Help. Got a pigeon while undulating my hips for a man

[Tinoire]

So there I am at work. Cute Leftist in high heels, a skirt, and well you know, tight shirt...

Out for a lunch walk with my girlfriend... and I see a G-D hawk pounding on the chest of a poor pigeon, pretending to be giving it CPR with it's claws but breaking that illusion by GOUGING & PECKING the poor pigeon's heart breast. So losing sandals, I run to it, calculatingy grabbing a big stick on the way, and beat that effing hawk off the poor pigeon's chest.

Sandals & hairpins flyine everywhere but to make a long story short, what the hell do I do? I am STUCK with a poor pigeon whose chest is ok... a little red but ok. I stuck her (name is now Maxine) in a dog crate in the kitchen. Cleansed her breast with Oxygen Peroxide. Fed HER organic nut bread and apples and now am kind of lost until I can, in what? 2 weeks maybe, take her back to the area I found her.

Help. No animal agency will help because she's only a Pigeon (ok, HE, if that will help with the male vote ;) )

Any help from this point on would be MUCH appreciated!

[kanrok]

1. I'm sorry, I lost you after "tight shirt"

[Tinoire]

5. Not to worry. You're not the first one who couldn't keep up with me

or any other woman honest enough to put it that way.

[Womblestuffer]

27. should have let the hawk finish its meal,

It's not pleasant but I understand how you feel.

[gmoney]

2. Next time let the hawk win...

Predators are endangered... pigeons are essentially vermin.

Set the pigeon loose... it will be fine. They're damn near indestructible, and if you keep it around, you'll just catch some nasty disease from breathing near its droppings or from its parasites.

[Tinoire]

9. Damn. I thought of that AFTERWARDS

I just felt so sorry for her as I saw her (could be a he but...) being attacked like that that I couldn't walk by. It was a painful sight seeing that whatever pecking at her chest with small feathers flying everywhere. And her, resigned to fate, harly moving until I grabbed that stick.

I let her go once after rescuing her after the first time I interrupted the "meal" but that hawk(?) swooped right back down after the initial interruption, picked her up in his claws and went at it again about 20 ft later. It was TOO much to watch so we scared him off again and I put her in a box (she waited calmly for me to run about 10 minutes away go get a box to save her while my friend remained behind to guard against that other "bird") and brought her home so that no other vulture would attack her.

That was the heartfelt reasoning.

Now back to the parasites and I mean SERIOUSLY because I have a dog and 3 cats living here too! Are you effing serious that I have to really worry about that?

[regnaD kciN]

38. Good for you!

Nothing wrong with "interfering with nature" at times. After all, "letting nature take its course" is the mantra of Social Darwinists who argue that poverty, homelessness, etc. is merely "nature's way of weeding out the incompetent and improving the species." :grr:

You have a good heart beneath that tight shirt. ;-)

[Rabrrrrrr]

86. Yes!! Worry about bugs and icky things on the pigeon

It's a city bird, and filled with crap you don't want.

throw the thing outside, and don't touch it.

Seriously. They really aren't all that healthy to have around.

[Rabrrrrrr]

87. Oh, and next time, let the hawk have its dinner

It might look mean and nasty, but that's the only way hawks know how to eat.

No different than if someone ran up to when you were eating and hauled your lunch pail from you and said "No! No!" :-)

[Tinoire]

92. I know but it was too cruel to watch, My heart bested my reason. n/t

[Ladyhawk]

33. Pigeons can carry psittacosis, also known as chlamydiosis.

[Tinoire]

44. Thanks LH

You are sucjh a wealth of knowledge that way :) The things I've learned from you! Will google that immediately. Thanks

[absyntheNsugar]

89. YES!!!!

Hawks need to eat too. You will not make them into vegetarians.

And like gmoney said, hawks are endangered, not pigeons.

[DuctapeFatwa]

3. Take her to the vet. Now if you can.

She might have internal injuries.

