Help! Two days ago I found a baby pigeon in the park near my house who strangely wasn't moving. I noticed that he could not walk at all. I brought him home and put him in an animal travel carrier lined with newspaper/papertowel and provided him with some wild bird seed and water. According to other pigeon resources I have viewed, he seems to be about 26-28 days old. He looks like a normal pigeon, only he is much smaller, has a beak which is mostly pink (the tip is black) and he is missing some feathers under his wings. I noticed that his wings work fine, he can flap them and he uses them to move around on the floor like crutches, and he seems fairly healthy and alert other than the fact that his legs don't seem to be in use at all (he won't stand on them). They do not appear broken or harmed, and he can move them and feel them, yet he does not want to stand on them at all. I have noticed also that his left foot is used more than his right foot, so maybe he fell too early from the nest and broke his right foot, or maybe he has weak leg syndrome due to insufficient immune responses. His feces also looked dehydrated and a bit green so I gave him some water through a straw as he did not want to drink from the water bowl. He drinks a lot of water and eats well.He also seems to have some food in his crop. I am wondering if maybe he fell from the nest early and broke a bone, is ill, or is simply still learning to walk. He seems alert and friendly and I plan to take him to the Wild Bird Fund in NYC on Wednesday. Any helpful information in the mean time would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Lian
Tue Apr 17, 2012 3:35 pm