# Baby Pigeon can't fly



## HelpWanted (Aug 10, 2010)

I found a baby pigeon a few days ago, and he/she seems to be doing well. After a few days of keeping him/her at home, he/she seems to want to fly. Here's the problem: He was doing well before, but now it seems as if one of his wings start to droop, and when he tries to flap his wings to fly, one of his wings was slower than the other.

So I'm wondering: Did he hurt himself in some way?


P.S. I see a bug/worm thing on him. Is there a simple organtic way to remove it, or do I have to buy the chemicals/sprays in pet stores?


~Thanks in advance!


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## goga82 (Aug 17, 2009)

HelpWanted said:


> I found a baby pigeon a few days ago, and he/she seems to be doing well. After a few days of keeping him/her at home, he/she seems to want to fly. Here's the problem: He was doing well before, but now it seems as if one of his wings start to droop, and when he tries to flap his wings to fly, one of his wings was slower than the other.
> 
> So I'm wondering: Did he hurt himself in some way?
> 
> ...


external parasites, almost every pet store in the world selling a spray that kills lice


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## Jaye (Mar 13, 2008)

Can you please post some photos ? As for the lice/bugs...I suppose you could do a search for homeopathic flea powder or lice treatment. Vey important to get those off of the baby ASAP.

Is she/he eating on their own ? Drinking ? How is his activity and alertness level ? 

When you hold her and extend the wing out, then let go...does it "spring" back towards the body ? Any sign of inflammation or external injury there (or anywhere else on the pigeon) ? 

Thanks for helping !!!!


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## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

Yes...it sounds like he injured a Wing...


Maybe keep him confined in a way where he can rest his Wings for a week or so...


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## HelpWanted (Aug 10, 2010)

When I touch or pull his wings, he doesn't pull back quickly, but he does make those baby pigeon sounds and squirm. He also likes to hide in corners and under things (bed, table, chair, etc.) He looks like he wants to fly, because he always flaps his wings while running, and he can eat/drink on his own. Here are some photos of him:








<<<<< Overall picture (Standing pose)







<<<<< Hiding under table (Sitting pose)







<<<<< Note the droopy wing (He's eating right now)


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## Jaye (Mar 13, 2008)

It doesn't look that bad...and if he/she is able to flap both of them and they both move, then it could just be he dinged it somehow and the soft tissue just hurts. So, there is no sign of injury to the wing, like cuts, scabs, swelling, etc ?

Do you have or can you get some Children's Advil or Children's Motrin liquid ? perhaps some anti-inflammatory would help a bit. If you can get a small plastic syringe, you can give him .05cc 2x/day, 9 hours apart (.05 cc is a really small amount, it being half of .10cc..but you'd need a dropper or syringe with measurements on it). Don't squirt it into the mouth, just gently hold him/her, pry open beak gently with free fingers, and just 'lay' the medication towards the front of the mouth. 

In the very least, if your pal is in discomfort, it will help a bit.

....the pics are small but he/she appears to be around 4+ to 5 weeks old maybe.


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## HelpWanted (Aug 10, 2010)

There seems to be no sign of ingury, but if the wing is drooping, should I bandage it, or will it be fine? (It's droppings are greenish, but there are some that are black and white- They range from watery to hard.... Is that a good sign?)

And is hiding under things also a good sign of a healthy bird? Sometimes, when I leave him alone for a few minutes, he would run under something and just sit there, like the picture above......


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## HelpWanted (Aug 10, 2010)

pdpbison said:


> Yes...it sounds like he injured a Wing...
> 
> 
> Maybe keep him confined in a way where he can rest his Wings for a week or so...


He hates being confined (we bought a bird cage for him, although he perfers a tissue box) and he will always try to get out... How should/can I keep him confined without giving him discomfort?


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## Jaye (Mar 13, 2008)

Does he flap a lot ? If he is flapping his wings a lot and really seems to be stressing them, then you want to reduce the activity level of the wing. The idea is, in the very least, for him to rest the wing.

No...it is not unusual at all for a young pigeon to go find a place to huddle under something, away from activity and noise and such. It makes them feel more secure.

Honestly...the best thing to do here would be to take him to a bird vet (avian vet) for an exam. X-rays would be wonderful, but this will be expensive ....over a hundred dollars, likely. But short of an x-ray, at least an avian vet can manipulate the wing and feel the area and make some determination as to whether something has been badly damaged or not.

Short of that, all we can do is make some educated guesses....The thing with wings is, there's only a certain window of opportunity to properly correct a substantial injury. Beyond that, once scar tissue, etc. starts to grow, it is pretty much a tossup as to whether the natural healing process will result in the decent ability to fly ever again.

So, he is still eating and drinking on his own ?


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## leo from glasgo (Jan 9, 2010)

to help wanted squab i have seen the pictures of the young leady squeeker you found i fly and breed horseman thief pouters in glasgow scotland the bird has obviously been separeted from its parents and nnest mate a young bird has to be among birds of equal age to let it fight squable and develope every horseman pouter ive had has its own character the bird may be a bit backward you could back squad it to the next round of young i breed about 60 horseman pouters a year they have to be brought along aand trained anyone fancy a chat about horseman thief pouters feel free to contact me at [email protected]


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## HelpWanted (Aug 10, 2010)

The little bird seems to have gotten better on his own somehow. I delt with him/her usually, and he seems to have gotten the walk that most pigeons do (when they walk, their heads wobble back and forth... I wonder why?). He does eat and drink by himself (alot, actually). 
His wing seems better, and he will occasionally jump off of tables when I put him on it, and he flaps down without any problems. He probably has matured, because some of the yellow fluff that were on his head is now gone... and his/her neck feathers start to show a green or purple color (depending on the light).

P.S. How can you tell if a baby pigeon is a male or a female?


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## HelpWanted (Aug 10, 2010)

Update: Our bird is losing the yellow fluff from his head when we found him. He jumps around trying to fly, and makes alot of "cooooooooo" sounds. His beak is getting pointier, and he seems much more ambitious. He does seem to sit down often, though... Is that a good thing?


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