[Tinoire]

4. DTF- I immediately called the Humane Society, SPCA, WildLife orgs

but nobody seems to care about pigeons... not even in California :(

[DuctapeFatwa]

8. I mean take her to a regular vet, if you can get the money to pay one

They will treat anything if it has a pet human with money

[Tinoire]

11. Sigh DTF

:( No money. Have spent too much time at DU trying to make a difference to make much of a dime.

[DuctapeFatwa]

16. Is there anyone you can call who might lend or donate to a good cause?

IF not, google, see if you can find anything about pigeon injuries.

[DuctapeFatwa]

18. Here's a link.

http://homepages.nildram.co.uk/~picas/pigrec/#INJURIES/SHOCK

[DuctapeFatwa]

22. here's another one

http://www.washingtonrollers.org/Lost_and_Found.html

[DuctapeFatwa]

23. in the morning, call pet stores. see if they know somebody. call PETA

they probably know lots of people.

[Tinoire]

45. Cool. Thanks! n/t

[Womblestuffer]

28. It'll be dead in the morning

sorry

[WillParkinson]

46. Not necessarily true...

I've cared for pigeons before. They are rather hearty. How do you think they survive on scraps?

[Tinoire]

47. Hmmmmmmm 6:05 AM... And it's looking real chipper!

Must be a tough Leftist with a refusal to be defeated ;) Thanks for the "compassionate" thoughts

[Womblestuffer]

77. hows it doing now?

Usually they go into shock and die, I was not trying to be mean nor cruel.

[4morewars]

6. Hawks have to eat too

You probably should have let it be.
But since you have a pigeon to care for now, wild bird seed, the kind one puts in a bird feeder, would probably be much appreciated. I know the mourning doves love it at my feeder, and they are like pigeons. It is available in most grocery stores,and has a variety of seeds, cracked corn, etc in it.
Well, good luck !!!

[Tinoire]

13. Thanks!

I thought the same thing afterwards. Thought I should have just let it be, that you can't reorder the way the world is and should have just let nature take its course. But you know, it's that soft Leftist heart ;)

Thank you for the advice on the food. My neighbor raises turtle-doves so I will go smile & charm for a little food for my poor pigeon.

Thanks a million.

[4morewars]

21. I'll bet you neighbor can help you

Turtle doves are in the same family as pigeons, and he already likes critters, so I'm sure he will help !!
I know WHY you saved the bird, and i know it can be hard not to interfere with nature, we live and we learn !!!

[Tinoire]

48. Thanks 4morewars . He gave me some food and hints last night.

Thanks for understanding.

[Forkboy]

7. I'd eat it

we're really broke :)

And your subject line is waaaaay too funny for this story :spank:

[Tinoire]

15. Very bad Leftist humor. Only calculated to attract as much "help"

as possible in a corrput Leftist forum.

I LOVE you guys but after 3 years here, I finally caught on to the fact that if there's no suggestion of sex in the title, nobody comes to help in the Lougne ;) And you must admit that from me, a woman who RARELY ever posts here and NEVER talks about Sex at DU that it had its effect.

I mean.... you showed up & you have been well aware for a while that if you weren't married, I would have intellectually & emotionally conquered you with my heart and wit long ago ;)

[Forkboy]

19. well ya got me there

you most certainly would have.Of that there is no doubt :)

hmmmm,I've never been conquered before.I'm not sure I want to know where you'd plant the flag :D

[Tinoire]

49. ;)

:evilgrin:

On edit: This is so much more pleasant than I/P or GD 2004!

[daveskilt]

10. pigeons = flying rats. back on the farm we used to shoot em

they kill crops, eat the chicken feed (which costs more than well chicken feed should) and crap on everything. Do you have a cat?

[Tinoire]

17. Sigh... I have 4 cats... That's why I put the poor pigeon in a cage

otherwise I would have tied a string around its ankle and kept it in the garden until it heale.

Yes. I am cursed with cats.

;)

[Ladyhawk]

34. Although it's best to let nature take its course, give the lady a break.

Pigeons have their place, too. I like most animals, including snakes, rats, mice, etc. It's weird that I have to feed mice to the snakes...but snakes have to eat, too.

