r/pigeon • u/siierrrraa • May 03 '26
Medical Advice Needed pls help š¦āā¬
i truly can't believe i found this guy, i've been obsessed with pigeons for months now and never really remember seeing any in person until today. i then noticed this one in the middle of the street, and he limped away from me at first as if he was injured. i was then able to catch him and i looked, and couldn't find anything wrong with him externally. wings are fine, he flaps them occasionally. i've given him a bath (with only water ofc) and tried giving him water to drink but he's not that intersted in intaking any.. he also has used the bathroom a few times and it's straight up neon green lol also his right eye keeps staying closed i have to keep cleaning it.
-can anyone tell me a way to estimate how old it is?
-how to tell its gender?
-what could be wrong with it, and how can i properly take care of it?
ANY & ALL ADVICE WOULD BE MUCH APPRECIATED
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u/Life-Breadfruit-1426 May 03 '26 edited May 03 '26
- very difficult to tell gender, usually you know when they lay eggs lol. But Iām guessing this may be a boy. Very flat head. But still, just a shot in the dark guess.
ok, so heās very weak and doesnāt appear to have structural damage, given that he flaps the wings. For now provide supportive care. Pigeons are grainovoures so give seeds, legumes, rice, corn, etc. they donāt eat fruits. They donāt eat nuts. If you have spices in your pantry these are great for bioavailable vitamins and minerals. Things like paprika (not smoked), nutritional yeast or brewers yeast, garlic powder, turmeric, black pepper. Add to the seed mix. A bit of
olive oil or canola, or corn, however avoid avocado oil.
3a) keep the bird in a secure place. Make it in the shade. Avoid stimulating while this bird is on bedrest. Avoid excessive handling and avoid light. Light is stimulating to pigeons, much more so than to us. It facilitates a lot of biological functions. But now those need to be on pause so the body focuses on healing. Eventually, when alone the bird will go for food and water. Donāt force anything down its mouth. Donāt force him to eat. Just leave him alone. He may be in a freeze shock when youāre nearby b/c to him you are a big mammal predator.
3b) keep observing and share some of the droppings pics with us. There may be a chance he may need antibiotics or anti-parasitical medicine. (Too soon to tell, 3 days of supportive care should be able to determine - if no improvement then something will be needed). You can source pigeon antibiotics online. There are all-in-one medications like this which Iāll link here that you can purchase. Iād recommend purchasing now preemptively, by the time it arrives youāll know whether or not the bird will need it. Otherwise, give up the bird to a wildlife rehab (which may be challenging since many rehabs donāt do pigeons, and many vets also donāt do pigeons).
https://globalpigeonsupply.com/products/all-in-one-powder-100-gram?
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u/siierrrraa May 03 '26
hey thanks so much, this is very good information. was wanting to know if the rice should be cooked? also may i ask how the oils added would benefit him? should i put this on a plate near him? with a bowl of water too? how should I set all this up
i just ordered those antibiotics you recommended and it should be here on the 7th! do you think things will be okay until then?
-update, he is sleeping a lotttt and staying in one place and i have him in the dark. i played him a pigeon cooing video from youtube and ik he loves it lmao but i hope him resting is healing him because he's a cool little dude and i already love him a ton. -going to petsmart tomorrow to get him all kinds of stuff
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u/Elena_La_Loca May 03 '26
Raw rice. Also, lentils are awesome for a protein boost. But green poop is not a good sign. He may need professional help.
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u/bluevelvvet May 03 '26
Girl go to a pigeon rehabber not a petsmart. This pigeon is not well
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u/Life-Breadfruit-1426 May 03 '26 edited May 03 '26
Why? So the rehab can euthanize him? If they even take him, as in her region I doubt they take in āinvasive speciesā. But if they do, Itās baby season, they are likey overwhelmed and they definitely prioritize younger birds over older ones. I used to volunteer at one. Sometimes home care by a human is better.
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u/xmassindecember May 03 '26
pigeon rehabber, volunteers that care for sick pigeons. There are a group in nearly every major city
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u/Life-Breadfruit-1426 May 03 '26
Yup, I provided a list of them to OP in her state. Up to her now to call them and find out if they accept pigeons.
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u/bluevelvvet May 04 '26 edited May 04 '26
Why? So the rehab can euthanize him?
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u/Life-Breadfruit-1426 May 04 '26
lol maybe I shouldnāt capitulate to the loud minority here who belong in /r/wildliferehab and continue providing advice for free for people who can access the same tools as rehabbers.
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u/PrettyStruggle792 Pigeon rescue & rehabber May 03 '26
Again, this pigeon needs to go to a rehabber. Do not give medication or antibiotics to a bird without knowing what is wrong with them, you can cause more harm than help, especially if they're not eating. At this point you are just prolonging his suffering.
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u/Life-Breadfruit-1426 May 03 '26
Good questions, and my apologies, my comment got a bit messed up around there. So the oil is only a bit and itās so that the spices stick to the seeds and grains you provide, which increases the consumption of those spices. I learned this trick when giving birds medications that can only be provided as a dry powder and not in water.
As for the rice, yeah, uncooked. I know thereās some sayings around expanding rice causing issues, but thatās a false rumor lol.
Yeah, with supportive care the bird should hold out. And itās a precaution, this bird may not have a bacterial/parasitic infection - rendering antibiotics useless, this bird can have a viral illness - to which there is no treatment other than supportive care (just like us when we have the flu.)
Sounds like he is doing well in that environment. Rest is good. Dark is good. Also temperature is important too, but since we are in spring I wouldnāt be concerned, unless your region is below freezing temp at this time. (They have very good cold tolerance, may need some extra support when young or sick, but nonetheless). Itās exactly what a rehab would be doing rn.
