# Pigeon not eating!



## pigeonsareamazing1 (Jan 30, 2021)

Healthy pigeon not eating!? Pigeon had injured his wing. He is fine again but not eating by himself. He's been tested (swab and pooh samples came back clean!). Can swallow seeds placed towards the back of beak and tries to pick up seeds (100% accurate in targeting) but clicks them around in the beak and drops them again... could this be because he's not with his group but alone? Could it be that he is choosing not to eat or ?????
When he's hungry he'll come to me to be fed....

btw even with a deep dish he can't eat. if he has small or large seeds on the floor he can accurately target them to peck them but doesn't swallow them but they fall out again. He is still a youngster (from last summer)


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## pigeonsareamazing1 (Jan 30, 2021)

pigeonsareamazing1 said:


> Healthy pigeon not eating!? Pigeon had injured his wing. He is fine again but not eating by himself. He's been tested (swab and pooh samples came back clean!). Can swallow seeds placed towards the back of beak and tries to pick up seeds (100% accurate in targeting) but clicks them around in the beak and drops them again... could this be because he's not with his group but alone?


btw even with a deep dish he can't eat. if he has small or large seeds on the floor he can accurately target them to peck them but doesn't swallow them but they fall out again. He is still a youngster (from last summer)


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## cwebster (Dec 11, 2010)

Would give him frozen defrosted peas. You have to hand feed him ff he is still a juvenile.


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## pigeonsareamazing1 (Jan 30, 2021)

cwebster said:


> Would give him frozen defrosted peas. You have to hand feed him ff he is still a juvenile.


Thank you CWebster. I've done that and whether seeds or the defrosted peas he can swallow them. The problem is he is trying to pick up seeds but can't... and I've seem younger ones eat 'better'. Any idea how long I should be feeding him like that? Could it be because he is separate of the group?


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## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

They learn from the others. You can put him in a seperate cage with food, sprinkle food around the cage for the others to eat. Hopefully he will copy them. Have you tried red sorghum seeds? Those ones are easy to eat, the youngsters I've rescued always started eating them first.


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## pigeonsareamazing1 (Jan 30, 2021)

Marina B said:


> They learn from the others. You can put him in a seperate cage with food, sprinkle food around the cage for the others to eat. Hopefully he will copy them. Have you tried red sorghum seeds? Those ones are easy to eat, the youngsters I've rescued always started eating them first.


Thank you. He's trying to pick up seeds but they keep rolling back out and then he gets frustrated and starts grooming himself.... I've tried the red millet seeds and all sizes including tiny cut up peanuts etc. He ate a few sunflower seeds when the wing problem started but was severely underfed and now is not eating at all? Any other suggestions? I don't dare to just put him with the group if he can't feed himself properly or could it just be he is doing that because he's separate?


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## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

You can start feeding him defrosted green peas. 30 to 40 peas 3 times a day. The young ones I've rescued usually start eating the peas by themselves within a day or two. Sometimes you have to tease them by keeping the pea between your fingers in front of the beak. When they peck the pea from your fingers, then you know they are capable of eating by themselves. Then you can start adding some small seeds to the peas and eventually they start eating the seeds as well.


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## pigeonsareamazing1 (Jan 30, 2021)

I've tried. He looks at them. Pecks them from between my fingers and drops them or throws them to the side. He does this several times and then walks away. When he finds seeds he tries to pick them too, but same occurs... if I hadn't seen him eat (even though he was far too thin) a few weeks ago I'd be sure he can't but now I'm wondering what it might be and if he's doing it deliberately or just because he doesn't have others to copy? Thank you for any advice!
ps: when I don't feed him to encourage him to try he just stays hungry and starts drinking more water instead.... as soon as I feed him everything back to 'normal'.


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## bootface (Jun 29, 2017)

A pigeon won't choose to starve themselves. It can take single pigeons longer to learn to eat than those raised with other pigeons. You need to force feed him until you figure out why he isn't eating. How old is he?


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## pigeonsareamazing1 (Jan 30, 2021)

bootface said:


> A pigeon won't choose to starve themselves. It can take single pigeons longer to learn to eat than those raised with other pigeons. You need to force feed him until you figure out why he isn't eating. How old is he?


He's old enough to eat - he's fully grown and from June 20.... I don't know what to check anymore. He's swab and droppings test came back clean. He can target the tiniest or larger seeds to put them in his beak but he is not swallowing anything by himself. Placing seeds in the back of his beak he swallows them ok.
One person mentioned that they've had that that away from the group they stop eating and when together with others they start again.


