Expert: Chrys Meatyard - 10/4/2006

Question
here is a photo of the eye, can I get the food from wal-mart or do I need to go to a pet store?

http://s98.photobucket.com/albums/l255/tandksmomfl/bird/?action=view¤t=pic

thanks
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Followup To

Question -
Here is a photo I just took hope it is not to small.. http://s98.photobucket.com/albums/l255/tandksmomfl/bird/
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Followup To

Question -
will the baby is about 4-5 inches and has some feathers, the bay also knows how to drink water from a cup. The eye was crusted with a litte blood and there was some marks that had been bleeding on the side of face.. I have cleaned the baby with worm waterto get all the nasty stuff off of it. Is there any way to send a photo of the baby?

Thanks Angela
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Followup To

Question -
A man that lives by mt gave me this baby Pigeon after finding it in his yard, it does not look to be that old and looks like it will not beable to see out of one of it's eyes.. I have no Idea what to feed it or how much and offter to do so.. Any suggestions would be helpful.

Thanks
Angela

Answer -
Hi, Angela.  Thanks for posting!

Does this bird have any feathers at all?  If so, is it fully feathered, partially feathered, and/or does it look like it has "sticks" (pin feathers) coming out from it's body?  Approximately how big is this bird...3-4 inches long, 5-6 inches long, is it able to walk/stand, will it fit in a cup, etc.?  This will help determine age and what to feed, etc.

Please explain what you see wrong with the eye.  Is it swelled, closed shut, bleeding, pecked at, crusty-looking, etc.?  

You can try feeding this baby pigeon grain.  If it's old enough, it will eat the grain.  Some pigeons/doves will eat wild bird food (without sunflower seeds...some eat sunflower seeds, some don't).  However, if this bird is too young, you would have to handfeed it several times a day by either pushing grain down it's throat or handfeeding with baby parrot handfeeding formula (Kaytee Exact) and a handfeeding syringe, spoon-feed it the handfeeding formula, or other (I have some other suggestions for handfeeding if needed).  You definitely need to ensure this baby has sufficient water.  How to give water depends on the age of the baby.

I can help more, but you'll need to provide additional details as stated above so I can try and determine how old the baby is and what might be wrong with it's eye.

Thanks.

Chrys

Answer -
Angela,

Sounds like this baby might be about 2 weeks old.  Send the web address for this picture and I'll cut and paste the addy in my browser and take a look.

It's great the baby can drink water!  I imagine s/he can probably eat grain, too.  I've seen 2 week old pigeon babies eat on their own when having to be pulled from their parents, so it's possible s/he can eat on it's own.

You did good by cleaning the eye.  Could be that this baby was pecked in the eye by another bird or animal unless it's some type of infection.  Keep it clean and you can also use over-the-counter antibiotic ointment/cream, but keep this out of the eye...apply it around the eye only.  You can buy sterile eye drops at a local drug store which might also help.  

Chrys

Answer -
Angela,

Good picture, but I couldn't see the eye problem.  Baby looks to be about 2-3 weeks based on the featheration...not sure if this is a pigeon or a dove, but both are closely related anyhow.  

If you can get the baby to eat pigeon grain, great!  They can eat grain at this age, but some will and some won't (depending on if the baby is ill or not, strong enough or not, etc.).  If s/he won't eat grain, you'll need to handfeed.  Try putting some grain in a dish of some sort where the sides are low so the baby can get to the seed.  If baby won't eat grain on it's own, you can push seed down throat by opening the baby's beak and gently pushing a grain or 2 at a time (depending on the size of the grain) down the throat with your index finger.  You can't just place the grain on the tongue or inside the beak...it has to be pushed down the throat.  Also, don't put more than a couple grains in the throat at a time.  It will take some time to fill up the baby's crop feeding it this way.  The baby's crop should be bulging when fed enough (the fullness of the crop will make the baby look top-heavy and abnormal).  You can find pics of parrot babies with full crops on the internet if you want an example...pigeon baby's crop would be the same.

If you don't want to feed in this manner, you can handfeed with a handfeeding syringe and baby parrot handfeeding formula.  I like Kaytee Exact parrot formula, which you can buy at some pet shops, but there are other brands available.  Use a large handfeeding syringe, eye dropper or similar to feed the baby once the formula is mixed.    I've also heard of people handfeeding baby pigeons/doves using a plastic/foam cup where a hole to accommodate the baby's beak is made in the cup bottom.  Fill the cup with the handfeeding formula and allow the baby bird to nurse from the hole in the cup (put the baby's beak into the hole and the baby can suck up the food).  When a baby pigeon/dove feeds from it's parent, the baby sticks it's beak into the adult's mouth/partially into the adults crop and the adult regurgitates into the baby's beak.  Therefore, any method similar to the latter that you can come up with to get the food into the baby's crop will do just fine!  With parrots, sometimes a baby parrot will eat from a spoon that has the sides bent up to form a sort of funnel.  The baby would eat the food from the spoon.  

You need to ensure any food (other than grain) that you feed the baby is warm enough...should be 102 degrees F when FED to the baby...not when you mix the food.  The food has to be the same temperature as the baby's body temperature WHEN IT IS PUT INTO THE BABY'S CROP.

I'm sure you'll have other questions, so come back as necessary.  I've handfed many, many baby pigeons and I'm sure I can help.

Good luck with this baby!  

Chrys

Answer
I can see the eye is shut, but that is all.  Doesn't appear to be a severe/major injury.  Keep it clean, use sterile eye drops if necessary (not Visine or anything to "get the red out,"...just sterile eye drops).  

I've never seen parrot handfeeding formula at any Wal Mart in the USA that I've been in.  You need to visit a pet shop of some sort.  However, not all pet shops carry parrot handfeeding formula, so you might have to visit more than 1 shop.  It might be wiser to call ahead first...ask if they carry regular baby parrot handfeeding formula.  There are 2 types on the market...1 for macaws and 1 for all other parrots...you want the one for all other parrots.  There are alternatives if you can't find it...let me know.  When you're at the pet shop, also pick up a handfeeding syringe...if they sell handfeeding formula, they also likely carry syringes (these are without a needle on the end!), unless you'll feed via some other method.

Pigeon/dove babies aren't hard to handfeed.  It may be a little sloppy at first while you both learn, but you'll get through!  

I commend you for taking on the efforts to save this baby bird.  S/he would die if you hadn't intervened.

Chrys      

Chrys