Weaning/Best Cages

Question
Hi Chrys,
I wrote to you last week about a baby pigeon with splay leg and a distended crop. Thanks for getting back to me so quickly.  Unfortunately, this baby had "canker," according to a wildlife rescue person I took him to, and he died last weekend.  We were given preventive treatment for the other pigeon, who is thriving and growing.  He has started pecking grain, though we are still handfeeding him baby bird formula.  I have read about gradually weaning him, but wonder how long it takes to get completely off formula.  Also, he has been living in a hard plastic miniature dog but is outgrowing it.  He is able to fly down from our shoulders, and back up a few feet.  What kind/size cage do you recommend?  We are still commuting with him to work in order to feed him on our lunch hours.  Is there a larger type of portable crate that would work better?  Thanks in advance for your answer.

Answer
Hi, Tina,

Canker...all pigeons have canker...it lays dormant until something kicks it off.  It looks like a cheesy substance in the mouth (sometimes protrudes out of the mouth), but can also affect other internal body parts.  Look in your pigeon's mouth occasionally to see if any is present.  Babies can get it from their parents when they are fed and it can also be absorbed through an egg.  Pigeons need to be medicated at various intervals for several types of illness/disease in order for them to stay healthy, including viruses like PMV, paratyphoid, and pox.  I'm sorry to hear about the baby dying.  

If the baby is starting to peck at grain, start reducing the amount of handfeeding formula you are feeding.  In fact, at this age/stage, if you fill the baby's crop up in the morning before you go to work, and then when you come home from work (assuming you work about 8 hours per day), allow the baby to eat grain during the day, eliminating the need for you to take the baby to work with you/you come home to feed.  Your baby will be just fine!  Fill the crop up completely just before you leave, leave dove/pigeon grain in a dish or other for him, hopefully s/he is drinking on its own??? (they need to take a drink of water after eating to soften up the grain in their crops), and feed when you come home.  The baby has to get a bit hungry in order for it to start eating on its own, so after the crop starts emptying during the day and s/he gets hungry, it will have to eat the grain.  This is how you wean them.  

Pigeons need as much room as you can provide for them.  An ideal situation is a big flight cage/aviary/loft outside where they can bask in the sun, get wet/bathe in the rain, and fly around in for exercise (pigeons love these things)...with a protected area at one end/side so the bird can have shelter when necessary.  Something like this would have to be 3-5 feet up off the ground in order to protect the bird.  Wouldn't have to be too big for 1 bird (maybe 4'Lx3'Wx3'D).  Then you could bring s/he inside to sleep using a smaller cage.  I handfed a pigeon that became very tame and was my pet (I have 200 pigeons, but this one was special).  He lived outside in the loft during the day, but came inside in the evening.  He had a roost on top of a shelving unit in my bedroom where he slept.  This bird followed me all over the house!  He defecated in one area (well, made mistakes every now and then).  If you have a small area in your home you could give to the bird, they can be good pet birds (they are quiet, don't bite, but those wing slaps can sting sometimes!).

I don't know how you are with making things yourself, but you could make something very simple using a wooden frame, wooden legs, and use wire you can buy at any hardware store for the sides, top, bottom.  You'd have to make a door for access and a sheltered area for the bird.  I've also used the large metal/steel dog cages to house pigeons in.  These are often found at garage sales, flea markets, etc.  A large parrot cage would work also.  Pigeons need exercise, so if the bird is housed in a cage where s/he can' fly, you really need to allow some method for the bird to get enough exercise.

Some pigeon supply houses on the internet:  Global Pigeon Supply, Foy's, Siegals.  

Chrys