MadBirdVN
Hatching
- May 21, 2016
- 6
- 0
- 7
Hi all,
Brand new to BYC and pigeons altogether!
Have joined here to speak to like-minded people and find out a bit more.
I'm a student vet nurse (due to finish my course December time) and due to my job, I bring a lot of injured birds home - this year has been rather quiet, just one feral whose leg we had to amputate due to a bad break and a wood pigeon who couldn't fly (Both now happily released).
However, we had a bit of a different situation a good few weeks ago where this beautiful pigeon was brought in by a member of the public who found him flapping about in a bin in the town centre
no idea of his origin or what happened but aside from a bit of bruising, he is fine. After a bit of research we identified him as a Modena pigeon - his looks and attitude fit perfectly with the information we have found! (I have been wing slapped many times and he will happily chase my hand out of the cage, wing beating!)
We have tried finding his owners to no avail (he has no contacts or ID on him and he has been posted on social media and shared lots of times) and so, we have (99%) decided to keep him because we just love his character and he is awesome!
He has been dubbed "Sid Vicious" at work!
So, my question is (and I am looking through all the past posts mentioning Modenas too) could we have some advice regarding his care? He is currently in a German Shepherd size dog crate, with newspaper lining, natural perches and a few (for want of a better word) parrot toys? Such as the natural wood chew-type toys, just so he has some stimuli should he want it. Is he better living inside long-term or outside? (We are in NW England, so rainy and cold most of the time!) If he lives inside, is the crate sufficient? If outside, we would obviously invest in a coop/aviary as I have looked at aviary types and setups on this forum. (We have no idea what he was used to previously
)
He is being fed on a mix of wildbird seed, pigeon corn and oyster shell grit, with a pigeon-specific mineral block and he has spinach/lettuce available too. What supplements would he require if any? I have ArkVits in?
He currently has lice (C. columbae I think) and so again, after a bit of research we have treated with a permethrin water-based spray. What are people's usual routines for worming/antiparasitics? Do people vaccinate and against what?
Regarding living arrangements, is he okay living alone or would he need a mate? (Obviously I refer to "he" but we aren't sure whether he is a he or a she!) I'm assuming for a guaranteed result we would have to have him DNA tested. And I'm wondering if I have any more waifs and strays that can't be released for one reason or another, would they be okay integrating (obv vaccinated/treated)? (Usually ferals, woodpigeons or collared doves) He seems very settled, eating exceptionally well and pottering around his crate up and down off his perches and cooing away - still batting us with his wings, but I think, from reading that is normal for them!
Aside from a bit of bruising under his wing and a bit of baldness which I'm putting down to the lice, he is in good condition, he isn't underweight or weak and his feathers are in good condition. I'm really sorry for the total essay but I've never had a fancy pigeon before and it's all new to us!
Thanks in advance!
MadBirdVN
Brand new to BYC and pigeons altogether!
Have joined here to speak to like-minded people and find out a bit more.
I'm a student vet nurse (due to finish my course December time) and due to my job, I bring a lot of injured birds home - this year has been rather quiet, just one feral whose leg we had to amputate due to a bad break and a wood pigeon who couldn't fly (Both now happily released).
However, we had a bit of a different situation a good few weeks ago where this beautiful pigeon was brought in by a member of the public who found him flapping about in a bin in the town centre
We have tried finding his owners to no avail (he has no contacts or ID on him and he has been posted on social media and shared lots of times) and so, we have (99%) decided to keep him because we just love his character and he is awesome!
So, my question is (and I am looking through all the past posts mentioning Modenas too) could we have some advice regarding his care? He is currently in a German Shepherd size dog crate, with newspaper lining, natural perches and a few (for want of a better word) parrot toys? Such as the natural wood chew-type toys, just so he has some stimuli should he want it. Is he better living inside long-term or outside? (We are in NW England, so rainy and cold most of the time!) If he lives inside, is the crate sufficient? If outside, we would obviously invest in a coop/aviary as I have looked at aviary types and setups on this forum. (We have no idea what he was used to previously
He is being fed on a mix of wildbird seed, pigeon corn and oyster shell grit, with a pigeon-specific mineral block and he has spinach/lettuce available too. What supplements would he require if any? I have ArkVits in?
He currently has lice (C. columbae I think) and so again, after a bit of research we have treated with a permethrin water-based spray. What are people's usual routines for worming/antiparasitics? Do people vaccinate and against what?
Regarding living arrangements, is he okay living alone or would he need a mate? (Obviously I refer to "he" but we aren't sure whether he is a he or a she!) I'm assuming for a guaranteed result we would have to have him DNA tested. And I'm wondering if I have any more waifs and strays that can't be released for one reason or another, would they be okay integrating (obv vaccinated/treated)? (Usually ferals, woodpigeons or collared doves) He seems very settled, eating exceptionally well and pottering around his crate up and down off his perches and cooing away - still batting us with his wings, but I think, from reading that is normal for them!
Aside from a bit of bruising under his wing and a bit of baldness which I'm putting down to the lice, he is in good condition, he isn't underweight or weak and his feathers are in good condition. I'm really sorry for the total essay but I've never had a fancy pigeon before and it's all new to us!
Thanks in advance!
MadBirdVN
