~ •°• ~
IMMUNE BOOSTING
~ •°• ~
thank you for being here
•°•
•°•
his hospital set up
•°•
injury prevention
Even if he is not flying, the pigeon may suddenly feel better and start flying around your home. Keep him away from your pets, ceiling fan, mirrors, glass windows, and open doors. If the pigeon is stumbling, place him on a thick folded towel to protect his head in case he falls. Do not leave a stumbling pigeon alone near water.
warmth
A warm place to rest will give a pigeon more strength to heal. You can use a heat pad on "low", a microwaved sock of rice, or hot water bottle wrapped in a thick towel. Keep him at a comfortably warm temperature, and do not overheat or burn him. Your hair dryer may contain a piece called "teflon", which is toxic to birds.
emotional support
Pigeons are very social animals, so they feel happiest around other pigeons, and their immune are stronger. If a pigeon is sick, you can play cooing sounds, show him a movie, or give him a small mirror to mimic being with his flock. His eyes are on the side of his head, so place a mirror where he can see it easily.
Cricket sounds are also relaxing for all animals.
cooing noises
https://m.youtube.com/watch...
video
https://m.youtube.com/watch...
baths
It may be best to wait until the pigeon is stronger to give him a bath. He will get too cold after his bath if he is sick. You can wipe him with a damp cloth if he is dirty.
•°•
food and water
•°•
weight gain
Most rescue pigeons need help gaining weight, especially if they are healing from an illness or infection. Provide the pigeon with a regular mixed bird seed, and then add some extra foods to help him gain weight.
possible foods to add:
You can also add peanut butter to his water to help him gain weight.
leafy green vegetables
Leafy green vegetables are high in vitamins that may help the pigeon heal faster.
Yes, they will eat them!
popular greens
green drinks
carrots
Carrots can be offered in pea-sized pieces, blended into his water, or handfed using the peas and corn method.
raw garlic and raw ginger
Raw garlic and raw ginger can be offered in lentil-sized pieces, or handfed using the peas and corn method.
hand feeding
If a pigeon is not eating on his own, check his throat for canker. If it is clear, you can hand feed him using the peas and corn method.
https://www.youtube.com/watch...
https://www.pigeonrescue.org/2019...
water
For safety, always allow the pigeon to drink water on his own.
if the pigeon is too tired to drink water
You can encourage the pigeon to drink by holding the water bowl to his beak. His water bowl should be at least 2.5cm (1 inch) deep for his beak, which he uses like a straw. He may prefer to drink warm water.
In an emergency, hold the pigeon on his side, and place one drop of water at a time on the outside of his beak using a q-tip, cotton swab, or eye-dropper. You can also soak a q-tip or cotton swab in the water and ‘paint’ his beak. Always give him time to swallow the drops on his own. Also, be careful to avoid his nostrils.
•°•
garlic water
•°•
If you are waiting for a diagnosis or for medicine to arrive, garlic water is an all-purpose recipe that can help get you started.
It also may help build healthy gut bacteria that is needed after antibiotics. Healthy bacteria helps pigeons digest their food and have healthy immune systems.
Garlic water is
recipe
smaller batches
or
1/16 clove of garlic, 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar, and 250mL (1/2 pint) of water
tips
Tip: Raw garlic is most effective when it is freshly crushed, so make this recipe fresh every day, or even twice a day
Tip: A clove is one of the small pieces in a head of garlic. The head of garlic usually contains 10-12 cloves in paper wrapping.
Tip: Apple cider vinegar reacts with metal, so use ceramic, glass, or plastic (unless the dish is made from a high quality stainless steel).
read this before you go shopping
The vinegar needs to be an unpastuerized brand to work. It should say "unpastuerized" or "with the mother" on the label and there should be some sediment on the bottom of the bottle. This is what makes it good for gut bacteria.
Raw garlic is very strong on its own, so if you can not find unpastuerized apple cider vinegar or need time to go to the store, just use raw garlic.
mixing garlic water with medicinal tea
If you are mixing garlic water with a medicinal tea, first brew the tea and cover the tea while it cools, so the good oils stay in. Once the tea is cool, add garlic and unpastuerized apple cider vinegar.
read more
garlic and racing pigeons
https://www.pigeonracingpigeon.com/...
•°•
issues to look for
•°•
canker
Gently check inside the pigeon's mouth for an orange, cheesy growth called "canker". A white growth may be candida.
how to open a pigeon's beak
bugs
Bugs in a pigeon's feathers make it hard to get a good sleep. Gently run your fingers through his feathers to look for bugs. The bugs may be tiny mites, long and thin lice, or large pigeon flies. Check under his wings for lice, because they like the warm area.
Continue to check the pigeon for bugs, even if you do not see them the first time.
are bugs contagious to humans?
Feather lice and pigeon flies will stay on the pigeon, and will not affect humans. If the pigeon has a large amount of feather mites, they may wander off. Wash his bedding and put it in the dryer for at least 30 minutes. Clean surfaces with isopropyl alcohol while the pigeon is in another room so he will not breathe the alchohol in.
did the pigeon get worse after you gave him antibiotics?
An illness may be bacterial, fungal, or viral. A pigeon may have more than one type of illness at once. Treatment with antibiotics may cause fungal illnesses to worsen. If a pigeon is getting worse, then use your judgement if you should stop the medicine.
more information
common illnesses and injuries
www.pigeonrescue.sirtobyservices.com/...
poop interpretation
warning: this webpage contains autopsy photos
disease testing
http://iqbirdtesting.com (usa)
https://www.pigeontestingcentre.co.uk (uk)
•°•
thank you for being here
~ •°• ~
www.helpifoundapigeon.com