Pigeon's as pets?

[madanesor]

Hello,
I am madanesor, I am new here, and just looking into pigeons as pets. I am not sure though-

first off, are they freindly, affectionate? Do they like to sit on you? Or are they more to watch, and not interact with?

If you buy one, how do you teach it to come back home if you let it out if you buy an adult? Is there any way? Or do you have to keep it inside?

Can you keep a pigeon in a bird cage inside, or do they need a loft outside?

What is the best breed for someone that just wants a good pet, maybe that they can let fly out side and come back home?
Thanks!
Madanesor

[AZWhitefeather]

Hello & Welcome.

Pigeons make wonderful pets.
Unless you are looking for a specific breed, you might want to consider adopting a pigeon. There are so many that need good homes.

You can keep a pigeon inside in a bird cage as long as it's large enough for the bird to be comfortable & allowed to free fly at times inside to get some execise. You can also keep a pigeon outside as long as their living quarters are predator proof.

My pigeons are all rescued non-releasables & live inside in a large aviary. I have no experience with homing pigeons, but the experts in that field will be able to help you out.

Others will also be along to share their 'pigeon' experiences with you.

Cindy

[Pigeonpal2002]

Originally Posted by madanesor

Hello,
I am madanesor, I am new here, and just looking into pigeons as pets. I am not sure though-


Thanks!
Madanesor

Hi Madanesor,

I think you need to ask yourself some questions; How many pigeons are you looking to keep? What is your interest in them...homing ability, beauty, tameness? Where do you prefer and want to keep them, indoors or outside?

Pigeons do make wonderful pets but it really does depend on what you expect from one. If you have expectations then choosing the wrong breed can make some new owners unhappy. Some pigeons are very skittish, nervous, timid and remain that way all their lives. Others seem to adjust much easier and quicker. A single bird or a pair raised inside will likely be easier to tame than keeping a larger number in an outdoor loft.

Homing pigeons are the only pigeons that you would want to trust to be able to return home. But with saying that, I don't recommend free flying one or two birds only.

Ring neck doves make great starter "pigeons" for many people, I believe. They can be raised indoors, don't require a lot of space, and are usually very tame already. They are very pretty to look at and also very hardy, entertaining and sweet birds

Cindy brought up a good point about adoption though, whether it's a dove or a pigeon

[andinla]

needing a home on here. I have a street (feral) pigeon I rescued and he is a great friend. If you don't have a lot of time to spend with it ? I would then say adopt two of them to keep each other company.. My pigeon stay's in a big cage during the day in our patio gazebo and at night comes in and flys around for a couple of hours and then goes to sleep in a large dog carrier (travel cage) that sits on a large table...

My dogs & cats don't mind him flying by, but I never leave them alone together in the same room

Andi

[madanesor]

Do they leave dropping all over the place if you let them fly around?

[Trees Gray]

Originally Posted by madanesor

Do they leave dropping all over the place if you let them fly around?

They will leave droppings wherever they are allowed to go, but it is easily cleaned up with only a few pigeons. Pigeons will usually find a favorite place to roost and that is where they will poo the most, once that is established you can lay newspapers there.

Some of our members with pet pigeons have flightsuits for their birds that fly freely. I'm sure they will be along to explain in more detail.

[Hamza]

Well, I'm not that experienced but i have 2 indian fantails and they are as good a pet as any other animal....

They are in a cage 3' X 5' in my baclony on the 4th floor. They have no predators around... IN the beginning they were quite scared but now they dont have a problem of feeding off my hand though they still do not like being grabbed!

They dont eat kilos of feed but 1 kilo should last u 3-4 weeks for a pair. I feed them in the afternoon 12 and evening 5.30...sunset is 6.15 pm...
I've found that feed can get u close to them...

I allow free time for 30 mins in an empty room with a few perches... And believe my they poop so much that you wont know where its all coming from! But cleaning is easy and they mostly poop in their cage (phew!)

Apart from that, they're amazing and one is surprised by their cuteness, boldness, shyness, proudness, adventurenes, and many other nesses!

[Pidgey]

Their personalities do vary. Usually, they seem to follow their family's traits. It seems to me that friendly pigeons have friendly children. It's easy for them to be friendly when they're youngsters in the nest, but their real personalities will come out when they get older, especially if they're in a loft setting. I have a few birds out in the loft that will stand on my hand when I'm feeding them safflower seeds, a couple who may fly over to me and demand that I feed them safflower seeds. We had one once who loved sitting on Lin's lap and being petted.

Pidgey

[madanesor]

So... how freindly are they... do they like to be held? would this: http://toronto.kijiji.ca/c-pets-acce...QQAdIdZ9210937 be an OK cage for them to be in most the day... just one pigeon in here?

[Maggie-NC]

That is a nice looking cage and should be very adequate to house your pigeon.

[Hillybean]

Hello,
I got my pet pigeon in August of 2006. I also wasn't sure about what to expect. You hear often about how certain animals make great pets and then it turns out not being true for you.

I got my MP and he truely is a GREAT pet pigeon. He loves to cuddle, be petted, fed by hand and interacted with. He'll fall asleep while I hold and pet him (goes into a nesting position and everything). He nuzzles my finger, which is very cute and flies to me.

He is housed in a home made cage, indoors. He's let out to fly around daily and is sometimes taken to work with me. I use old sheets on the furniture when he's out. Now that he's 7 months old, he'll be getting his flight suit very soon. He doesn't poop all over the place, mainly in certain locations and more through out the night and right after eating. I have had other indoor ''pet'' birds in the past that were worse.

He is a Mookee pigeon, which (from what I've been told) is an already pretty tame breed. He was also hand fed by his breeder, which ( I would think) makes a little bit of a difference. This breed has NO homing instinct and if let outside to fly would be lost.

He reminds me alot of a very tame parrot (or/and other birds), but with out the hook/big beak.

-hilly