A couple Questions

[mrwhatsit]

I've been considering getting a pigeon as a pet, but I have a few questions I can't find answers to:

1) Can wild (ferel) birds be caught and kept as pets, or are they too "wild" and unfriendly. Many of the birds in the city I live (Boston) are very people friendly, but obviously they don't allow themselves to be picked up. Plus there's the disease factor of getting a wild bird.

2) Do pigeons like to perch, or wander around? Because I know you have to let them out of their cage daily, which I have no problem doing, but my question is in regards to what kind of cage I buy: when they are let out of their cage, do they wander around on the floor like they do on the streets, or do they perch on top of their cage. Or both? How about flying indoors? Do they need their wings clipped to keep them from flying into things or are they slow enough flying (I never see the lazy wild pigeons here fly from anything more than a quick "hop") that it's not a problem.

Oh yea, and are they any messier than more traditional pet birds? I know many a pet bird who liked to throw his feed out of the cage. I read this somewhere, but I'd like to verify: is it true that pigeons are generally less noisy and don't usually bite?

Thanks for reading. I look forward to keeping one of these guys as a pet but I want to learn to care for it first

[Victor]

Hello mrwhatsit and welcome to Pigeon~Talk.So you are considering getting a pigeon as a pet! They can make great pets and provide hours of fun if you are willing to invest just a little money for its care and a little bit of time and patience.If you check out some threads here on pigeon~talk, you will see several members sharing stories about their beloved pigeons and how they interact with their families.

A wild bird can be caught but it would require a period of time where you would possibly have to earn the trust of the pigeon to help capture him. There are a couple of ways of capturing a pigeon but be careful not to hurt it when doing so. This method can be discussed in greater detail but if I may suggest, check out our area that we have listing pigeons for sale at a reasonable price depending on the type that you're looking for.Another good possibility is our Adoption section that is available.Sometimes members are faced with moving and can not bring their pets with them.There are also times members who rescue and rehabilitate injured pigeons and find appropriate homes for them.Usually all that you pay for is the box for shipping and the shipping charge which is fairly low. There are a lot of deserving pigeons that need love and a good home. Your Boston pigeons are dependent on people feeding them and of course are used to humans, but are known to fly, walk, travel in groups, you know the "safety in numbers" factor. You and I naturally would be leary of some stranger approaching and trying to "adopt us!" As far as diseases, this is a big misconception that people have.For the most part, pigeons are not disease riddled creatures. Sure, there are some that may have illness that can be treated in a home or loft type environment, but you are more likely to get sick from simply holding the salt shaker at the corner diner or flushing the toilet in a public restroom! Anytime you handle any animal is is wise to wash your hands or course.

Please allow me to continue this discussion a bit later. My pet pigeon,"Tooter" has completed his morning flight exercise and is letting me know that it is past his feeding time!

[mrwhatsit]

That's stuff is all good to know. Thanks.

One additional question to that list. I have hardwood floors, and wouldn't mind letting a pigeon rome around the apartment or room while I'm home. But, I would prefer it not get on furniture only to keep it from pooping on my couch. Is the mess they make problematic for you?

[Victor]

Aside from flying, pigeons like to perch and wander about as well. Some people provide a basic brick at the bottom, others build ledges for them to "rest" on.Mine seems to be happy with a rough (but safe..no sharpies) tree branch cut to fit into his "quarters".There are pigeon buildings and cages that can be purchased or built and can be found in our resource section, or just type what you are looking for in the short cuts tab SEARCH at the top of this page and it will take you to places or links that will help.My wife and I are going to build a two pigeon type mini-loft in our back yard with plans that are found in this very forum! Right now Tooter is living in modified housing.It is simply a medium sized parrot cage and a medium sized pet carrier put together and secured with two bungie cords to insure saefty for him.The door to the dog carrier was removed and the bird cage door wired in the open position.Inside he has a couple of bird bell toys that he enjoys beating up and two vanity mirrors so he can argue with himself ! Some pet owners have bought large rabbit cages and modified them.Large parrott cages are of course available with an opening and perch on top for periods that the bird roams the room, but can be costly and if you later decide to get a companion for your pigeon as we are doing, then that may be too small for the both of them, while one bult can be enlarged or modified if you a half way decent with a hammer.