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## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

Maybe you should put him in with the others and see how he reacts. Have you tried softening the seed in a bit of water? Pigeons don't like eating wet seeds, but maybe this will help with the swallowing.


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## pigeonsareamazing1 (Jan 30, 2021)

Marina B said:


> Maybe you should put him in with the others and see how he reacts. Have you tried softening the seed in a bit of water? Pigeons don't like eating wet seeds, but maybe this will help with the swallowing.


I have - he didn't eat them either. So yesterday he ate 2 tiny pieces of canary grit. He doesn't eat seeds that size though.
Also, when I had to take him in due to the wing as I mentioned he was very thin but ate 2 or 3 (much too little but still) sunflower seeds - I saw him picking them up and swallowing them. Now he doesn't eat anything by himself. He walks through seeds, picks them up but doesn't swallow them. He does have a go at soil and gras but no food....
I put the seeds in his beak and he swallows them. He pecks at many things but only to 'play'. I've even tried bread crumbs - nothing. Been feeding him for 2 months now....


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## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

When was the last time you have checked inside his beak? Does everything look normal?


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## pigeonsareamazing1 (Jan 30, 2021)

yesterday and everyday... it looks normal as far as I can see - nothing white, nothing slimy, no smell.... the swab is only 10 days old too - and the lab said all perfectly clean and no smell. so the only thing I can think of is behavioural?


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## Colombina (Jan 22, 2017)

Hi, on September 2013 we rescued a broken wing pigeon, Apple. She needed surgery, antibiotics, pain med, etc...

Well, I had to hand feed her for about 8/9 months... Even when she stopped to get meds and learned how to live with her new "condition" (she can't fly but she is able to do "small flights" like, for example, from the floor to the table) she didn't eat on her own like your bird... 
I tried everything (I even talked to my vet about the problem...): sprinkling seeds on the floor, giving a large variety of seeds, biscuits, creating a small "vegetable garden" inside a flower pot saucer, not feeding her, etc, etc... Nothing...but she was perfectly healthy...
Even if there were a few other birds in the same room with her (also a male) she didn't eat...

At the end of May/begin of June 2014 I "add" to my birds' room a new pigeon (it is not possible to release him): Marshall. He looked at Apple and immediately felt in love with her. They got married and to my great surprise and joy, Apple started to eat on her own!

I don't know what is wrong with your bird but from my own experience I can confirm you that sometimes not eating could be only a behavioral/psychological problem (lol I used to say, joking, that we discovered a new disease: Apple-disease), not a physical issue. Maybe Apple had a nest and babies when she had her accident and so was very sad. 

Anyway, you could try to give to your bird a mixture for canary containing dehydrated fruits, usually birds love it and they are attracted by colors. You could also try to offer him a small piece of biscuit (something simple, without chocolate, marmalade, etc): crumble it with your fingers and put it in a small bowl and sprinkle it even around him. Usually birds have a sweet tooth 😉. 

Please keep us updated! 
Good luck!


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## pigeonsareamazing1 (Jan 30, 2021)

Colombina said:


> Hi, on September 2013 we rescued a broken wing pigeon, Apple. She needed surgery, antibiotics, pain med, etc...
> 
> Well, I had to hand feed her for about 8/9 months... Even when she stopped to get meds and learned how to live with her new "condition" (she can't fly but she is able to do "small flights" like, for example, from the floor to the table) she didn't eat on her own like your bird...
> I tried everything (I even talked to my vet about the problem...): sprinkling seeds on the floor, giving a large variety of seeds, biscuits, creating a small "vegetable garden" inside a flower pot saucer, not feeding her, etc, etc... Nothing...but she was perfectly healthy...
> ...



Thank you soooo much for sharing your beautiful experience! So happy to hear Apple has found love with Marshall 
I hope they're doing well!
I will try the cookies.... So far today he has spilled seeds all over trying to pick them up, but nothing in... then he gets frustrated and comes running across to 'bite' me so I'd feed him... he's definitely lonely as when I show him a video of the others he pecks at the phone and looks behind it trying to find them... I'm just worried if it wasn't behavioural and he doesn't get enough food he could starve.... I'll try keeping feeding him and hope he'll start eating...
I'll keep you posted!
Thank you again.


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## Colombina (Jan 22, 2017)

They are doing very well, thanks! They still love each other so much! 

I really hope that he will start to eat soon on his own 🤞... 
I understand, I was used to hand feed Apple twice a day because I was worried too about starvation (not feeding her was not a helpful method...). Btw, she hated that so I had to try everything to relax her.. I discovered that she loves listening to classic music... She loves Vivaldi!