[Tinoire]

50. Thanks LH

I used to have 5 snakes in TX- 3 gardens, 1 boa and 1 copperhead (gift from a WICKED young soldier) and had to feed them mice & fish.

I understand the laws of nature and can respect them- just don't like them much.

Peace & thanks

[Ready4Change]

12. Well...

I nursed a lost pet fancy pigeon back to health once. Got a few suggestions for you there. But also can't help but comment that, by saving one bird (the pigeoon) you might have killed another. (The Hawk.) Hawks don't eat french fries. They eat other birds. That's how they are designed by nature, so if you don't like it, take it up with the Head Lady.

Nuff of that. Sorry.

For the Pigeon, first worry is shock. Natures attempt at gentleness is for prey to shut down and die fast when taken down. Keep the pigeon warm in a quiet, dimly lit area. A box is good at first. If it doesn't make it past shock try not to feel too bad. You did try, and Nature provided the bird the merciful exit from it's trauma.

Pigeons are tough though. If/When it starts moving and making noise it's time to worry about 3 things. Water, food and infection. In a pinch a shallow, flat bowl or dish can provide water. Again in a pinch basic bird seed can be food. If you have a pet carrier for a cat or small dog then move the pigeon into that for better ventilation. Still keep it warm and it's room quiet, however.

For infection I'm not too knowledgable. Find a pet shop that specializes in birds. They might have an ointment that can help fight infection, yet not be harmful when the pigeon preens its feathers.

While you're at that store, see if they have any foods better than bird seed for pigeons.

Good luck. Wild pigeons really are tough birds. Odds are it'll be ready to be released in no time.

[Ladyhawk]

36. If the hawk was really hungry, it might have been very affected by this.

It takes a lot of energy to hunt other creatures. Autumn and winter are very hard on young Cooper's hawks learning to hunt for themselves. One year an aviculturist friend of mine found two young hawks clinging to her aviary, staring in at cockatoo snacks. The hawks were on the verge of starvation, so she (illegally, I might add) took them in and fed them until they were plump enough to make another go at it.

The Cooper's hawk I rescued was very young and thin, also. It was probably scavenging on the road when it was struck by the car.

Again, I understand the sentiment. I have twelve snakes and they don't eat french fries, either. Most of them will accept frozen / thawed mice, but one stubborn kingsnake will only take live ones.

[Tinoire]

43. Sad lol.. Not to worry. I thought about the same thing too

As if I had "interfered" but I just couldn't watch that and felt so sorry for it. Thanks!

[Ready4Change]

66. No problem.

:)

I definitely understand the sentiment, and I've acted on both sides of this fence in the past. (Cats and wild mice, a wild snake and frog, hawks and the chipmonks in my backyard...)

In your spot I might have done the same. It's hard to say.

Glad to hear it's up and about this morning.

[maggrwaggr]

14. all I want to know ....

is where in the hell were you taking a lunch break where such a drama could have ensued?

[Tinoire]

51. It happened in a parking lot... California of course but a parking lot

in Sunnyvale. I work in the eye of the storm of the "technological revolution" where a bunch of nouveaux rich have created a playground.
Hawks, pigeons, ducks and herons thrive here.

[cally]

20. What? You are saving Pigeons now?

:shrug: I have no idea how to help. But, a pigeon?

Good luck. Sometimes a soft heart is not always a good thing. :hug:

[Tinoire]

52. I know my friend... It kind of dawned on me

as I was phoning all the animal help organizations. No one cared about pigeons or reptiles.

Very sad indeed. Why is a pigeon less worthy of life than a horse?

Color me Leftist like you ;)

And also color me telling that heart to stop being such a hindrance...

[MisterP]

24. what city are you in?

[Tinoire]

53. N Cal. Countryside next to Industrial city Sunnyvale.

NO one seems to care about a damned pigeon. Seems you're not worthy of life if your feathers aren't exotic.

[Ready4Change]

67. Yah, isn't that strange?

I encountered the same lack of concern with the fancy pigeon I rescued long ago. It was a really pretty bird, with the odd trait of having really long feathers on its FEET. 4-5 inch long feathers. Clearly not meant to survive in the wild.