We allow Tooter out for two hours a day, many times his free time is indoors if the weather is bad outside.Now that it is Spring, he spends it outdoors while I am working in the yard.I feed him AFTER his flight time is over to insure he does not get overly happy and expand his horizons!By the way, I invite you to read the thread,"TOOTER'S ADVENTURE"! Pigeons do like to strut around on the ground especially when looking for grit and "ground food" Wild bird food is appropriate to use, but many owners prefer the Supreme dove and Pigeon mix.Recently there was a discussion here on the many tasty treats that their pigeons eat.Some feed them raw uncooked peanuts and uncooked pop corn, but mine snubs his beak at both !It depends on the personality, you know, just like you! I may like onions on my burger but you may not.

I personally do not believe in clipping a pijjies wing.There was a discussion on this recently as well.Check out,"To clip or not to clip"There is a section here dedicated to bird proofing your home for the indoor variety pets.Personnally, I let him fly in the living room where I can keep a safe eye on him.The kitchen is one of the most dangerous places a bird can be alowed to roam, especially when you are cooking.Another factor to consider is whether you have a dog or a cat especially.Cats can imbed a poison which is in their saliva which is deadly to birds and must then be treated.Do you have ceiling fans? Another hazard.These and many more things are listed in that section.A pigeon can be "acclimitized" to its surroundings indoors after a few weeks.My pigeon has his favorite hangouts whether indoors or out in the backyard.

There may be "wild lazy pigeons" in your neighborhood but I am sure if you see them in the morning or before dusk, their flight formations are a wonder to behold!

[Victor]

Well, unless you have the time to keep an eagle eye your pet and try and wipe up his "instant mess~eges " you can can train it not to perch on your furniture.We go through a lot of newspapers that my co-workers save for me . I prefer to wait til the droppings harden, and you can just very easily pick them up and dispose of them. I would wipe up the droppings off the hardwood floor right way, though if properly sealed and coated, it should not be a problem for the floor.We keep newspapers ON the bunk beds in the spare bed room where Tooter's mobile quarters are kept and a durable plastic wrap on top of the toy box when he is loose in there.

When you clean up after your pet, use the economy plastic gloves and/or wash your hands well.

[mrwhatsit]

The problematic part is that I share my apartment with a roommate--one who I'm sure wouldn't be too happy with pigeon poo on his bed or closet. I suppose the easiest thing for me would be to only allow the pij outside his cage unsupervised in my bedroom, and to supervise him ourside my room (which shouldn't be hard... I can sit on the couch and see almost the entire main area of the apartment.

Another situation that might come up is that my roommate has a cat, but right now it lives with his mother. He may be having it shipped to us soon. Does anyone have any experience with a cat + pigeon combo? I assume they should never be allowed in the same room even though it's a very well trained cat, but would it drive a pigeon "crazy" to only be allowed to roam around my bedroom (using the closed door to keep the cat out and the bird in)?

Also vdog, I couldn't find the page about bird proofing a house. Would another article I find on the 'net about general bird proofing work for pigeons too, or do pigeons have any special requirements?

Thanks so much.

[Victor]

Please make sure that your room mate agrees to sharing your joint space with a pet pigeon.I would hate to see a different problem arising from this. If it agreed on that certainly helps as far as procuring a pigeon and setting up housekeeping for your feathered one.

If your room mate has to have a cat please keep your pigeon in the separate room most definately. and contained in his cage.DO NOT TRUST THE CAT UNDER NO CONDITIONS to be with the bird alone even if you are there with them both.My dog and cat were here long before my pigeon came into our lives and I am cautious especially with my cat.They get along fine to the point that my cat ignors him when he is in his quarters, but I still would NOT him. I have heard a member or two cliam that their pigeon and cats gets along fine, and if that is the case, then that is great , though uniquely unusual, I would not chance it!

