TheofficialParakeet
Active member
- Mar 22, 2022
- 100
- 155
- Parrots
- Blue American Budgie - Female (Bluberry)
Blue Australian Budgie - Male (Mr. Squiggles)
Blue English Budgie - Male (Hendrix)
So my sister found a baby (fledgling) mourning dove on our porch this morning. I wasn't home, and she caught it. I came home only to realize that it was a fledgling and didn't need help. so i let it out, and it flew away (pretty good flyer) and then landed in the canal, so I jumped in to save it before it drowned. We put him in a dog carrier with the door open waiting for his mama for 3 hours, and she never came. we sat and watched. Now it is in a dog carrier, I gave it 3 syringe fulls of Kaytee Exact handfeeding formula.. I don't know if it needs to have water accessible or not.. i know there is an age where water is a BIG no-no.. should he have seeds? I would give him pellets but he won't have that in the wild. i don't have many rehabbers around here, but im going to contact Alaqua animal refuge tommorow. I plan feeding every 3-4 hours, fed last at 5:45, then was going to change it to 8 PM, 12 PM, 3AM, 6AM and so on.. does he need to be fed at night?
. I have raised fledgling pigeons and doves ( whether rescued from predatory animals or “rescued” by well- meaning individuals) including one just a few months ago. If they are able to fly, they can eat solid food, no syringe feeding necessary. Since I have chickens, I feed my rescued baby doves chicken feed ( chick starter feed is best) but I think pellets would be just fine so long as they aren’t too big. Yes, they can have ( and need) water in a small dish. Doves/pigeons are kind of cool in that they suck water rather than having to tip their head back like most birds! Doing what you did and putting the bird back near where you found it is always best. As you saw, the parents are pretty good at keeping track of their babies. If you have to raise and release it yourself, I have the most success with putting the baby out in a cage with the door open; leaving food and water in the cage so it can come and go as it pleases. I bring them inside at night for safety, but the more time they can spend out in their natural environment the better. Oftentimes, the fledgling will reach a point where they come back to the cage once or twice a day for food and then eventually they disappear for good. And remember: it is a wild animal not a pet. No matter how hard it is, 
don’t spend too much time with the bird and encourage it to get friendly. It needs to have plenty of natural fear to stay safe in the wild.
. Nature can be harsh 
. I hope this baby makes it.
