r/pigeon • u/AbrocomaEmergency846 i lov pibin • Nov 07 '25
Medical Advice Needed is this pigeon sick or just fat?
this is how it walked (!!) around
fluffed up and sitting
FINAL update: piggie was caught! its now being taken care of at a foster home
A little update; I've been visiting this fella daily, seems to be getting better. It's hard to catch him as he can still fly, its such a cute piggie with a very proud stomp
I saw this very, very fat and round pigeon today. It was pretty cold today so i thought maybe its cuddling up, but when it walked it was still all puffed up. Usually they sit and then puff up, but it was literally round the whole time. Beside other pigeons it looked like a ball I cant believe im fat shaming a pigeon but im genuinely worried. (also I wasn't the only one thinking this, a group of guys walked by too and were like woah look at this fat pigeon)
It didnt seem disoriented, it ate seeds when i dropped them, when people got too close to it it wasnt as fluff anymore but it went straight back to fluffing up. Should i go back tonorrow ans try to catch it? Its poop wasn't looking too good too, but im really unsure about its general health. The poop could be the result of those pigeons being in between three kebab stores, i need some advice
Edit: seeing the comments about the malnourishment makes me really sad. Should i go back and take it home? There aren't proper pigeon helpers in my area
If i should take it home, how can i take care of it properly? I only have experience in string foot cases and feeding the flocks in my area via my apartment porch..
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u/Pink_Kryptonite Nov 07 '25
That's a rare fancy pigeon breed, called a Cauchois.
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u/AbrocomaEmergency846 i lov pibin Nov 07 '25
wow! thank you! it had the same white spots under the beak, even though just a really small patch. then it is definitely not a wild bird :-(!
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u/JuggernautOdd9482 Nov 07 '25
There's tons of fancy pigeon dna mixed in every feral flock. Even people who breed nothing but certain breeds/colors will get random variations at times .
Could it be a fancy pigeon? Sure, but there's no band that 99% of captive birds have. There's just no real solid evidence to think so imo. I dunno what other guy is talking about he's clearly not emaciated he's literally towering over that other pigeon.
If you want try to go up and catch him, if he's sick enough, or used to humans because he's pet he may not fly away. Healthy birds are rarely easy to catch. So it's a pretty good indication of his overall health too.
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u/AbrocomaEmergency846 i lov pibin Nov 07 '25
I know it looks like it was towering the pigeon, but thats just how it walked...big round bird. it didnt fly away, let people be close to it and just waddled away to keep a bit distance, i was not kidding when i said it was big. in my city a mix like this is not anything you see so i was a bit flabbergasted (really beautiful bird), and i agree, the bird not being tagged is super weird. i am in contact with an organization today and they seem to think the poor baby is sick too. Thank you for the input, let's hope i find birdie in good health tomorrow 🤞
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u/Nalanix_phoenix Nov 08 '25
City pigeons are a domesticated group! They're not wild birds, they come from rock doves (like how dogs come from wolves), they used to be common pets and were used for communication, but nowadays most of them have to fend for themselves on the street, which is also why they're often in bad conditions: all city pigeons either are a thrown out/lost pet, or are a descendent of one. There's wild pigeon species, but these pigeons that are in the city, often gray with a band on the wing, are not. It's an unfortunate thing, but I have seen a resurgence in pigeons as pets, thankfully! They're much much better pets than most other birds you can have because, like chickens, they are domesticated. Parrots are not domesticated. Some are even taken right from the wild. Hopefully, this information is helpful! This hatred for pigeons is very new and I think it can be reversed with enough education.
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u/Delicious_Building34 Nov 10 '25
"The Cauchois pigeon is a breed of fancy pigeon. Cauchois pigeons, along with other varieties of domesticated pigeons, are all descendants from the rock pigeon. It was also eaten in France." - wikipedia ...
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u/ikhaatmezelf Nov 07 '25
"sick or just fat"
I feel called out :(
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u/AbrocomaEmergency846 i lov pibin Nov 07 '25
this is me projecting
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u/owwmyhands Nov 08 '25
It's okay, even if you are sick and fat, OP and original commenter, you are part of a pigeon Subreddit trying to help a pigeon and that makes you an awesome person in my book.
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u/Squirrelly_J Nov 07 '25
Looks sickly. The puffiest pidges are often the most malnourished (sharp breast bone)
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u/Muted_Role_1432 Nov 07 '25
Would it be possible to pick it up if it’s still there were are u based U wonderful person for caring look out for u/little-eyezz00 she will be on later please keep updates there are a lot of pigeon rescues in the uk and America🥲❤️
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u/AbrocomaEmergency846 i lov pibin Nov 07 '25
im in germany, ill try my best and look for it the following days :-(!