There is one thread I want you to check.It concerns indoor bird dangers. Go to the SEARCH tab again and enter Toxic and then click.It will take you to a forum where useful information is found.It is titled,"The dangers of toxic teflon..."

[Victor]

QUOTE:

Oh yea, and are they any messier than more traditional pet birds? I know many a pet bird who liked to throw his feed out of the cage. I read this somewhere, but I'd like to verify: is it true that pigeons are generally less noisy and don't usually bite?
REPLY:
A more traditional bird, such as a parakeet, can be a messier eater. They eat the inside seed and spit out the shell in a very rapid-fire method! Pigeons will consume what they like first. Most pigeons will attack the black sunflower seeds and then check out the other grains for later. There are some then too that will not touch a certain seed or grain unless maybe their lives depended on it!

Pigeons, especially the male ones will do a lot of coo-ing,especially in the morning, and yes sometimes ours wakes us up especially if I don't close the drapes and cover his cage. They do "love bite" as I like to call it. They veiw the hand as a separate entity from the rest of your body.Mine sits on my arm, head and shoulders a lot(I think he loves me ) but he will "talk to the hand!" It really does not hurt.


Thank you for doing the responsible thing and doing research on the bird before actually getting one. I applaud you for that.Again, welcome! There is a wealth of information here on Pigeon~Talk and sometimes we just "share" or "have fun!"

[alaska]

Hi Mrwhatsit,
Welcome to Pigeon-talk
First step as vdog505 has already suggested, make sure your roommate gives the ok on sharing the 'shared space' with your pet pigeon, it would be terrible if you had any dissagreements in the future about this when you already have your pet.
You may also be interested in finding out more about the feeding requirements and care of pigeons, it really is fairly easy as long as you stick to the basics, if you have a pet feed store local to you they usually supply a specific 'pigeon feed' that has the right level of protien for them, mainly it consists of wheat, milo and corn. Also you will need to purchase 'pigeon grit', this grit is red in color (not grey) and supplies minerals plus helps the pigeons crush up there meal in their crop (They eat seeds whole and crush them up using the grit). Also fresh water everyday is very important.
If you would like to checkout my site it has pictures of the feed and grit plus it has many links on pigeons, there are a few there about pigeon care that extend on the above information.:
http://www.woftamplace.com/cecil/
Good luck, keep us updated and welcome to the fantastic world of pigeons

Oh, BTW, all of my pigeons have taken a disliking to wheat!!, everytime I feed them all that is left in the bottom of the feed tray is a bunch of wheat, how strange that they all choose not to eat this

[Lin Hansen]

Hi Alaska,

Very nice site you have there...I enjoyed looking it over. Glad you didn't forget to include jealous Alex! LOL

Linda

[alaska]

Thanks Linda, it's great to get some feedback on it.
Initially it was just a page showing some pictures of my first pidge Cecil.
Then it grew to a few pages, then added some links, updated here and there,
Whalaaa...Alaska's Loft!
Within the next few days I am going to be getting another APT to mate with Cecil, so the site just keeps getting bigger and better... oh, and I would never have heard the end of it (literally, alex talks)...if I didn't include him aswell

I have only had pigeons for about a month....goes to show what can happen Mrwhatsit...be warned it's very addictive and they are beautiful animals!

[Victor]

Alaska, Wow! I went on the visit and really enjoyed your page.The way you briefly described the food they eat as an example and provided pictures of what it looks lihe was great.A picture is worth a thousand words does hold true! I have an ALEX too.He is about seven years old but is of the human specie .Once he learned how to talk, we haven't been able to get him to shut up!!!! And you are so very right about the addiction to pigeons.Another possible term might be "pija~holic?"