baby pigeons

Last post 20-09-2012 10:12 PM by Snark. 6 replies.

• 17/07/2012 09:01 AM

  Julie Location: London Joined on: 28 Apr 2009 Posts: 410

  Reply | Contact Has anyone had to look after baby pigeons? I found them yesterday and they needed looking after so even though I don't like pigeons I couldn't leave baby animals to die. They cannot eat themselves. One is larger than the other (about 3 weeks old from what I can tell from web sites) and I managed to feed it yesterday and today by forcing its beak open and popping food in (dry cat food soaked in water) which it seemed happy to swallow. The smaller one won't or can't swallow the food. I tried soft cat food cut in smaller pieces. It's pitiful hearing them calling for their parents who I understand feed baby pigeons from their mouth. The bigger one desperately tried to get an adult pigeon to feed it yesterday but it didn't want to know. If anyone has experience, any other suggestions for what to feed them and how and how to get them to eat themselves eventually? and how to get them to the point where they can leave "home"? Thanks.

• 17/07/2012 10:26 AM

  In reply to

  sue1002 Location: Ipswich, Suffolk Joined on: 06 Sep 2005 Posts: 9,470

  Reply | Contact  I don't have any experience of hand feeding young birds myself Julie but when our dog doesn't eat all her dinner, I throw what she's left outside and the birds soon help themselves.  This pic here is a sparrow feeding her young on it.     It does sound like you need an answer pretty quickly though, you could try ringing the RSPB or your local vet to see what they would suggest. sue1002

• 17/07/2012 05:43 PM

  In reply to

  courierdude Location: cambs/suffolk border Joined on: 14 Feb 2012 Posts: 216

  Reply | Contact rspb will basically tell you to leave it alone(to die!). most urgently-if you want it to feed, you need to buy a 1ml-one milliletre syringe and cut the narrow pipe end off otherwise you wont get any food through it. mind you dont push the rubber bung out into the birds throat. the only way to feed a really young bird is to force it with a 1ml syringe. on the internet you can find lots of recipes for pastes that you can feed them with, with a pigeon id say youre looking at a cornflour and egg mix. i would call a bird sanctuary or private rescue centre for advice-everyone else-the "professional bodies" will just tell you to leave it to the foxes : ( good luck energy follows thought

• 18/07/2012 12:26 PM

  In reply to

  Julie Location: London Joined on: 28 Apr 2009 Posts: 410

  Reply | Contact Thanks for the info. I have learned a lot about pigeons this week! The one pigeon who couldn't swallow I think was sick. The other pigeon I got it to the point where it would eat out of my hand (dry cat food soaked in water). I consulted the vet who said that even the healthy pigeon would never be able to "leave home" and live independently and I sure didn't want a pet pigeon even though I didn't want these to suffer so I decided to have the vet put them down. I feel bad about it but ultimately I think it was the best decision.

• 18/07/2012 06:28 PM	In reply to
  sue1002 Location: Ipswich, Suffolk Joined on: 06 Sep 2005 Posts: 9,470	Reply | Contact  Thanks for letting us know how you got on Julie.  Please don't feel bad about making the decision, you tried to help them the best you could where some other people would have just walked past and left them to die painfully. sue1002

• 20/09/2012 09:46 PM

  In reply to

  gerberavic Location: Berks Joined on: 11 Sep 2012 Posts: 14

  Reply | Contact I remember a few years ago going out into London for the day. got to covent garden, sitting down hvg drink and what do I see? a very ill looking young pidgy. it looked all fluffed up and not well at all. I'm always picking up poorly little animals and this day was no exception. ended up getting a box from meals yard and taking it to the blue cross in Victoria. so not far at all on that occasion. I know most people dislike them but they are living things and feel pain and fear! well done for trying though and at least they had a peaceful ending.

• 20/09/2012 10:12 PM

  In reply to

  Snark Location: Suffolk Joined on: 12 Jan 2011 Posts: 266

  Reply | Contact Quite a lot of pigeons and other garden birds, particularly finches, have an infection in their throats with trichomonas.(a protozoon parasite) This stops them being able to feed and is responsible for quite a lot of the sick, fluffed up but thin pigeons which you see. It tends to come and go in epidemic waves and obviously spreads readily from parents to young in species which feed their offspring by regurgitating part digested food into their mouths. It is responsible for some of the big population crashes in some species of bird.Euthanasia is usually the best option for affected birds. For the Snark was a boojum you see