Perhaps the "pigeon folk" around here are harsher than most, but they seemed to be of the mind set that if the bird got loose and didn't return it wasn't worth keeping at all. They just couldn't be bothered. I was beginning to think I was going to need to get a real cage so as to take permament care of it when I encountered a pet store worker who actually LIKED her pigeons. She was happy to take it, and was just cooing over what a pretty bird it was.

[spooky3]

25. awww you softy! good for you. If there is a university vet hospital near

you, you can call them. Ohio State vet hospital used to help people who found injured wildlife.

[Tinoire]

54. Thanks. Will call Stanford in the AM n/t

[dweller]

26. Water....give it lots of water.

helps with the healing, keeping fluids abundant if it's losing them etc.

and i need a drink now.
whew.

:)
give it seed and let it go as soon as possible, she will fare better outside, even against the predators.
good luck with your pigeon Tinoire, don't get attached.

dp

[Tinoire]

55. Thanks Dweller

Have no fear... My cats will not allow me to get too attached to that poor bird. I'll release her as soon as I can. Plan on taking her back to her area in about 2 days. Just wanting the chest to heal a little bit... What an absolutely worthless thing to do I think. Just couldn't witness that attack without doing anything :shrug:

[dweller]

88. Absolutely worthless? not

lot's of heart, absolutely!

but then we knew that.
:)

dp

[shugah]

29. let nature follow it's course

i understand your sympathy for the pigeon. but the hawk was doing what it does, as defined by nature and the need of species to survive. pigeons do the same- but it's likely a lot easier for them. they only need to find places that humans hang out and "feed the birds, tuppence a bag." (did you know that the selling of bird food - a.k.a. pigeon food - was recently banned in trafalgar square?)

if there is a dem/repuke left/right analogy here, it is something like: a pigeon getting et in an urban setting by a hawk is a remarkable thing. who knew there were hawks left in the concrete jungle? pigeons, sure! we see them all the time, and all over the place. and they tend to leave a trail of shit. what do pigeons actually do? i know what hawks do. they are predators. they fly high, and with supurb eyesight, manage to eek out a subsistance by diving, and sometimes catching in their powerful talons, a morsel of food (i didn't know that hawks eat pigeons. i think we should check our new "trickle down" economic policy to see how hawks are affected ;-) )

hawks: lefties and dems that do what it takes to survive.
pigeons: repugs, living quite contentedly in public squares, feeding off the goodwill of those that care enough to spread good eats on the street. and the pigeons poisen us.

anyway! take your pigeon to a vet. thank you for saving this hopeless creature! (i might have too.) but, try to consider the natural order of things, and remember that the world we are living in at the moment is not a natural order of things. if it were, Al Gore would be the whitehouse resident.

and hawks would have a place to live and hunt besides the cities that were once their hunting grounds.

[Ladyhawk]

35. Actually, peregrines do quite nicely in eastern cities.

Tinoire, I'm guessing the hawk you dealt with was a Cooper's hawk. They're bird specialists. I rescued a Cooper's hawk with a broken wing once. It had been struck by a car.

[Tinoire]

56. You are kidding me!

Sigh... That was one of my favorite places as a young child! Have pictures of myself covered with pigeons and loving it.

Nice post. ALL of those things crossed me mind as I was rescuing this silly thing ;) Even thought of naming it all but my friends preferred "Maxine"; please don't ask me why. They're dems but told me that Maxinne was better than Gorette. I caved in. 7 against 1 and a boss among the 7 ;)

[proud patriot]

30. Up here in my area They have a Wildlife rescue Place

Called The Alexander Lindsey Museum ..
They helped me out with and injured pigeon
years ago .

They have got to have something like that
down there .. I can call the Museum tomorrow
for you they may know ..

I'm going to see if I can find any info out for
you tonight though ..

[proud patriot]

31. Aha ...Here you go Tinoire

Wildlife Hospital Hours
The wildlife hospital is open seven days a week, including holidays, to receive injured or orphaned animals.

September through March: 9 AM to 5 PM
April through August: 9 AM to 8 PM
There is no charge for treatment of native wild animals.

http://www.wildlife-museum.org/

This site has wildlife rescue in all states
http://www.livingwithwildlife.com/hospital.html

Here's a list of California's Wildlife Rehabilitation and
rescue
http://www.livingwithwildlife.com/hospital.html#California

and this
Injured & Orphaned Wildlife
P.O. Box 6793
San Jose, CA 95150
[phone]
[phone]
http://www.ccwr.org/region3.html

[Tinoire]

57. Awesome! Will call in the AM but I must warn you

that I called about 10 places and this might have been one of them (not sure from here). No one seemed really interested in pigeons. Animal Rescue was willing to come pick it up but only to take her to the Humane Society which would't guarantee that they would try to save her.

You know me... refused to fork the bird over unless they clarified "how" they were going to do/

It is really an absolute pain to care so much. And for a common bird... an ordinary dime-a-dozen pigeon.

Thanks so much. Will try them this morning...

But you will be HAPPY to know that it's almost 7AM and my bird is fidgetty, hopping around and wanting OUT of her dog cage! (((Good!)))

[Ladyhawk]

32. Why does this post make me hungry?

}(

Normally, it's best to let nature take its course. You should only interfere if an animal has been hurt by human activities. That said, I understand how the protective part of human nature can sometimes take over.

I've rescued quite a few animals, but each time I did so, humans were to blame for the animal's predicament: hit-by-car hawk, skunk with jar on its head, snakes in the road, etc.

Having grown up in a rural area, I've witnessed all kinds of predation and never felt the need to interfere; however, something I saw on a documentary would have made me break the rule of non-interference. An adult sea lion being pursued by a pod of orcas was frantically trying to jump into a research vessel. To me, this seemed like a cry for help. Instead of moving out of the way to let nature take its course--as the researchers did--I probably would have found some way to help the sea lion. Bad science, maybe, but if someone or something asks for help, I have a hard time saying no.

[Tinoire]

58. Likewise LH... My beloved Leftist father was a highly skilled bird hunter

in his youth but I am so unable, like you, to not interfere even though I KNOW it's bad science.

[FlaGranny]

65. I rescued a bird once myself.

It had fallen into my horses' water and nearly drowned. When I saw it, it was still flopping feebly. I picked it up and turned it upside down and squeezed it gently, in a sort of artificial respiration. The water that came out of that little bird was amazing. After about 5 or 10 minutes, he came to, and started to get a bit feisty, so I put him down and he flew away. I hope he survived.

I probably would not have interfered with the hawk's meal though, but I can understand why the original poster did. I once had Oscars (a fish) that only eat other fish and they have to be alive. I really loved those Oscars, but I hated feeding them live fish.

[Tinoire]

75. There's just something about helping the helpless. Thanks for that story

I know what you mean about the fish///

[Shanty Oilish]

37. Well, of course you will suffer punishment for the good deed...

...but take comfort in knowing that, if the pigeon should borrow your car and not return it, steal your lover, ruin your credit and sue you for his share of your house, you can kill him and eat him.

[Tinoire]

59. Hahah. Lol. Love it. Thanks Caroline. That was funny!

Myabe I should name it after my ex :evilgrin:

[VOX]

39. Winner of the Best Subject Line for a Post- Ever Award!

You've already gotten some terrific advice here. Keep him/her warm at night (maybe an old flannel top, etc. wrapped loosely around the crate. Water, seed, etc.

You'll know when it's time to take it out to be free again.

Best to you -- :hug:

[Tinoire]

60. Thanks for the good wishes Rezmutt

I put the dog crate in the kitchen last night and wish I'd thought about the blanket but she's still doing great (thank God). I am now beginning to wonder about how normal my cats are. They are totally ignoring her- a good thing but strange I think...

[Loonman]

40. You've done it now.........interfering with the circle of life!

Now that hawk went home hungry. In winter.