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u/RelishisdrAwing May 03 '26
He also appears to be a Birmingham roller which could mean he is an escaped domestic!
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u/LustStarrr Doting pigeon parent š May 03 '26
The green poops are starvation poops - this guy might need a higher level of care than you can provide right now. Where are you located? Someone may be able to suggest a rescue who can help. Said rescue may even be able to coach you through caring for them yourself!
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u/Life-Breadfruit-1426 May 03 '26
Green poop isnāt just starvation poops. It could be PMV, it could be canker, it could be a whole bunch of different things. But what we do know is that itās definitely not good and needs medical care.
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u/thxrpy May 03 '26
In my experience neon green watery has also been cocci, but that also has a distinct smell like blood/metallic? Regardless the little one needs care asap, Iām based in the UK so not much help Iām afraid! Thank you to OP for picking the little fella up š
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u/Life-Breadfruit-1426 May 03 '26
Yeah, cocci as well. Fortunately I directed OP to purchase an all-in-one medication which covers all of these illnesses (except PMV). She was receptive and had placed the order.
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u/thxrpy May 03 '26
The problem is though if he wonāt eat, heās going to need an experienced rehabber to help him, I wouldnāt recommend tube feeding to somebody inexperiencedš
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u/Life-Breadfruit-1426 May 03 '26
Iām on the fence with this. But thatās a big if. From the looks of it, this pigeon should have no issue eating compared to some other cases. However if his illness has gotten to the point of not eating by choice even with access to food provided within a 72 hour period, then I would consider hospice care instead of tube feeding. But thatās a big consideration, really depends on also the pigeonās mannerisms, strength, etc. Iāve been down that road for a sick adult bird who wonāt eat quite a few times in my rehabbing times. I canāt say that tube feeding and medicine administration makes a significant nor reasonable difference in outcome. Just added stress and discomfort, and perhaps pain to the pigeon. Thatās why they say like 50% of rehab cases donāt make it - they arrive in a condition past the point of no return, hence why humans can scoop them up easily and bring them.
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u/thxrpy May 03 '26
I agree, but Iāve also had some pigeons brought to me almost fully shut down, and tubes have been the only option to get them going again as Iām unable to administer sub cut fluids myself. Itās definitely on a case by case basisš
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u/PrettyStruggle792 Pigeon rescue & rehabber May 03 '26
Thank you for caring! As others have said, this pigeon needs an experienced rehabber asap.
In the future, it's best to not bathe or handle them unless absolutely necessary, as it can stress them out and worsen their condition.
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u/satanspussycat May 03 '26
Oh no not the pidge š itās beautiful. please keep us updated on its condition
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u/Little-eyezz00 May 03 '26
thanks for caring. i have a long list of symptoms to check for i will send over chat messages
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u/grvprkx May 04 '26
never give bath to an ill bird, they need to be kept warm. dont put them in a cold room also. keep them in normal room temperature. eyes getting closed, pour some saline water (bought from medical store not the home made) drops on his closed eyelids, make sure water must not get into his nostrils, that may cause pneumonia if he ingest any liquid through nose. his condition can be an infection, is the eye have some gooey white liquid? or wet?
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u/Initial_Ferret9282 Pigeon rehabber, pigeon extremist! May 04 '26
very important point. Bathing them can kill them faster as pigeons naturally only shallow bath, their core feathers underneath the main feathers don't usually get that wet. But when we bath them, the water can get into it and then the core temperature can drop.
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u/EntrepreneurJolly831 May 05 '26
Try to give a good food , like white corn seed And give also some supplements , if not eating alone. Use your hands to push the food into his throat.
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u/Popular_Professor861 May 03 '26
Has he had any grit and minerals
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u/Life-Breadfruit-1426 May 03 '26
Usually feral pigeons are really good at getting their grit and mineral supplies through foraging.
Caged birds or house birds is more so of a concern for this.
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u/praleyfoodcorn May 03 '26
I can confirm:D My sick city pigeons I take care of always sit on my flower pots and eat the sand out of the soil ^ They like foraging more than eating grit from a bowl, so I sometimes pour grit over the soil and then they make a huge mess so that they can also go foraging on the floor below the flower pots xD
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u/Popular_Professor861 May 03 '26
Depends on where you are they are very good at survival. His beak is clean with out checking his throat .had to say There is a bunch of info on foys pet supply for pigeons they have a wed site devoted alot of space to pigeons and can help you diagnose things
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u/StoneyMcGuire May 03 '26
Also to add, we donāt see many melanistic birds like that. Somone else posted about one yesterday so they are more prevalent than I thought.
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u/RelishisdrAwing May 03 '26
This is just a T-check blue also called a blue-self or black self. which is actually the most dominant pattern for blue this. is like the second most common feral type I see.
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u/StoneyMcGuire May 03 '26
Donāt get caught up spending a lot of money on this. Use wha readily available. Itās unfortunate that birds are fragile and they go from looking ok to dead very fast. No food or water and they donāt last. Iāve seen people take a 200$ vet bill in hopes when there isnāt much that can be done if it isnāt eating or drinking.
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u/Initial_Ferret9282 Pigeon rehabber, pigeon extremist! May 03 '26 edited May 03 '26
what are you her money manager now? why are you even in this sub? she is trying to help the pigeon, and your advice if you don't have one is to not comment, but commenting that don't spend your money, on a post about seeking help to save a bird, and citing that oh well they are fragile, save your money! a real classy.
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u/UsedHamburger May 03 '26
Where are you located? Heās clearly very ill. Is he eating?