Sophie Update

[nbdyuknow]

Hi everyone,

Thanks again for all of your help with Sophie. She certainly has come a long way since that frightened, soaked pigeon I found in a cardboard box on a park bench one rainy night.

Sophie spends her days mainly like this: Her house is in our dining room, right next to a giant picture window that gets a lot of morning sun. She basks in the sun and around 7am, I deliver her breakfast of seeds. Depending on her mood, she gives me a warm greeting or tries to separate my hand from the rest of my arm. After she is done eating and drinking, she wants to join me, so off we go to my office, where she either sits in the window looking out and feeling the breeze, on the back of my chair (pecking my neck when she gets bored), on the desk causing trouble or (her present favorite) on my lap cooing and pecking me when I stop petting her. (see photo).

I leave the roasting pan out on the windowsill of my office and freshen the water every day in case she decides to take a bath. Maybe once a week she does, and then she splashes water all over and looks like a little drowned rat until she goes to sit in the sun to dry.

During the day she also get numerous snacks of safflower and hemp seeds (her favorites) from the handy container on my desk. All I have to do is pick it up and she comes running as fast as her little legs will carry her. Around 7pm it's time for fresh water and another helping of dinner seeds in her home. If we are eating dinner in the dining room, she stands on her brick watching us, and then eats at the same time. Otherwise, she rests on her towel and looks out the window.

After dinner, I usually bring her back to the office for more "help" while I am working. "More help" typically turns out being her pooping on my lap and getting more safflower and hemp seeds. When I finally put her back in her home, she usually is pretty tired. However, if I walk through the dining room, she runs to the corner of her home and tries to follow me. I leave soft music on for her for company and turn out the lights. I think that even though she is an "only pigeon" and limited to indoors-only, she is pretty happy. She is very affectionate and bright.

I am glad to be able to share my home with her, and thank you all again for all of your helpful advice and this vital forum to share information.

Thanks,

Bill & Sophie

[kittypaws]

What a lovely life your pigeon is leading.

You are so very kind to give her such a great home and to adore her so much and she is absolutely gorgeous!!

Tania xx

[Maggie-NC]

Bill, I enjoyed reading your update about the beautiful Sophie. Sounds like she is leading a great life with you and your family. She was a lucky little pij to have been found by you that day. And, you were lucky too.

[mr squeaks]

A TRUE LOVE MATCH, INDEED!

I, too, have a house-bound (actually, apartment) pij...but he isn't nearly as affectionate as Sophie! You are blessed!

Of course, Squeaks is a character in his own right, but Sophie sounds like such a LOVE!

Squeaks also LOVES his Safflowers AND, especially, the Hemp seeds!

Wishing you both LOVE, HUGS and SCRITCHES

We will also look forward to future updates!

Oh, btw, have you considered one of Boni Bird's pijie diapers for Sophie? No more poop on the lap...

Shi

[Charis]

Lovely story.
It's a lucky person to have the love and devotion of a pigeon. I hope you two have many more years together. You might think about investing in a couple of poop capes.

[Trees Gray]

Hi Bill,

I'm so happy to hear Sophie is doing so well. She is gorgeous!

If I may be so bold...may I point out an area of concern. We have had some birds on our forum having problems with their livers and other health issues because of too much fat in the diet over the years. I REALLY didn't want to bring this up, but I know you love her like crazy and that is why I am bringing this up-to avoid any heartache.

A good pigeon mix is the best for our pigeons, and I myself have had to catch myself from overfeeding my pets their favorite treats of peanuts and safflower, hemp and sunflower seeds. It is only when I saw their watery poo's that I realized by pampering them I was really hurting them in the long run. That and a sedentary lifestyle could be a lethal mix. I figured out there was a reason why sunflower and/or safflower seeds are only 2 percent of the mix, because that is all the percent they need of their diet-the experts who make these pigeon mixes, they kNOW it.

Pigeons will overeat on what they like, if we give them the chance, but it is not good for them, the pigeon mix gives the variety and nutrition they need.
You should allow her to clean up her pigeon mix, just by providing a tablepoon of it per meal, then you can give her a tiny treat once in a while.

You can also give another treat of carrots, kale, endive, even a little spinach-(make sure it is all washed thoroughly) to satisfy their need for variety and help keep them healthy at the same time, and just a little will go along way.

[nbdyuknow]

Hi,

Thanks to everyone who wrote a reply. Thanks also for underscoring the importance of nutrition to pigeons. I admit that I do give Sophie safflower and hemp seeds as "snacks." Her diet is standard pigeon mix that I purchase premade at Belmont Feed & Seed. She still refuses to eat the peas, but the owner said she probably would begin to eat those morein the cooler months and winter. I feed Sophie a small handful of seeds in the morning, and another small handful around 7pm. She does not eat all the seeds immediately, sometimes she eats right away and other times she waits. I have used the same technique with my dog, who is now 13 and a half for the entire time I have had him. He doesn't wolf down his food as soon as I put it in his bowl, since he knows there is plenty. He also only eats enough, but not too much to gain weight. The safflower and hemp seeds are "candy" to pigeons, and, as such, should be served accordingly. I would never let a pigeon (or dog, or child, for that matter) eat a whole meal of "candy."

Since stumbling upon Sophie, I have scoured every available type of information on pigeon care (including this excellent forum!). As with my dog, I take the responsibility of caring for an animal very seriously, and you can rest assured I will do my very best to balance appropriate care and judicious application of "treats" with the understandable desire to spoil that little monster completely rotten.

I thank you for your concern and desire to help me, and please continue to offer advice, both to my queries and when you see something I may (or may not) be doing to make Sophie's life as healthy and comfortable as possible. I sincerely intend to share the next 20 years or so with her, hopefully with the very much appreciated and able assistance of my (virtual) friends here at Pigeon Talk.

Thanks,

Bill B. & Sophie

[flitsnowzoom]

Sophie looks so contented and she is certainly a lovely bird. You can tell she feels loved, protected, and secure. What a great match.

[sandy51955]

Your Sophie's actions remind so much of my Bird's! He did all those same things, including "helping" in the office. And he was so funny to watch when he would run after us. I wish now that I had kept my Bird inside! Good luck with Sophie and have a long, happy relationship!
Sandy

[maryjane]

What a lovely bird Sophie is. I too have a Sophie, but she is gray and red. You are all very lucky to have each other, and have so many years ahead to look forward to together.