HELP! We can't stop the cooing

[rockerdove]

We took in our homing pigeon after it was attacked by a hawk and survived by getting trapped between a fence and a statue. She is fearful of returning outdoors, and has been in a 3X5X4 foot cage in our bedroom, which she refuses to leave. She has been in this cage for the past six months, and in the next two months we would like to expand her environment to an 8X8X8 foot enclosure. We love her very much, but in the past few days she has been driving us nuts with her constant cooing. We don't know if the increased spring time lighting activates her mating behavior, or if it is something else causing it. First, we appointed her as a female, but we don't know what her gender is. She is extremely attached to my girlfriend and used to coo to call her into the room, but now she coos continuously even in her presence. Our behavior includes watching television until 11pm, and often chatting after midnight. If my girlfriend and I decide to make love in her presence she grunts and becomes aggressive. Does anyone know what causes a pigeon to coo continuously. Can excess lighting, lack of sufficient sleep, our sexual behavior, or even my girlfriend's current menstruation trigger this new behavior? Thank you for any advice you can offer us.

[Crazy Pete]

Wellcome to PT I'm not sure how to get her/him to stop, try giving her a mirror.
Dave

[Jay3]

Figure out the sex and get it a mate.

[Libis]

If all else fails, get it a hen. If your bird is a hen they will still get along well (and try to raise infertile eggs together) and if your bird is a cock they'll also be happy. You just don't want to put two cocks together, whatever you do. Then you would likely have lots of cooing and fighting to deal with.

[Jay3]

Originally Posted by Libis

If all else fails, get it a hen. If your bird is a hen they will still get along well (and try to raise infertile eggs together) and if your bird is a cock they'll also be happy. You just don't want to put two cocks together, whatever you do. Then you would likely have lots of cooing and fighting to deal with.

Great idea!

[Siobhan]

Birds make noise. It's just what they do. Yours has been through a terrible experience on top of everything else. If you can get her to come out of her cage -- leave the door open and put food she loves where she can see it so she'll be encouraged to come out and get some -- and play with her and let her explore the place. My Maggie coos more when she wants attention, but rarely when she's sitting on my lap being petted.

[spirit wings]

sounds like you have a male bird that thinks your girlfriend is his mate..so if you are going to give him a nice large area..then as said get him a hen..they are flock birds and are really not meant to be alone.

[Jay3]

Pigeons like pigeon companionship when possible. It would make him happier.

[Rev&George]

Hi, I know exactly what you're going through as my two pigeons do the same thing.

We have a male disabled feral pigeon, Elmo, who will coo a lot to get the attention of my husband (Elmo has decided that my husband is his mate) and he'll coo incessantly if my husband is in another room. Basically, Elmo is calling to his mate. If Elmo is near my husband he's usually quiet and sits down with contentment.

My female disabled feral pigeon, Georgie, on the other hand is generally quiet until she's sitting on my lap and then she'll coo a lot with happiness (since she's decided that I'm her mate). She'll sometimes coo continuously when on my lap and there's nothing I can do to stop her since she's expressing her joy in being with me.

Originally Posted by rockerdove

She is extremely attached to my girlfriend and used to coo to call her into the room, but now she coos continuously even in her presence.

Sounds like your pigeon has decided your girlfriend is his/her mate.

If you get a pigeon mate for your pigeon it may help with stopping the cooing a bit, however, pigeons coo to each other a lot too. It's just something they do and you cannot stop them really. I've heard pigeons in aviaries coo for hours, basically talking to each other.

It may be better, if you can, for you to build an outside aviary to keep your pigeon and its new mate in. That way you can still enjoy the company of your pigeon during the day and afternoon, but have them put in their own aviary in the evening for some peace and quiet. Hope this helps a bit.

[pdpbison]

Indeed, your Girlfriend needs to get into the Cage with him, crouch down, do some 'Moooo-ing', and, twitch her Arms, and encourage him to fly off and be bringing back Nesting Materials.

He will then be satisfied, and, stop cooing so much in calling her to get on with it.



Provide small fine Twigs, Broom Straw, Johnson Grass runners, dry Pine Needles and so on, for him to find here and there around the House, and which he can then present to her.

She then accepts these items glowingly, with 'Nods', and, tucks them underneath herself in a rustling sort of way.

[rockerdove]

Thank you all for your advice (this is the girlfriend of the original poster)...we were starting to think that our pigeon was male, but we found an egg in her cage today--i don't know much birds at all so i don't know if this is normal, obviously the egg cannot be fertile as she has been indoors since november. I think that we are to expect another egg in a day or two--is this correct? Am i to leave them in the cage with her? Will this happen every spring? I am so confused.

I would like to move this to another thread about nonfertile eggs. This bird came to us through an odd series off situations, we would not have chosen this path...her previous residence was not pleasant and she is afraid of other birds--she won't even let us touch her, so to expose her to another bird doesn't seem like the best idea for her, and i am very ill with lupus and taking care of one bird is already way too much for me. I am glad that my boyfriend found this forum because I am going to need a lot of advice. I would especially appreciate hearing from people who have single pigeons. Than you again for your friendly advice.

[Ross Howard]

Easy just don't have sex in front of your pigeon. I'd grunt & groan to if you had sex in front of me too. :-))

[Jay3]

You can leave the eggs with her until she gets tired of sitting on them and figures they aren't going to hatch. Then she will lay 2 more. They lay about every month! If you just take the eggs, she will replace them right away, and that isn't good for her, as she can deplete her system of calcium if she lays too often. Lots of us just replace the eggs with fake eggs that you can get at pigeon supply places like Foy's. Make sure she has straw or pine needles or something to build a nest with. And make sure she gets high calcium grit and crushed oyster shell for calcium. It's hard for a hen alone to have to sit on the eggs all day and night, without a mate to take some of the egg sitting duty. She may tire of it before the 18 days is up, which is how long it normally takes to hatch them.