Caring for a Baby Dove - need advice

[Rach5]

Hello All,

My kitten brought in a dove fledgling... lucky enough he was not injured, or got any sort of infection from his encounter.

I've had him for a week and he is doing so well! He is on baby cereal and exact baby formula. He loves it like crack! And he can eat and eat. I can tell his crop gets full and he slows down but I actually have to cut him off. And when his crop if empty we feed again. In gauged his age to being around 20-25 days.

All is well except I'm extremely nervous about cleaning his face. He gets his food all over him. His body is easy enough.. I put him in a bowl of water that's covers his feet and I use a baby nose sucker to suck up water and squirt it on his crop and front side to clean off the food.

But his face is what worries me so much as I read he can aspirate on any water thats on his beak.

I use a damp qtip or a little soft brush clean his beak & face off the best I can, but its just isnt cutting it. I can't clean him up all the way, as There is always a little left behind. Any help or suggestions?

Also, I was he will need to.start weaning soon, I've tried to show him how.to.peck at seed but he has no interest.. will this come around on it's own? Or do I need to keep at it?

He does have one middle toe that seems deformed, as it curves inward.. don't think it's broken bc he can move it, it's grasps my finger when perching, I've touched it and he gives no reaction.that it bothers him. A home based bird rescue woman in my area thinks she can splint his foot to correct? Idk about this...a true rehab facility told me they would not splint it & said birds can survive with minor feet problems quite well, that what he had wasn't a death sentence at all.

He has started to flutter around.. and I coached him to fly up about a foot to another surface when I was feeding him. Very proud of his progress.

Anyways, any input would be appreciated, esp about bathing his face and weaning to eating seed would be most helpful!

Thank you for reading & your reply

 

[Rach5]

Sorry my phone is goofing up my typing so bad in this forum. I've never had such a problem. And actually the comment section is not behaving the way the forum post was. Much easier here!

Thanks in advance for any help you can give

 

[backyard pigeons]

Hello! Welcome to BYC!

If it's roughly 25 days old, you can probably start feeding it moist seeds so they are a bit softer. If you do this, add some grit in the cage. Additional hand feedings may be necessary for little.

As for the toe, it will be perfectly fine with it. Don't worry about splinting it. I Have seen pigeons missing toes, so a slight deformity will not harm it in any way hope this helps!

 

[biophiliac]

You can start teaching him to drink by gently dipping his beak in water. That should moisten the stuck food so you can wipe it off with a paper towel. In general you should be able to clean him with a damp cloth. Don't worry about getting every bit, he will clean up when he begins to eat on his own. When I hand feed I keep a paper towel under the birds 'chin' like a bib to prevent some of the mess. At 20 - 25 days I definitely think you should try to interest him in eating seeds and grit. I would place some in a small dish and also scatter some on the (clean)floor. He will get it on his own but continue to play with the seeds using your fingers to get his attention. If his weight is good, you could begin to cut back on the amount you are feeding him by hand. At that age his parents would be doing the same.

I agree the toe is not a problem.

In helping him learn to fly you can have him standing on your hand then quickly drop your hand a foot or two. He will instinctively flap his wings to stay in the air. Put your hand back under his feet. Doing that a few times lets him get a feel for the lift of his wings. He will still need to learn ascent, descent and steering. lol I let mine practice in the bathroom.

It sounds like you are doing a fabulous job with this bird!

A pic would be great and would help confirm its age and development.

 

[Rach5]

Around when I first got him last week

 

[Rach5]

Today 4/10

 

[Rach5]

4/10

 

[Rach5]

4-10 pls see his toe in the other pics

 

[Rach5]

Toe

 

[Rach5]

Feeding, flapping making a mess, not all his feathers are in under his wimgs, or behind his head