Romeo's Story

This is the story of my well-loved (loved by me, anyway) and pampered blue checker pigeon, Romeo (aka, Romey). It was a windy and rainy Wednesday night, on May 3rd, 2006, my brother called that he had found a baby bird in the college parking-garage. Romey could have either frozen to death that night, because it was stormy and cold.... or easily gotten run-over by a car. He asked my mom if he should put it into a box and take it home. I thought he was just adorable.... That is, until the minute I saw him in the light. It was most definitely a face only a mother could love. For the next hour, or so, we debated on what sort of bird the baby was. My brother figured that it was a pigeon, since there were sparrows and pigeons in the parking-garage, and the little fellow was already bigger than a sparrow. His guess was correct, after looking up images of baby turkey vultures, and such on the computer. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXCx SORRY, THAT WAS ROMEY TRYING TO TYPE HIS SIDE OF THE STORY! (nO jOKE) He hit the caps lock too! He always has to try whatever we do Anyway, we looked up image of a baby pigeon, and found that the baby was a pigeon, all pin feathers and yellow fuzz, just twelve days old as best as we could see from the pictures, and he looked like a blob of flesh with a head, beak, eyes and a humongous crop. It took my mom twelve hours of trying to feed him to finally figure out what system to feed him with. We dissected a few syringes and bought many things that didn’t actually work, but Mom worked out feeding him baby bird mush from her loose fist. As he ate, he would slurp noisily at the EXACT baby food formula. And my mom had to hold his wings, because he would flap them as he ate, making a huge mess of himself. After every feeding I would hold him on my lap and take a paper towel and gently clean the food from his nostrils so the mush would not cake over them.... and his mush dried not on his face, but on his chest.... and it took forever to get that stuff off!! Finally, we decided to keep him.... and it was one of the best decisions in my life. I named him Romeo Dan, and, since he was shedding his pin feathers when he was named, the ‘Dan’ does not stand for Daniel. It stands for Dandruff. He was wonderfully gentle...... until he grew up into a full grown male pigeon. First he learned to coo, and then learned to bite... Since he is an ‘only pigeon’, he thinks that anything and anyone is a female pigeon... or, as we, as our inside joke put it, ‘Her’. From a gum wrapper to a piece of toilet paper (which is what I clean up his droppings with), he is quite confident each time that it is ‘Her’. After his daily special time ‘hanging out with the flock’, he spends the rest of his time in his cage, making mournful ‘Oooing’ sounds. His main call goes something like this: “ oo....oooo.....ooooooo....OOO!!!!!” He does this all day.... and if we cover him too early for his liking, he coos until he falls asleep.
I have a question...... does anyone else’s pigeon bark? Romey does. He sounds like our German Shepherd dog (who he loves to peck on his nose!) We are wondering if he learned barking from him? Also, if you come into the room very fast and unexpectedly, you will hear a very startled “woof!”.
One other question. He eats brown rice, parakeet seed mix, and black lentils. Is this a healthy pigeon diet? His poops are good, especially since we tried the black lentils, which he loves. He doesn't seem to be able to swallow anything larger. Is this normal?
As you can see, I love him dearly.....I can talk just forever about him.(sorry) So here you have the story of Romeo Dandruff.

[feralpigeon]

Hi there, I Love my Romney and welcome to Pigeon Talk. I love your description
of your new found friend, Romey Dan and think he sounds like quite the character. Much of what you describe is very typical behavior and the likes
of which many find so endearing about them.

I don't know about the barking, but I did have a rescue that came from the
bay where many seagulls hung out and he seemed to imitate the sound of a
seagull, quite remarkable.

I don't recall seeing a general whereabouts for your location in this thread which might help folks direct you in the right direction, but no, there is a pigeon mix which can be purchased that is pigeon specific and a healthier diet for your pigeon than what he is currently receiving. Check out the resource section at this site for more information on nutrition, in fact there's alot of good information there you'll want to browse through.

Thanks for sharing your story w/us, Romeo Dan sounds like a very lovable
character and I'm glad that you and your family took the time to help him,
figure out who he was and what he needed for care, and undertook providing
that for him. Welcome to Pigeon Talk....

fp

[Feather]

I loved your story. I use to have a little Yorkie named Romeo, and I called him Romey. Your Romey sounds as though he is part of the family now. I'm so glad that your brother found him.

[mr squeaks]

Yep! Sounds like Romey rules the roost, so to speak! My one pigeon, Squeaks, rules 3 cats!

