Raising a baby mourning dove!!! NEED HELP!!!

[jimboree]

This is my 5th day of taking care of a baby mourning dove. He was small and had no feathers except for on the very tips of his wings. I left him on the ground all day where I found him waiting for his mom but she never showed. That Saturday night I took him in and bought him a little bird cage and kaytee exact baby bird formula. I tried a plastic bag method and he wasn't going for it. It wasn't until Sunday evening after work did I discover he needs warm food and then he went crazy for it. So it's been 5 days, as today is Wednesday and I have a lot of concerns.

He isn't growing very much. He looks a little bigger but not much. He is getting a lot of feathers though and is mostly feathered at this point. I have been feeding him every 6 hours or so. Should I try every 5?

He has a problem with his left leg. He leans to his right and falls over a bit. His left leg is also shaky but he can still bend his toes. He has been getting better at getting himself back up though. Should I be concerned about this?

Also when will this baby walk? I'm estimating him to be 9-10 days old and he has barely walked. Yesterday it looked like he was inching close to me which was exciting but he barely got anywhere. When do mourning doves walk? Is there a way I can help the process?

His right eye won't open. When I first found him his eye closed but over the next few hours it opened. He would sometimes open it up until 3 days ago. He hasn't opened it in days and it almost looks like he has skin over the eye? His left eye is fine though. What should I do about his eye? Has he lost sight in it? Can I help?

Does this baby need a water bowl? His water is mixed in with his food.

I don't have any bird experience and there is no local wildlife rehab place to take him. I named him or her bean and I love this little baby. When I start talking to them they flap their wings and talk back and it's adorable. He poops all the time and has energy. How can I help this baby? What am I doing wrong? How big should he be?

There are pics here taken today. (I think... I've never used this site) he was fed an hour ago, he has food all over him because its so hard to clean him.

And he just started to preen his feathers! (I think that's what it's called)

 

[Majd]

Ohh... it's hard to explain everything for someone very new to this.... First of all don't feed him until his crop empties.... the crop is the sac like organ down the neck.... you can feel it and know if his crop has emptied or not.... second the kaytee exact is exellent... but he seens to have splayed leggs... you can make a search on Google and see what splay legs is and how to fix it.... you should keep him warm and clean.... after feeding him and making sure he has a full crop you can clean him using a towel wet with warm water and removing all the formula so he can stay fluffy and maintain his warmth and to let the feathers grow properly... can you post another picture of the legs so we can see whats wrong with them.... and the eyes might have some of the formula stuck inside that's also why you have to clean him.. gently clean the eyes with the towel and warm water.... and never let him wet.... always dry him off if he was wet or he'll chill to death... and put some kind of nesting material in his cage like straw or hay or old clothes(let the clothes be soft so his nails don't get stuck).... maybe the slippery surface of the cage caused the splayed legs.... and you can put him a flyffy dummy or toy so he can sleep next to and have as a companion..... do your best with this little guy and update us with plenty of pictures.... good luck!!!

 

[jimboree]

So I cleaned my baby up and after 10 minutes of cleaning his eye with a warm wet cloth he opened it and he perked up and started looking around and then looked at me and started talking and flapping his wings. It was the cutest thing I've ever seen! Now he is sleeping on my chest peacefully

 

[Majd]

That's great.... so it worked.... that's a good step... did you know what a splay leg is... did you checked it on net.... did you put him old clothes in his cage??

 

[jimboree]

Yes I looked it up and I'm not sure if that's it because his legs don't seem far apart. He just has a harder time putting weight into his left leg, as he tends to lean to the right. If it is splayed leg I don't think it's a really bad case. But I do feel like he should be walking by now. He has a pee pad in the bottom of the cage and then bedding pressed firmly on top with some fluffed up in the corners for a nest feel and he seems to be doing well with that. I will take a picture of his legs when he wakes up in a little bit for his meal. Also do you think he looks right for his age? I'm assuming he's 9-10 days old. I worry he isn't big enough

 

[jimboree]

Actually I'm pretty positive it's not splayed leg. I just think he's unbalanced which brings me back to my main concern, is he on track developmentally for his age?

 

[Majd]

So his led may have another problem..... anyways he's not very small.... he's good don't worry. .. just keep up doing the things right and he'll be fine

 

[jimboree]

Thank you for all your great help! He was actually walking this morning! I do have another couple questions though... When do I stop giving him formula and introduce him to seeds? Do I go from baby formula to seeds or is there an in between step?

 

[Hokum Coco]

Here is a link showing how one fancier feeds a squab:.

There are also other videos showing different methods

 

[CochinBrahmaLover]

Ooh one sec!!
Edited -
http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/f108/?s=&daysprune=
Ok check out all the places in that link. Check out the forums. You can learn a lot there.
Looks healthy. But prepare to release it - it IS a wild bird and does deserve freedom. But that comes later