)/Detail.bok

Spartrix (just as good as Metro; no need to order both): http://www.jedds.com/-strse-511/SPARTRIX-50-tabs-(/Detail.bok

general antibiotic, good to have around:

http://www.jedds.com/-strse-897/BIRD-dsh-PEN-250MG--dsh--60/Detail.bok

or

http://www.jedds.com/-strse-1093/AMOXYCILLINUM-100-tablet/Detail.bok

I say Jedds because they are in SoCal and if you call 'em, they can have the stuff to you by the weekend if you ask.

He looks really good now, I think he's out of the immediate danger zone. Keep feeding, keep warm. Is he now showing interest in food ?


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## Chandra (Mar 4, 2012)

No luck at petco or the tropical fish store... only products they have are Lifeguard all in one and Mardel... neither have Metronidazole in them. Petco was no help at all... said that they didn't even know what I was talking about and told me to go in and read the ingredients in all of their fish products-- which I did. Going to try some stores in other cities today. LOL ..Jaye... I WISH my wallet were looking better! These birds always find me towards the end of the month... if one ever finds me on the 1st, it will be a very spoiled bird  Have enough $ to get the Metronidazole for now... if I can find it. I don't have a credit/atm card to order online though. But that is a really good idea, I think I'll buy a prepaid card next week and order some stuff to have on hand

He's looking great this morning, and has a lot more energy! He runs from me, pecks at me when I reach in his cage, fights when I feed him, and even escaped during feeding and flew around the living room! What I'm wondering now is whether I should keep him permanently or release him later on after he is better and all grown up. My original plan was to keep him as a friend for Pie, but he is SO terrified of me I don't want him to be miserable. I've heard that if you plan on releasing them later, you should handle them as little as possible, so I guess I need to make a decision soon. Should I handle him often, try to bond with him/tame him... or handle him only when necessary and plan to release him when ready?


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## Chandra (Mar 4, 2012)

Forgot to mention that he is still drinking well, but isn't eating much on his own yet. I left a small bowl of seeds in his cage and he pecks at it, sits in it, and spreads it around but isn't actually eating enough to sustain him.


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## jondove (Nov 17, 2011)

If he is not eating enough, aren't you hand feeding him? He seems very young, maybe that's why he can't eat by himself.



Chandra said:


> My original plan was to keep him as a friend for Pie, but he is SO terrified of me I don't want him to be miserable. *I've heard that if you plan on releasing them later, you should handle them as little as possible*, so I guess I need to make a decision soon. Should I handle him often, try to bond with him/tame him... or handle him only when necessary and plan to release him when ready?


I wouldn't worry too much about that. If you try to bond with him and don't succeed, then you can release him, so what's the problem?

And even if he gets very tame and you still decide to release him, once he is in a flock he'll become wild in no time. You'll just need to integrate him in a flock, the so called soft release. But in this case it might be harder _for you_ to decide to do that.


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## Chandra (Mar 4, 2012)

yes, I'm hand feeding him; it's getting really hard though because he is so scared. I managed to get 105 pieces of corn and peas down him over three feedings yesterday, and he pecked at a little seed in between. Is that enough?

Ok, thanks... that makes sense  , hadn't thought of it that way. Any tips on getting him used to me so he's at least a little more comfortable during feedings?


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## Jaye (Mar 13, 2008)

I agree with John, do not worry about handling him....he clearly has an aversion to humans and figuring he may hang around for a couple of weeks or so, he will be fine to release.

Pecking at a little seed is a good start, but certainly probably not enough food to be sustaining himself. How does his breast area feel ? Is the keelbone really protruding ? or is there some flesh to his breast area ?

My opinion is....if the Pigeon is healthy, they should be returned to the Feral world.

If the Pigeon has an injury or susceptibility or malady which would make their survival out there very difficult or unlikely, then you keep or place.

Call around specifically to tropical fish stores. Metronidazole is a super common fish medication, some should have it.

Petco ? yeah, right....like anyone there, with their 2 weeks of corporate big-box training...would know squat about anything....

Thanks for update.


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