Some pijies do seem to make odd noises at times. He may be a "bilingual" pij (dog and bird fluent!) So far, I've never heard Squeaks "meow," but he does have a certain sound when a cat is near!

If you have a pet store like a Petco or PetsMart near you, they should have Kaytee Supreme Colombes/Palomas/Doves seed mix. You can add that to his diet. Squeaks get a treat of Song Bird Seeds in the afternoon while the cats are eating their dinner...

Welcome to PT and we would love to see a picture of Romeo. He sounds like quite the character! Loved your story - keep us posted!

[Skyeking]

Hello and welcome to Pigeon Talk,

I really enjoyed your story, I understand that kind of love, as I have two pet pigeons raised from day 4.

I am a bit disturbed however, that he is allowed to fly with the wild flock. I just want to warn you about hawks and other predators and dangers that he faces outside. Pet pigeons are especially vulnerable-because they are more humanized, so PLEASE be careful where you let him go. We have heard it all here, of pet pigeons being allowed free flight that ended up very tragic.

I'm not trying to be negative, just sending a warning. I know you love him and don't want him to lose his freedom, it is a hard decision, I know.

Here is an example of ingredients found in an excellent pigeon seed.
http://purgrain.com/ingredients.htm

Hi, Treesa, Thanks for your concern about Romey outside, but when I said "Hang with the flock" I meant hanging out with [us] the family. He doesn't go outside at all, except for natural sunlight and fresh air in a small wire chihuahua-sized dog crate, and is actually scared of the outdoors. Once we got him, we took him inside. (My parakeet is more focused on getting outside than Romey is.) I appreciate your concern, though.

Oh, we live in the New England region.

~Mary

I have a couple questions. #1. Do anyone else's pigeons have trouble eating things like peas and unpopped popcorn? Romey tries, but can't quite make it. #2. I do have the thought of building a coop in our yard and buying Romey a female to make him happy. All he can think about ever is eggs and mates. Living with two pigeons in the house means twice the dander, and that is bordering on unhealthy, isn't it? I just wanted to know if you think putting him in a coop is a wise idea. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

~ ILMR

[Skyeking]

Originally Posted by ILoveMyRomey

Hi, Treesa, Thanks for your concern about Romey outside, but when I said "Hang with the flock" I meant hanging out with [us] the family. He doesn't go outside at all, except for natural sunlight and fresh air in a small wire chihuahua-sized dog crate, and is actually scared of the outdoors. Once we got him, we took him inside.
~Mary

Hi Mary,

Thank you for your reply, I'm sure happy to hear that.!

Perhaps in time he will pick up and actually swallow the larger seed, he just needs practice. How old was he when he was weaned?

I don't think it is a bad idea putting him in a coop, but as long as it is weather, predator and rain proofed. He should have a nice big area to fly, and you can still bring him inside.

I would gradually wean him on moving him outside also, but first see how it goes with getting him a mate. Once he has the company of a lovely hen, it will be much easier to cut the apron strings, as he will become more a pigeon then the human he thinks he is now.


Having two pigeons indoors may or may not pose a problem healthwise, it depends on the person and the quality of air flow and good air circulation.

Hey, everyone, thanks for all the kind well wishing for Romey.... he was maybe three weeks when he began to eat seeds. He eventually stopped wanting mush, but he would still peek into a hand wonderingly if there was any mush in it. He is going to be one year old in April, so, I suppose there is plenty of time for him to eat bigger stuff... I always put the weak excuse that Romey would "Get cold" outside.... even though, from some sources, this is said to be untrue. (Worth a try, though.) If he ever does go outside in a coop, though, we have plans to bring him and his mate in at night, to keep them safe and warm from nighttime predators. Treesa, Thanks for the excellent link to pigeon feed... very helpful.

Mr. Squeaks: I will be posting pics of the Romey bird soon!

~Mary

[Victor]

Hi Mary, welcome to Pigeon Talk. I just read your post about your Romeo. I can tell he is a character and you really love the little guy, We are looking forward to seeing a picture of Romey.

Keeping one-even 2 pigeons indoors is fine as long as you of course keep the area clean, and as Treesa stated, good air flow going through the area. We are presently keeping our 6 pigeons and 2 babies in the back laundry room till out freeze spell passes, and back into the pigeon coop they go...except maybe the parents and the babies till they get older. It is not a problem as long as daily cleaning is done.

