Am I being too careful?

[JaydeParrot]

Yesterday I saved a pigeon with a broken wing and am now concerned that the clothes it touched could negatively affect my sennies. Bascially I found it in the streets running around with it's wing flapping uselessly behind it, it went into a shop, the shop owner caught it in a jumper and was about to free it to the street again. I asked the shop owner if I could have it saying it didn't look like it would last long on it's own. They opened up the jumper bundle, I took the pigeon out and carried it for about two to five minutes before reaching a nearby vets, I asked if they could help it, they said yes. I gave them my phone number, I told them to ring me if they were thinking of putting it down, I'd probably end up taking it off their hands.

The thing that's worrying me is that is had one hand holding onto my dog's lead the whole time(she finds birds about as interesting as watching paint dry), so I had to hold the bird close to my shirt with one hand. Once I got back home I immediately washed the shirt and put it out to dry (I hold my birds alot and didn't want them to catch what ever the pigeon might of had.

The pigeon also slightly touched a jacket I was wearing over the shirt, I've kept the jacket in a different room from the parrots since yesterday (since the pigeon touched it) I'm just wondering whether it's safe for my birds to sit on or be held close to that jacket or should I wash the jacket in case my birds touching it causes them to get a disease from the pigeon. The pigeon never pooped on the jacket, it was just held against the jacket occasionally as I only had one hand free to hold on to it.

[Wolf]

Proper procedure says to wash the jacket as well.

There is a good chance that you would be fine without washing it, however there is just as much of a chance that the pigeon has something that could infect your parrots without making the pigeon sick.

I would not take the chance, I would wash the jacket.

[marie83]

I agree with washing everything so dont think your being too careful.

BTW in case you ever need to know in the UK all vets are legally obligated to treat wildlife and cannot charge you- even if all they can do is end its suffering.

[Pajarita]

Well, that's a great law! We don't have it here in the States and most vets would not touch wildlife with ten foot pole! But I don't think that pigeons would be considered wildlife in the UK (they are an invasive species, not endemic to the isles).

As to the danger, I think it should be fine because mites would not go to a jacket when they are on a host's body and poop is the number one contagion medium but washing the jacket would completely eradicate any danger whatsoever, though.

[marie83]

True pajarita, there are some that cant be released after treatment but vets cannot let even an invasive species suffer over here, im not sure where the law stands regarding pigeons but a grey squirrel cannot be re-released, a vet must either humanely put it out its misery or it could be rehabilitated for a life in captivity. I know of people who have helped squirrels only for them to have *cough* accidently escaped after treatment....

[Pajarita]

LOL - And I would one of those that has -cough- that accident happen to!

[Harpmaker]

Isn't the UK trying to save their red squirrels? And gray ones crowd them out? That would make escapees a tough call.

[marie83]

Isn't the UK trying to save their red squirrels? And gray ones crowd them out? That would make escapees a tough call.

thats correct. The greys are an invasive species. I guess its a case of if you found an injured grey that would survive quite easily with treatment but you had nowhere suitable to keep it and sanctuaries were full its a bit catch 22. Hopefully if anyone was to accidently release a grey they would have the common sense to do it properly, do their research and not release it in the middle of an area where reds were resident (many people dont understand you cant just bring an animal into captivity and just release it anywhere, at any time of year as soon as its better sadly )