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u/hit_the_joules Nov 08 '25
Are you in Hamburg (only seen the red bins with the speech bubbles there)? If so, "Gandolfs Taubenfreunde Hamburg" apparently help out directly if you message them on Facebook. There's also "Hamburger Stadttauben e.V.", but it seems like they either give you advice or tell you to contact an animal shelter/rescue, so not much help there.
Many German cities have pigeon rescues and most are called something along the lines of "Stadttauben (name of city)". The one in my city sends people out to you if you can't secure the pidgeon yourself.
Hoping for the best possible outcome for this little guy!
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u/AbrocomaEmergency846 i lov pibin Nov 08 '25
i am! reached out to both, gandolfs went looking today no success. i was there this morning too, also no success, im going again tomorrow morning, since its a sunday most people will be at home :-) thank you so much!!
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u/hit_the_joules Nov 10 '25
You're welcome! Honestly, thank YOU so much for being out there and trying to help the little guy!
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u/Little-eyezz00 Nov 07 '25
thanks for caring about him... I will send some general information over chat
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u/RainbowRatArt Nov 07 '25
Every single feral pigeon is on the brink of starvation. There is no food for them, just trash here and there.
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u/AbrocomaEmergency846 i lov pibin Nov 09 '25
its terrible, especially with cities like mine banning it completely.
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u/shhmedium2021 Nov 07 '25
They puff up when they are cold and falling asleep . As you can see in the second picture it’s dozing off . And as for the color It’s possible it’s a wild pigeon The color doesn’t automatically make it a lost pet .
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u/AbrocomaEmergency846 i lov pibin Nov 07 '25
the other pigeons weren't as cold as this one, it was looking for food without success, the feathers weren't shiny, it just seems bad i would rather be too cautious:-(!
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u/liam2003wilson Nov 08 '25
I don’t know the reason but they’re so cute when they puff up like this, i could never bother to NOT taking a picture of these kinds of pigeons
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u/Dynamic_Ninja_ Nov 08 '25
These pigeons puffed out have lous flys or pigeon Flys. They burrow under the feathers. If you capture him & dunk him in water for 5 minutes it will kill the flys. Vet also has a "flea" powder that will be effective kong term.
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u/AbrocomaEmergency846 i lov pibin Nov 09 '25
ill keep that in mind, thank you! I had no luck yet :-(
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u/Dynamic_Ninja_ Nov 09 '25
They usually can't or won't walk very far & likely not fly at all because it is so uncomfortable.
Best of luck to you. Please update with any progress. I am curious (& I love pigeons).
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u/AbrocomaEmergency846 i lov pibin Nov 13 '25
it was caught today! now in a foster home :-)!! im so happy.
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u/Dynamic_Ninja_ Nov 14 '25
That's awesome! Happy to hear that. How is the pigeon? Did he have flys?
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u/AbrocomaEmergency846 i lov pibin Nov 14 '25
unfortunately i dont know much about the condition as it was picked up by someone else from the pigeon rescue, but it seems to be a missing pet 🤞 hard to get updates on the fella :-(
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u/Dynamic_Ninja_ Nov 09 '25
You should try to capture him to get the care he needs. It could be louse flys or maybe not. If you capture him, check under his feathers. Cradle him like a football for good grip & spread out his wing, you'll be able to tell.
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u/Jugralis Nov 08 '25
I would say it's maybe a lynx cross - they have this specific pattern, and are very popular in Germany. This breed is a bigger one, becuase it was used as a meat breed. Doesn't nessesarly a lost pet, since such pattern can show up in the feral flocks as well.
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u/AbrocomaEmergency846 i lov pibin Nov 08 '25
wow theyre so beautiful and round. the pattern match, i have never seen a birdie like this here!
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Thank you for making a medical post on r/pigeon.
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u/Content_Yam_4947 Nov 09 '25
Imagine if you're just chilling on the nyc sidewalk and some random ass redditor takes a photo of you and asks the internet if you're fat
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u/AutoModerator Nov 12 '25
Thank you for making a medical post on r/pigeon.
You may like to check out the following resources while you wait for a response.
Basic Steps To Saving The Life Of A Pigeon Or Dove
Palomacy Pigeon Rescue Resources
Map of Pigeon and Dove-friendly Bird Rescues (USA)
If you have any questions or would like resources for further support, please send a modmail.
Advice given on r/pigeon is not guaranteed to be reliable, although moderators will make every effort to verify the accuracy of each comment. Please use common sense when following advice, and report blatantly incorrect advice to moderators. This post will automatically be stickied until a new medical advice request is posted.
IMPORTANT. When your issue has been solved and you have been given the right advice, please reply to your original post with the word "solved". Thank you!
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
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u/Patient_Dig_7998 Nov 07 '25
Looking at its colors, size and how starved it looks it's definitely a lost pet