Content
- How to care for a newborn pigeon cub
- Where to house the baby pigeon
- Feeding of pigeon chicks
- How to feed a newborn pigeon cub
You pigeons they are animals that live with us in urban and rural areas. In almost any part of the world, you can find these intelligent birds, often punished by our society.
If you come across a baby pigeon or a newborn pigeon, you should try to get in touch with a rescue center. Generally, if the pigeon is a wood pigeon, the centers will take care of it, but if it is a common species, it is more likely that they will not do so, as this is the responsibility of the municipality.
In any case, if you decide to take care of the animal, you should know which ones care and feeding a newborn pigeon needs. In this PeritoAnimal article, we explain everything you need to know about newborn pigeon cub, how to care and feed.
How to care for a newborn pigeon cub
Like any other animal that in nature needs its parents to survive, the baby pigeon requires almost continuous care. For this reason, it is essential to provide a safe, quiet and warm place for him to rest and grow, give him specific food for his species and, if caring for him in the early stages, get in touch with a recovery center that admits pigeons to that after this stage he can join other pigeons and learn from them.
Where to house the baby pigeon
In the first days of a newborn pigeon's life, when it is with its parents, they will provide it with warmth and a pleasant environment. When we are the ones who act as their caregivers, it is necessary to put the baby pigeon in a big cardboard box with newspaper at the bottom, which makes cleaning easier, put a kind of mesh in which the pigeon can hold its legs keeping them together, without deforming them, and also a small blanket bowl-shaped so that he feels comfortable.
Both the mesh and the blanket are essential as they help the legs to grow in the correct position without deforming. Under no circumstances should you use rodent substrates or cat litter as bedding for a baby pigeon.
The box for the newborn baby pigeon must be placed in a quiet place from the house, avoiding direct sunlight, drafts and very strong sources of heat such as a radiator. You should offer gentle warmth, such as a small hot water bottle wrapped in a sock.
Further reading: Injured bird, what to do?
Feeding of pigeon chicks
Pigeons are birds that feed on seeds and fruits. Newborn pigeons and doves three days old or less are fed by the parents with a substance called "chat milk". This "milk" is not at all similar to the milk that mammals produce. It is an epithelial secretion with enzymes that is produced in the crop of adult pigeons. Under no circumstances should we give mammalian milk to a bird, as they will not be able to to digest it, which can cause intestinal problems and probably death.
As we cannot produce this "chat milk", in the market it is possible to find some brands of food paste for parrots, which contains those enzymes necessary for the first three days of a pigeon's life.
In the beginning, this food should be more diluted. We must thicken it from the tenth day of life. Before giving food to our pigeon, it needs to be in a warm temperature (not hot!), and we must never give the food cold, as that way the pigeon will not be able to digest it and will end up dying. In emergencies, you can feed a pigeon human baby cereal porridge by mixing it with warm water (not milk), and making sure it contains no dairy solids.
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How to feed a newborn pigeon cub
In nature, young pigeons introduce their beaks to their parents, who regurgitate food from their crop. We can use other methods:
- Syringe and probe: Introduce the hot food into the syringe, preventing air from remaining inside. Then place the probe in the syringe and introduce it through the beak to the crop, which is located slightly on the animal's right side. This method is not for beginners as it can seriously injure the baby pigeon.
- Feeding bottle: put the baby food in a baby bottle, cut off the tip of the baby bottle. Then, insert the beak of the newborn baby pigeon into the cut beak and it will eat like that. After having eaten, it is necessary to clean the beak and nasal holes of the pigeon.
To know how much you need to feed him, you must feel with your fingers how much your chat it's full. Be careful not to overfill as this can cause damage. If we overfill the crop, bubbles will appear on the pigeon's back. Every 24 hours we must let the crop empty completely.
If you notice that the hours go by and the conversation doesn't empty, you may be facing a chat stasis, that is, the food has stagnated and is not continuing its way through the digestive system. This can happen if you feed the pigeon very cold food or if the animal suffers from a tumor in the proventriculus (part of the stomach) or a fungal infection. In that case, you must go to a veterinarian.
Finally, let's share with you a video (in Spanish) where you can see how to feed a baby pigeon, from Refúgio Permanente La Paloma: