Kizzie

I went to ACC on 2/28 to do a Bird Orientation for new volunteers. While taking pictures and checking on everybody, I came across a pair of baby pigeons (about 4 weeks old), one of which was gasping to breathe.



I contacted the Animal Care Director about the sick squeaker (that's what baby pigeons are called) and made arrangements to pull it and its cage mate from the shelter and take them on as fosters so that they could get immediate vet care. With the shelter's limited resources, their only choice would be to euthanize a sick pigeon but, thanks to the support of MickaCoo's donors, I was able to rush them to an avian vet where they tried to stabilize the poor thing with oxygen.



I named the sick, gasping one Izzy and his young, big-nosed friend, Kizzie. Unfortunately, Izzy was found to have an advanced case of Trichomoniasis (also called canker in pigeons) and the plaques were blocking his trachea which was why he was gasping to breathe. I was facing the likelihood of having to have him euthanized (because of the low likelihood of being able to successfully treat)when he died, under anesthesia, during the endoscopic exam.

Izzy had been found, with Kizzie, just the day before at the intersection of 19th & Dolores in SF and brought in by ACC Animal Control Officers. Poor little things were just dumped out there, sick and with no ability to survive. So cruel. If you've ever met a baby pigeon, you know how sensitive and sweet and needy they are. They must have been terrified (not to mention hungry, cold, scared, confused, miserable, etc. etc.) And, if you haven't met a baby pigeon, you should. Go to any local animal shelter or wildlife rescue and look for the pigeons with beaks that are WAY, WAY too big for their little faces and that squeak like mice. Look into their eyes and prepare to fall in love.



Kizzie, luckily for her, was in much better condition and her Trich has been treated. She's underweight and a filthy mess but breathing fine and doing really well in the kitchen-counter hospital.

3/3 Update:

I've had younger squeakers but never one so desperate to be fed. She eats and poops like a champ on her own but since discovering my fingers are remotely like a parent-bird beak she is relentless for hand-feeding. I give her 5ccs and though her crop is fat she wants 5 more. She's not even underweight. But she's lonesome, I bet. She loves her mirror but misses a mommy bird. I'm hand-feeding her a lot since she wants it so much and she's a good bird and eats on her own still.

3/4

Kizzie will greedily eat 10 hand-fed ccs and another an hour later if I'll give it to her. Seems to be OK, just voracious. She was wormed and weighs 410 and everything seems good so I'm not going to worry but man, I have a whole new respect for pij parents. And NOW I finally know why they call them squeakers. It's not because they squeak when they're frightened, it's because they squeak like a rusty wheel to get fed fed fed! That can't be helpful for avoiding predators- the parents are really pressured to find a safe nesting spot. She's teaching me a lot.

3/7
Kizzie spent over 6 hours in the loft today. She likes it. Very emotional bird. Squeaks a lot- when somebody looks at her, to herself while eating, when I visit. Was challenged at seed dish by big old cock Sparks & she took a swing back at him which really pissed him off but she escaped any serious repercussions. She'll have to spend her first night out there tomorrow in preparation for me leaving town again on Tuesday. She'll be fine but I'll suffer.

3/18

Kizzie is a saucy little squeaker and will claim a prime seed dish for herself and defend it against the adults. They strike at her and she strikes back! And wins!

4/1

Kizzie must have rocks in her pockets because she weighs 675g! That's incredibly heavy for an 8-week old squeaker and more than several of my adult kings. She doesn't look that big [except for her feet] but is freakishly heavy. I'd have expected her to weigh about 550.


4/4



Kizzie is doing great and is a really special bird. While she arrived old enough to eat on her own, she's my first squeaker to demand hand-feeding. Then, when she graduated out to the loft with the 'big birds', she immediately became an alpha bird which is ridiculous considering how young she was. And she is SO heavy- not fat, just dense, reminding me of the racing pigeons I was recently fortunate enough to meet. They are very muscular athletes so their weight is easy to understand while hers is mysterious to me.

I've been bringing her in to spend time with me. She had an invitation to live in a wonderful aviary in Southern Cal but I held her back for more of a pet placement- she's got a lot of pet potential. I offered her to Andy's Pet Shop because they've been interested in a hosting a tame king (and the PR for kings would be awesome) but the timing wasn't right so now I'm grooming her to be my new demo pij: Willow got adopted, Rocky's too small for a demo king, Santino's too colorful (plus he's a married bird now with responsibilities), Bean's not a king, Dill's too macho... but Kizzie's got real star potential. Here she is sharing the sunny couch with Uno, Monkey & me.

Today she took a bath and then was lounging near her favorite food dish. Then she decided it would be more convenient to lounge IN the food dish.