u/Jinetaunik

today he seems happy!! very friendly and trying to fly.

More pics of the pigeon I rescued today from my dirty shared courtyard. Is it normal that it isn’t afraid of humans at all? And does he seem old enough to eat by himself? (it’s name is Punk)

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for advice on how to properly care for a pigeon that I found in the shared courtyard of my apartment building.

The pigeon has been there for about two days. On the first day, I left it outside because the weather was warm and dry, and I could see that its parents were still coming to check on it from time to time.

However, today it rained all day and it was cold. Tomorrow there are thunderstorms forecast, and the day after that it’s supposed to rain and stay cold as well. The courtyard is a shared apartment-building courtyard, and it’s quite dirty. There is also no shelter at all. When it rains heavily, it gets extremely wet, with water everywhere, and it can even become slightly flooded. The pigeon had nowhere to hide or stay dry, so I felt that leaving it there would be a bad idea.

I’ve now given the pigeon to a friend who has enough space to look after it. I can’t keep it at my place because I have a cat. My cat usually goes into that courtyard, but I’ve been keeping him inside since the pigeon appeared.

Unfortunately, since I live in a very large city, local rescue organizations and wildlife associations usually don’t take in pigeons because there are simply too many of them.

I’d really appreciate advice on how my friend can care for the pigeon properly. What should we do in terms of keeping it warm, feeding it, giving it water, and checking whether it is injured or sick?

Also, how can we tell if it’s a fledgling that still needs its parents, or if it’s too young to be on its own?

Thanks in advance for any help.