[Tinoire]

61. I know but it was like "Take that fucking Perle". Felt good as a Leftist

;)

[matcom]

41. mmmmmmm high heeeeeeeeeeelllssss

:loveya:

[Tinoire]

62. TRIPPING high heels with tiny helpless straps at that

:evilgrin:

[GOPisEvil]

42. That was a nice thing you did for the pigeon.

I hope this gets you free passes from having your car pooped on. :hi:

[Tinoire]

64. LMAO.

If Maxine doesn't make it, I am goint to strap her coffin to the my car just to see how much respect pigeons have for one of their own ;) but she's, thankfully, doing just fine so I may never find out. Sigh.... All the experiments in life...

[bicentennial_baby]

63. Tin, you rock my world!

Seriously, as a fervent defender of all creatures, great and small, I salute you this morning. You are a woman after my own heart! :loveya:

[Tinoire]

71. Lol BB. You rock mine too and you know that from my PMs to you!

:loveya: you grass-roots activist you!

[amazona]

68. sigh...

This is just so wrong. Odds are, because of your location and the fact that bird was taking pigeons, the hawk was either a Cooper's Hawk or a (threatened, only recently taken off the endangered species list) Peregrine Falcon. These birds need live food (and it's usually pigeons in an urban setting) to survive. The Peregrine Fund and many other organizations have worked very hard, for many years, to restore these birds to places where they can hunt undisturbed. The city is supposed to be a SAFE place because people are not walking around with shotguns defending their chickens, and cities would otherwise spend a great deal of money controlling pigeon populations.

Now that you have the pigeon, you have it. You have no business releasing it back into the environment. It should have been eaten by the hawk that captured it. Most wildlife rehabbers I'm aware of will take pigeons, but they will use them to feed the raptors that they're rehabbing. People are refusing to take your pigeon because they sense you would be upset when you realized they were taking it to feed to another bird. But this is nature's way.

I certainly don't think you should release the bird but if you must, put it back where you found it, and we can only hope that the hawk will come back and get another chance.

I don't see the identification of pigeon with leftist, doesn't make sense to me. To me, the independent thinker would naturally be more aligned with the proud raptor. But to each her own, I suppose.

Sorry if I sound harsh but I just can't understand the thinking of someone who would take food from our wild hawks? 40 years ago, we had almost no hawks left, and it has been a great triumph to restore them...but only so people can take them for granted and resent them for doing what comes naturally? Sigh of frustration.

With the coming de-regulation of various chemicals and the explosion of "free trade," there will not be any serious number of hawks, if there are any at all, in a few decades. There will always be pigeons.

[Dutch]

70. can't understand the thinking of someone

who would take food from our wild hawks?

How about this- seeing a small being getting killed is not pleasant. It's natures way, and its neccesary- but it aint pleasant. You have to be pretty self-righteous not to be able to relate to some people feeling, on the spur of the moment, they should help the prey in these situations.

I'm glad you have such affection for hawks - I admire them myself, but guess what, some of us are rather keen on pigeons too, even if they are very common and aren't proud or leftist (??) enough for you.

[Tinoire]

73. Thanks Dutch. Couldn't have said it better myself. n/t

[blindpig]

69. sorry darlin, but hawks got to eat too!

its natures way

[Bertha Venation]

72. sorry, darlin, but some of us

can't fucking stand the sight of suffering so we do what we must. I'm with Tin on this one, and if I lived near her I would be helping her care for it and finding out what's best to do with it.

Nature's way -- yes. My own self preservation -- gotta do what I gotta do if I see something like Tin saw. Screw anyone who doesn't understand that.

(Yeah, I'm pissed. It's a bad fucking day.)

[Tinoire]

74. But you ROCK and would be happy to know Maxine is doing well this AM!

Will wait about 2-3 days so she can heal and then take her back to the area where, I am sure, an entire family is waiting for 'her' (could be a he, hehehe).

Thanks!

:yourock:

[Bertha Venation]

78. I'm so glad to hear it.

I guess returning her to the wild is the best thing to do.

I saw a young red-tailed hawk take a baby sparrow once. I was working for my father at the time, and this happened right outside his office window. I fell apart and he was fucking clueless. He didn't raise me, has never known me anyway, but he was an asshole. Said "what's the matter with you, it's just nature."

