there is a hurt Pidgeon on my front porch

[AlCzervik]

i didn't it i just left it some crackers. It's belly looks a littlle torn up, maybe a cat or a raccoon got to it. Will animal control take care of this?

[madison2000]

1. probably

but there are pigeon recipes on the web if they don't :evilfrown:

[AlCzervik]

2. i don't want to send this poor thing to it's death

but i can't just leave it there, right?

[Dookus]

3. no

bring it in, if you can, put it in a showbox with a towel and call around and see if local animal control can help, or call a local vet and ask what to do.

[AlCzervik]

6. Ok, tell me if this is a myth or not before i attempt to handle it

are pidgeons disease carriers?

[Dookus]

14. every living thing is a disease carrier

just wash your hands after you touch it. Or pick it up with the towel.

[AlCzervik]

15. ok, my neighbors coming over, birdy can't fly

he can flap but no lift off.

[Dookus]

17. oh good

I know how you feel. I've tried to save a few injured birds in my time. I don't think I could kill one, either. One little guy died in my hands, though :(

But others were saved. It's always worth trying.

[AlCzervik]

19. ok, neighbor came by, he said it looks hurt but not badly

i got the towel and some gloves and out it in a big shoe box and put it my garage. I don't know what i'm going to do with it now, i'll just keep checking on him and then i'll call my vet in the morning.

[Blue-Jay]

4. If it's hurt too badly to fly, give it a quick death.

I know that sounds cruel, but it might be for the best.

PS - crackers aren't good food for birds. Don't believe "Polly".

[AlCzervik]

5. i shouldn't give it crackers cause they aren't good it but

i kill it? How about if i have od on saltines?

[newsguyatl]

8. LMAO

that's the funniest post i think i've ever read on du.

[Name removed]

16. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Blue-Jay]

22. Aw, man.

[Blue-Jay]

11. I'm very sorry, but

if the poor bird is torn up as you described, I doubt that a vet or any amount of TLC will help. It's a tough decision that you'll need to make. I love animals more than I like most people, but there's no sense in prolonging its agony.

Again - use your judgement.

[AlCzervik]

13. my neighbor hunts, maybe he could look at it

and then if need be end it's suffering. I'll ask him.

[11 Bravo]

7. This may sound harsh, but ...

if the animal is badly injured, the humane thing to do would be to quickly and cleanly snap its neck. If it is not badly hurt, the local ASPCA or Animal Control Agency should be called; but whatever you do, please do it right now.

[AlCzervik]

9. i dont how bad it's hurt, it was waddling around

and has made no attempt at all to leave the porch and when i approch it just looks at me. There is no way i can kill it, i just can't.

[11 Bravo]

20. I respect that.

If it is moving around, it may just have a broken wing. Depending on the severity of the break, that may be fixable. I wish I could be there. If the bird needed to be put down, I wouldn't enjoy it, but I would do it as quickly and painlessly as possible.

[jody]

10. If it's Walter Pidgeon, take him inside and give him a warm toddy! n/t

[AlCzervik]

12. oh god, i already started calling it Walter.

[MisterP]

18. just take it to a vet; do you have a kitty carrier or something

don't break any part of it

[1monster]

21. There are at least three different wild animal rescue services in our

relatively small area of the country. Most are specially set up to help injured bird as well as mammals. Call animal control or your vet and ask if they know of any in your area.

[AlCzervik]

23. i just called animal control, or i should say him

he's away for the weekend claims his answering machine, i'll call my own vet in the morning but i the mean time while he resting in his shoe box should i be feeding it something?

[MisterP]

24. do you have wild-bird birdseed? also have some water in the box

that's SOP at the wildlife shelter I volunteer at

[AlCzervik]

25. no birdseed at all, i have some guinea pig chow and fruit

[MisterP]

27. try the fruit first; I'm uncertain as to the guinea pig food

rinded fruits may be toxic (like papaya)

[AlCzervik]

28. i'll try some orange but i'll take the rind off.

if you would have me 10 years ago if i'd ever take in a hurt pidgeon i would have laughed.

[Wcross]

26. Give it a CAT scan!! STAT!

Let your cat out to sniff it over.

[Lisa]

29. is the wound still bleeding?

If the bleeding's stopped and the bird is looking reasonably alert (not drooping or huddled up) that's a good sign. Don't worry if it isn't eating -- you can supply water, but an adult bird won't be too much inconvenienced if it goes overnight without eating. Shelter from extreme temperatures, and quiet surroundings, are more important for now.

It's been awhile since I helped out at the veterinary hospital's wildlife clinic in my old town, but I'll try to remember the time our avian specialist talked me through an "arrival exam".

--pick up the bird using an old towel. (Gloves are handy, especially if you have a disposable pair, but a towel can be wrapped around the bird so it doesn't flap and injure itself further.) Covering a bird's eyes can be a big help in calming it down.

--we would do a thorough initial exam at the start. It actually stresses the bird less than a bunch of shorter repeat handlings.

--handling a bird that might be ill is actually safer than handling a sick mammal -- yes, there are some risks, but not as severe as hantavirus or especially rabies. (All the people handling mammals had to have preventative shots -- the avian team didn't.) Some of my co-workers did get grossed out when fleas or other parasites crawled onto them, but unless the bird has a huge parasite load, you might not see anything at all. If you're really worried, use disposable gloves and a breathing mask (or a kerchief tied over your mouth and nose) -- but I worked at that place for 2 years, saw everything from pigeons and gulls to eagles, and nothing serious happened to me or my colleagues. (Well, I got my hand scratched by a ferruginous hawk, but that was about it.)

--start at the bird's head and gently work your way down. Its eyes should be bright and clear. Look for obvious open wounds, feel for broken bones, and note any unusual amounts of dirt, discoloration, etc. If you're seeing a lot of parasites, the bird may have been unwell for some time. Discharge around the beak and eyes could also be an indication of illness. Look inside the bird's mouth, to check for blood, or signs of infection or fungus. Wooziness and blood around the beak might result if it hit a window hard and sustained brain damage. (I found a beautiful rose-breasted grosbeak with this once ... usually this is fatal.) Stains around the vent could mean digestive upset or pesticide poisoning.

--one thing I've found helpful is to feel the bird's breastbone. A sharp, unpadded breastbone can indicate that it hasn't been getting enough food. (Sometimes birds can get so weak in the winter that they just can't fly. This would happen quite a bit to juvenile birds of prey around this time of year.) Also feel the crop -- sharp objects or hard masses could indicate it's eaten a foreign object or the food's become impacted in there.

--extremities -- look for damage to the feet (frostbite, infection, etc.) -- and feel the wingbones. Fractures are usually pretty obvious. If they're in the bones above the "elbow", this will probably need professional attention (the muscles pull fractured bones out of alignment). Fractions in the radius/ulna area below the elbow can sometimes be splinted by amateurs at home. The vet told me that minor damage to the "fingerbones" (below the bird's "wrist") may heal up on their own, without splinting -- and that a bird might be able to fly away after a couple of days of recuperation. Bird bones take a shorter time to heal up than ours do (they are lighter and have a faster metabolism).


Good luck to you and "Walter"! Droopy birds can sometimes revive if they are kept warm (e.g. with a heatlamp) and quiet, overnight. The good thing about birds is -- they tend not to linger, and generally pass away quietly within 48 hours if the situation is beyond remedy.

p.s. this page is for baby pigeons, but does give some tips for feeding sick adults.

http://members.aol.com/duiven/medical/feedbaby.htm