I attach a pic of the biscuits suggested by my vet (a very simple type of biscuit), all my birds love them, I hope they could help your bird!

Keep us updated 😊.


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## pigeonsareamazing1 (Jan 30, 2021)

Colombina said:


> They are doing very well, thanks! They still love each other so much!
> 
> I really hope that he will start to eat soon on his own 🤞...
> I understand, I was used to hand feed Apple twice a day because I was worried too about starvation (not feeding her was not a helpful method...). Btw, she hated that so I had to try everything to relax her.. I discovered that she loves listening to classic music... She loves Vivaldi!
> ...




Soooo lovely! Thank you for giving them both a nice life!
He also loves classic music - his favourite is Chopin  he will always come to sit and lie down next to piano when someone is playing
I tried biscuits this morning following your advice - nothing yet.. it's so strange because he actually tries to pick them up (small and big ones) but drops them out again... did Apple do that too?
Not feeding him also doesn't help... his droppings just go watery and green but no change... I feed him, and they go back to perfect....
We'll keep trying!

Best wishes!!!


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## JaneH (Feb 7, 2021)

Give him mellet, sesame, flaxseed, quinoa(my pigeon doesn't eat big seeds, I don't know why). It should work... And give him grit and you can add Brewer's yeast and mashed eggshells from eggs you ate. 
Let him see a video with pigeons eats seeds...


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## pigeonsareamazing1 (Jan 30, 2021)

JaneH said:


> Give him mellet, sesame, flaxseed, quinoa(my pigeon doesn't eat big seeds, I don't know why). It should work... And give him grit and you can add Brewer's yeast and mashed eggshells from eggs you ate.
> Let him see a video with pigeons eats seeds...



Thank you. I'll try sesame and flaxseed!
Watching video I've tried - he loves it but still doesn't eat....


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## Colombina (Jan 22, 2017)

Exactly what Apple did... Even when she tried to pick something up.... Nothing....
Same things with poops... When I tried to not feeding her... Poops became watery and green.. 

It seems that our birds have much in common... Maybe we should make them meet, Apple could help him sharing her experience 😉. 

Btw, I think that Apple would love to sit and lie down next to piano when someone is playing! 

You could also try to leave available a flower pot saucer filled with a very large variety of seeds (you could also add dried legumes like mung beans and small lentils. My birds are crazy for mung beans!). I use rectangular plastic ones (see the pics). You could also put him inside it. Btw, some of my birds love eating while lying down inside it 😁. 

Anyway, be patient! I'm keeping my fingers crossed! I really hope he will start soon to eat on his own! 

Keep us updated!


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## Joeyspesh (Sep 16, 2020)

My rescue Xena hasn’t been able to eat herself since I rescued her / it’s been 5-6 months now. She loves to pick up seeds and chatter them in her mouth and drop them or fling them! I let her watch videos of pigeons eating and she gets excited and pecks with ferocity but still doesn’t eat. She will however allow me to feed her seeds now, so that’s my silver lining! My vet told me to be patient and sometimes it takes up to a year for the instinct to eat independently to kick in. If you have any success though, do let us know!


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## pigeonsareamazing1 (Jan 30, 2021)

pigeonsareamazing1 said:


> Thank you. I'll try sesame and flaxseed!
> Watching video I've tried - he loves it but still doesn't eat....




So I finally have an update - after 3 months he started pecking off the millet seed from toast bread!  he's still not eating enough to feed himself but it's a start! I had offered him that before and he didnt accept and out of nothing he started.... he's trying to pick up larger seeds too but still keeps dropping them out..... let's see how it goes - but it's a start!!!🥳


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## pigeonsareamazing1 (Jan 30, 2021)

Joeyspesh said:


> My rescue Xena hasn’t been able to eat herself since I rescued her / it’s been 5-6 months now. She loves to pick up seeds and chatter them in her mouth and drop them or fling them! I let her watch videos of pigeons eating and she gets excited and pecks with ferocity but still doesn’t eat. She will however allow me to feed her seeds now, so that’s my silver lining! My vet told me to be patient and sometimes it takes up to a year for the instinct to eat independently to kick in. If you have any success though, do let us know!


So I finally have an update - after 3 months he started pecking off the millet seeds and a few flaxseed from toast bread!  he's still not eating enough to feed himself but it's a start! I had offered him that before and he didnt accept and out of nothing he started.... he's trying to pick up larger seeds too but still keeps dropping them out..... let's see how it goes - but it's a start!!!🥳


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## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

That's great!


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## Colombina (Jan 22, 2017)

Thanks for the update! 
It's a good start 👍! Great news!


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