# Meet new feral squab in SF, Herbert.



## ceren (Feb 20, 2009)

I suppose this isn't really a "what do I do" thread, but more a "ooh, look!" thread:

This is Herbert, named by the person who picked him up in the north tenderloin area in San Francisco. Since I have my AIM contact info on my profile, the guy who picked him up (and put him in a box, warmed over a radiator, and gave water) was able to contact me directly. Pretty handy. 

I picked up the baby, and he had some flies skittering around the towel he was wrapped in. Apparently that standard "pet store bird mite spray" works just fine for these, too - there's not a sign of a single fly anymore, and there's dead feather mites on the nest towel. That took less than a couple hours to knock out the mites, by the way. I'm very pleased. 

He was bright-eyed and curious, and while I knew he needed a feeding, he wasn't dehydrated, thanks to the guy I picked him up from. (good job, you.)

I'd estimate the age at about 23-25 days. Nothing seems damaged from the fall from the nest, but this baby's too young to get any lift from wingflapping, and shouldn't have left so soon. The Tenderloin is a BAD place for a babybird to be, even if the parents would have followed it and fed it for the next week. Loads of inner-city car traffic all day long, and lots of people and some dogs. 

Feeding the Kaytee is a pain in the ass! This bird doesn't seem to care for the mush, and it's a messy wrestling match to get some CCs into him. trying to get him to feed from the covered-tube-with-slit was a failure, so I reverted to a regular plastic syringe. Seed-pops (with seeds and peas) are going well, though, so it's about half formula and half peas, some seeds. He's pecking quite curiously at spots and seeds on the towel, so this should be easy to wean him, even if he hasn't quite gotten the hang of getting the seed in the beak -> back to the throat yet.

Here's Team Naptime! Herbert in front, NoCarrier chilling in the background.


















He has nekked side-butt, and nekked underwings. 











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So, is Herbert what they call a dark check pattern?

SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK.... <- youtube video of him preening and squeaking away.


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## wolfwood (Jan 26, 2009)

Ohhhhhh - he's beautiful!!!!


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

What a cutie. Put a note on your post that the "Squeak Squeak Squeak" is a YouTube video......I found out by accident........LOL
Herbert is what I would call a Blue Check. He's got quite a few checks, so he's close to a dark check......but in my loft, he would just be a Blue Check.
This is what I call a Dark Check


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## ceren (Feb 20, 2009)

Lovebirds said:


> What a cutie. Put a note on your post that the "Squeak Squeak Squeak" is a YouTube video......I found out by accident........LOL
> Herbert is what I would call a Blue Check.....


Whoops, sorry, fixed that. 

Thanks for the color tip! One of these days I'll have half a clue about these color names. I know it's a fuzzy science sometimes. I'm used to calling this a "pied" pattern (from cockatiels), or a "pearl".


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

He is adorable and I think you should treat him for canker ASAP. Do you have the medication?
Try feeding defrosted corn and peas. It may be much easier. You will need to feed 35-40 each time. He defiantly is old enough to transition into eating pigeon mix.


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## Ivor (May 12, 2008)

Hi Ceren, Herbert is a cutie and a lucky bird, I'm in SF and if you need help with something let me know, I don't have that much experience but if I can help in something send me an email. 

Ivette


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## maryjane (Jul 15, 2006)

Great save. Herbert is a real cutie.  And of course, so is NoCarrier.


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## ceren (Feb 20, 2009)

Charis - I have enough Metronidazole to medicate half the pigeons in San Francisco.  (I had to buy it dry, and ended up with 20g.) I've already dosed Herbert once, and now that I am certain he's stable and eating and pooping vigorously, I'll treat again. 

I had nearly no luck at all with the Kaytee. what a mess. I've been feeding lots of defrosted peas/corn/carrot chunks (hey, they were in the mix of frozen veggies, and Herbert doesn't complain) and more and more pinches of seeds. We're working on picking up seeds (he's not too coordinated at this yet.) I've tossed in some bits of pickstone blocks for him to nibble at, too. 

He's ridiculously calm and unafraid of me, and is hanging out with me while I sew in the living room, chill and hunkered down on a couch cushion after a feeding, all sleepyeyed. How do I tell when it's time to let him go into a flock? :/ I mean, I worry about the fact that food's going to be hard to find, etc etc. What do other baby rehabbers feel about this stage?


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

ceren said:


> Charis - I have enough Metronidazole to medicate half the pigeons in San Francisco.  (I had to buy it dry, and ended up with 20g.) I've already dosed Herbert once, and now that I am certain he's stable and eating and pooping vigorously, I'll treat again.
> 
> I had nearly no luck at all with the Kaytee. what a mess. I've been feeding lots of defrosted peas/corn/carrot chunks (hey, they were in the mix of frozen veggies, and Herbert doesn't complain) and more and more pinches of seeds. We're working on picking up seeds (he's not too coordinated at this yet.) I've tossed in some bits of pickstone blocks for him to nibble at, too.
> 
> He's ridiculously calm and unafraid of me, and is hanging out with me while I sew in the living room, chill and hunkered down on a couch cushion after a feeding, all sleepyeyed. How do I tell when it's time to let him go into a flock? :/ I mean, I worry about the fact that food's going to be hard to find, etc etc. What do other baby rehabbers feel about this stage?


LOL...Having enough canker med for all the SF Pigeons is a good thing. Soon you will have members knocking at your door for some. It's hard to find when you need it in a hurry. Dosing one time though...if you mean a one day treatment...won't do the job. I can't think of any one time treatment that works. 
Be careful with the carrot chunks as they are bigger pieces, harder and their shape could create a blockage. You might want to cut them into smaller pieces.
Your best chance for a successful release of this little baby is to find someone else in your area that will be releasing other babies at the same time. Among other reasons for doing so, there is safety in numbers.


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## feralpigeon (Feb 14, 2005)

Did the strength of the Metronidazole and dosing instructions come w/the medicine? Check your pm's....

fp


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## ceren (Feb 20, 2009)

No, I ended up formulating my own canker medication. The vet let me know that I should try to get about 10-15mg into NoCarrier for each dose. 

I ended up dumping half a gram into a bit under 20 ml of water, and it came out to about 27mg / ml, so there were two doses in each full ml of water. That's a bit oversaturated, it turns out, and the metronidazole tends to precipitate out between uses. I'll make it less concentrated next time. 

This post was really helpful in seeing the similarities between Herbert and other nearly-month-old pigeons, and potential feather growth indications of canker.
http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showpost.php?p=384960&postcount=608

With Herbert, the reason I only dosed once was I was more concerned with getting food into him first to make sure he was stable. I didn't see anything down the throat, so I figured getting feedings stable took priority over canker treatment. I should perhaps reconsider that next time?

More videos. 

Baby pigeon Herbert falling asleep.

First attempt at a bath.

Not very coordinated yet.


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