young baby pigeon

Question
Okay, I found a young baby Pigeon out near my barn yesterday morning. I left it there just in case the mother would get it. It looked like it fell out of a nest or something. Anyway, it was there when i went out that night and my horse almost stepped on it so i decided to put it somewhere safe. I'm a highschool student so i dont have a lot of time on my hands but i have been feeding the baby bran cereal mixed with water and feeding it through a syringe. My parents don't know about it because they will think I'm crazy about saving a pigeon. So I'm on my own. do you have any advice to keep this baby alive? I need all the information i can get. Thanks so much Heather.

Answer
Hi, Heather,

Good for you for taking this bird in.  A mother pigeon has no way of getting her baby (they can't pick them up and won't sit on it on the ground due to predation), so it would have died.

You need to substitute the bran cereal mixed with water with baby parrot handfeeding formula you can buy at the pet store.  It use Kaytee Exact, but there are other brands.  Feed the baby like you are now, but use the parrot handfeeding formula.  Follow the instructions on the back of the package for mixing and feed it to the baby at a temperature of 102 degrees F.  The formula has to be the same temperature as the bird's internal temperature or problems can crop up with the crop (gizzard).

You should house the baby in something that keeps warmth inside (like a glass fish aquarium or something similar) with a heating pad underneath.  The baby has to be kept at abut 98 degree F 24/7 until it has enough feathers to keep himself warm.  

Just feed it every time its crop is empty (if you go to school, how are you going to do this?) and keep the baby warm enough (has to have heat in order to metabolize its food).  

Chrys