I often wonder if I am the only one with this affliction. Your story of Maxine (what a great name for a pigeon) gives me hope that I'm not alone.

Some boys in the dorm long ago once adopted a rust & white pigeon and named it Walter . . . . ;)

[blindpig]

80. sorry you're having a bad day

but that unlucky bird would have quickly passed into oblivion if the hawk had been allowed to finish its meal(typically the heart & lungs are eaten first). I think it was surely toast once the hit was made, Tin's well meant ministrations only continue its pain.
Don't know what town she lives in but many of our major cities have small breeding populations of endangered perigrine falcons, although being this time of year the perp was most likely a cooper hawk, which often winter in cities because of the easy prey.
Sorry if you feel that I'm inscenitive or something but as an amateur naturalist my eyes are open to the yin & yang of nature.
peace

[Bertha Venation]

81. I can't say what I think of your reply without being banned. eom

[blindpig]

82. sorry you feel that way

I'm not here to make enemies. So I'll just let it go.

[Bertha Venation]

83. I apologize -- I don't want to make enemies either.

Please see your PM for more detail. Sorry for being a bitch, blindpig.

[buddhamama]

76. in my opinion, Tinoire

you should release it immediately.

besides the diseases and stuff that this pigeon could be carrying,
for the pigeons sake it should be let go. if it is moving around and 'aware' it is probably ok.

birds in general are amazingly resilient.

i saved a hawk once from the highway,
took it home and kept it outside.
it eventual flew away on its own.

maybe you should do the same with the pigeon.
i wouldn't continue to feed it though, unless you do plan on keeping it for a while.



Hey Tinoire :yourock:

[Tinoire]

84. I wanted to keep it in the back-yard but alas... the cats...

I fully intend to release her. Just want the wound to close up a little. I know that canines can sense when another is wounded and are more prone to attack and thought it might be the same with birds. I spoke to someone from the Wildlife foundation and they gave me a few hints.

Thanks to everyone who helped me out for Maxine!

:yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock:

[Blue-Jay]

79. I think you should get counseling for the poor bird.

She might need help coping with the horror of almost losing her life. Perhaps, there's a nearby animal psychic that could help out...

Either that, or you could throw it out the back door. She'll be fine. Pigeons are hearty creatures.

[Tinoire]

90. Would you kindly let me know who you use for yourself?

A personal referral would be appreciated. Might even get me a discount. I'll let them know you sent me.

;)

She's going back outdoors in 3-4 days because she's healing very nicely and extremely chipper now.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

85. I HAVE ONE TOO!

:hi:

She's been with me for a little over a month recooperating from a pelvic fracture.

My sis the rehaber had been walking me through this -- call me and I'll let you know what to do now.

Hell

[Tinoire]

91. Haha! Thanks! Should have known we met for a reason!

:)



:hi:

[Crunchy Frog]

93. I've worked in wildlife rehab

for a long time. We take lots of pigions, are you sure you don't have one in your location that will take them? Have you contacted your local humane society? Some vets will also take them.

If you have to take care of her yourself and it's only a flesh wound, she should probably be OK with the wound cleaning. They usually heal up pretty quickly.

Apples and nut bread are not an appropriate diet for a pigeon. You should be able to find a pet store or animal feed store that sells a special seed mix specifically for pigeons.

If you give her the proper diet, fresh water, and keep her quiet and unstressed in the dog crate for a couple of weeks she should probably be OK to go. Keep her mostly covered over, and away from household pets etc. to prevent stress and keep an eye on the wound to make sure it isn't getting infected.

If you have any questions at all, send me a PM. I have lots of experience taking care of injured pigeons.

Also, don't listen to any scare stories about diseases, you are extremely unlikely to catch anything. I've worked with them for years, and neither I, nor anyone I work with has ever caught anything.

And pigeons are nice animals, don't listen to people who are telling you they are like rats. And the hawk will find something else to eat, don't worry about it. There's nothing wrong with doing something compassionate.

Good luck!