Yes... If He ever goes out with a mate.... there is the problem that I would want one of his babies, at least,and then I'd have to have one of his grand pigies, and then I'd have to have one of his great grand pigies.....and, soon enough, I'd have way too many pigeons.... not that I'd mind, but other members of the house might not be so..... enthusiastic about that....
~Mary

[Victor]

Not to mention the neighbors...sometimes some people have an issue with pet pigeons unfortuately.

Ohh...Thank you so much for mentioning that... I guess how some people don't like pigeons will remain a mystery to me forever. I think they are always so cute. I'd say done deal, Romey stays inside 'forever', but, he always is calling for a mate, and he sounds so sad.

Also, here are some pictures of the Romey bird:
Picture 1
Here he is at one month...
Picture 2
(Another one-month picture.)
Picture 3
Fuzzy! (~12 days.)
Picture 4
Eating pellets... (3-week picture.)
Picture 5
Doing schoolwork! (4 weeks.)
Picture 6
Puttering. (6 weeks.)

~Mary

[mr squeaks]

Hi Mary,

A couple of more thoughts came to mind when I re-read your post about Romey. One is about poop picker uppers; one, dandruff and finally, eating bigger seeds, peas, etc.

I buy the cheapest roll of paper towel I can find and cut the sheets in half. THEN, I end up tearing up those or using the whole "half," depending on poop size! When Squeaks does him morning homing pigeon "dump," I need the half sheet! While I DO have a Flight Suit for him (see the small picture by Mr. Squeaks, called an Avatar), he usually runs around "naked!" Since I have various routine poop exercises, he "goes," and I do more than 52 "pick-ups!"

Squeaks would throw seeds he didn't like every which direction until I stopped putting so many in his dish! He still "chooses" but I put his dish in a kitty litter box while he's out and about during the day and this keeps unwanted seeds confined! He also learned to eat the big peas, which he would throw out when he was younger! Not only does he eat those but he will happily sample and eat extra dried cat food pellets IF the cats aren't quick enough to eat them all. BTW, DOES ROMEY GET GRIT?

At times, I would notice that Squeaks seemed to have "dry" skin, which I, too, called "dandruff." I asked my Avian Vet about it and he said to give him more baths. Worked. I started with a kitty litter box half-filled with tepid water. Unfortunately, there were times he just refused to take a bath, so, out would go the water! I learned to watch him. When he walks in the cat's water dishes, I know it's bath time! Works every time. When I don't feel like cleaning up the water mess he makes, I'll put him in the bathtub and give him a shower! He loves it! Thank goodness for shower doors! (sometimes, I'm showering WITH him - no soap for me until AFTER he's out)...

Something new to learn from pijies all the time!

Hope this helps!

Yes, I pick up Romey's little..er.. 'deposits' with toilet paper, also. The worst side of having a pigeon is constantly chasing him around with a roll of toilet paper during his out-of-the-cage time.. but I don't mind. Romey,too, flings out the seeds that he doesn't feel like eating at that moment, and when he was younger sometimes made quite a mega-mess for me to clean! Romey does get grit, he gets oyster shell, charcoal and red brick pieces...the oyster shells are his particular favorite...they'll run out before anything else.
Romey also has his times when he absolutely will not bathe. When he would lose a feather, particularly the wing and tail feathers, you could see that the feathers looked as if they had been eaten away at the tip. So I bought him some 'bath salts' that's supposed to kill lice and mites. I'm not sure if he's just been scraping his tail on the sides of his cage, or if it's even mites, though. Romey gives you signs of when he wants a bath, too. He wanders around and fluffs up real big, and lets loose a large cloud of dander. He's just like a dog in the respect that he soaks me every time I bathe him. I have to wipe the floor with a cleaning rag after his bath... the floor gets all wet! When I already have put the bath salts in, and he just says "No!" to the bath, I have to hold him in.... which he doesn't like, but, hey, and pour a few cups of water over him. I can't let him waste the bath salts! (of course, the water is always just the right temp... never, ever cold)He bathes in a shallow tuperware container that is about the size and height of a kitty-litter box. Thank you so much, it is highly comforting to know that there is a glimmer of hope concerning the large peas... We were wondering if he was the defective one of the babies, because he can't eat the larger ones, and if his mother pushed him out of the nest because of that. But, if Squeaks can... Maybe my Romey can, too!
(Did you see the pictures on my last post?)

~Mary