PIGEON IN A CAGE. SHOULD I LET HIM OUT?

[KIPPY]

HE WAS AROUND 2 WEEKS OLD WHEN I FOUND HIM, 6 MONTHS LATER. EVERYDAY I LET OR SOMETIMES TAKE HIM OUT OF THE CAGE TO BE A BIRD OUT OF A CAGE. RECENTLY HE TOOK OFF AND WAS GONE FOR 3 DAYS. I WAS GOING CRAZY WONDERING WHERE HE IS OR IF HE FLEW INTO A BAD DEAL, LIKE A CAT. HE LOOKED PRETTY WIPED OUT WHEN HE GOT BACK. IS IT RIGHT NOT TO LET HIM OUT? WHAT IS A ROOMY SIZE CAGE FOR A PIGEON? THE ONE I HAVE NOW IS 5 1\2 FEET HIGH AND 4 FT IN WIDTH.

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[Feefo]

Hello,

Hi Kippy, and welcome! Your cage sounds quite roomy to me. Pigeons and doves benefit from some free flight time during the day, but it need not be outside. I have two pigeons and a dove loose in the bedroom at the moment. The will fly around a bit but quite often go back to their cage voluntarily when they want a rest. They poop. but it is easy to clean up after them, and the mess is minimised by placing something like kitchen roll under their favorite perches.

Cynthia

[KIPPY]

HIS CAGE IS OUT SIDE NEXT TO THE PATIO DOOR. HE CAN SEE US AND WE CAN SEE HIM. I BUILT THE CAGE IT IS NOT A PROFESSIONAL JOB LOOKING CAGE. WE HAVE NO ROOM IN THE HOUSE FOR A CAGE THAT BIG. I ALSO HAVE 3 DOGS. I PUT 2 OF THE DOGS IN THE HOUSE WHEN I LET HIM OUT. THEY GET TOO EXCITED AND THINK HE IS SOMETHING TO PLAY WITH. I WAS THINKING ABOUT CLOSING IN THE PATIO OR BUILD A BIGGER CAGE OUT ON THE PATIO. I JUST DON'T KNOW WHERE TO START. I'M NOT THE CARPENTER. I'M ON MY THIRD CAGE. IF I WOULD HAVE KNOW WHAT I WAS GETTING INTO. I AM PLANNING ON LETTING HIM OUT TODAY AND I PRAY HE DOES NOT FLY AWAY. HE LIKES TO BATHE AND I THINK HE NEEDS ONE. THE FLEA AND LICE THING IS STARTING TO FREAK ME OUT.

[AZWhitefeather]

Hello Kippy, Welcome to Pigeons.com

If you have had the pigeon inside since you found him, he is most likely becoming, or has become, domesticated. If this is the case, he won't fare well in the wild.

Was you original plan to keep him as a pet or release him when he was old enough?

The reason I ask is because I live in Tempe as well. We live on a lake & have a flock of about 80 pigeons that come by twice a day to eat. I'm quite sure a good many of them live in the palm trees in our yard. A year ago this flock consisted of about 20 members & has grown considerably. The food & atmosphere must appeal to them. lol.

If you had considered releasing him, you are welcome to do so with my flock. Some of my 'regulars' have been coming around for a year.

As long as the cage is big enough for him to spread his wings, he should be OK.

Please keep us posted on how your sweet pij is doing.
Cindy

[AZWhitefeather]

I just noticed you mentioned 'Fleas & lice'. If you suspect your pij has one or both, you can purchase some flea & lice spray from PetCo, WalMart, etc. or you can purchase 'Sevin Dust Powder' from most local garden shops, again WalMart,KMart, etc. When using either products, make certain you cover your pijjie's head & face.

Do you have a fairly good size bowl that you can place in the cage for pij to bathe in? Yes, in deed, they do love to take a bath.

If there might be anything I can help with regarding a cage, etc. please let me know.
Cindy

[KIPPY]

MY ATTITUDE AT FIRST WAS IF HE DECIDES TO FLY AWAY THATS HIS CHOICE BUT I HAVE BECOME ATTACHED TO HIM. IT SEEMS THE MORE HE TAKES OFF THE MORE HE CHANGES. I LET HIM OUT TODAY AND HE DID TAKE OFF BUT HE DID COME BACK. WHAT ABOUT NEXT TIME THOUGH? I GAVE HIM A BATH. HE LIKES THE SPRAY FROM WHEN I HOSE DOWN THE PATIO AND HE HAS A BOWL HE JUMPS INTO. I DON'T THINK HE HAS ANY FLEAS OR ANYTHING BUT WHEN HE WAS GONE FOR 3 DAYS WHO KNOWS. I WANTED TO TAKE PRECAUTIONS WITH A SPRAY. I REALLY WOULD LIKE TO BUILD A BIGGER CAGE. WE HAVE 8 PALM TREES IN OUR BACK YARD AND ALOT OF PIGEONS. WHEN KIPPY GETS IN THE MIX I DONT KNOW WHICH ONE IS HIM. WHAT IT COMES DOWN TO I FEEL BAD KEEPING HIM IN A CAGE BUT I DONT WANT TO LET HIM GO.DOES THIS SOUND CRAZY OR WHAT?

[maryco]

Hello,

A pigeon who has been taken care of by a human from 2 weeks old can be a pet, I'm sure he would prefer to stay with you than go outside.

I get pigeons who are 25 days old and they don't want to leave, don't worry about it, I'm going to post something about basic pet pigeon needs that might come in handy.

Mary

[maryco]

Pigeons make wonderful pets and are pretty easy to care for, here are some basic things that pigeons need:

1. Fresh water (I usually change it twice a day)

2. A pigeon mix either from a supply store or you can make your own by buying some seeds from a bulk store and mixing them (Pigeons like things like Milo, whole white or green peas, whole corn, millet, safflower, raw peanuts (NOT salted or dry roasted)..etc.

3. Pigeon grit (Not gravel from a pet shop) you can get red cross grit from a feed supply store, it contains crushed oyster shells and is a good source of calcium.
Also you can offer him chopped cuttle bone and crushed egg shells.

4. If your bird is an indoor pet he will need a vitamin and mineral powder that goes in the water since he won't be able to produce any vitamin D3 without direct sunlight, so you can buy a supplement from a pet shop.

Housing:

A nice cage will do, the pigeon should be able to stretch out both wings and still have some room. Pigeons don't really like round perches so you can get a flat perch.
The droppings should be cleaned once a day to keep the cage clean and the pigeon healthy.

You can add ACV (Apple cider vinegar) to the water once a week, this helps keep the bird healthy also.
The dose is 1/4 cup or alittle less per gallon of fresh water.

Also once or twice a week you can offer the pijjie a shallow pan filled with water to bath in, pigeons love baths and it's so fun to watch them splash around too!

If you have any questions please post them here..


p.s We have a memeber (Julie) who builds beautiful cages, if you need any help I'm sure she would be able to offer you some advice.

[AZWhitefeather]

Hello,
Your backyard sounds like ours. We have 4 palm trees which house many pigeons.

*MY ATTITUDE AT FIRST WAS IF HE DECIDES TO FLY AWAY THATS HIS CHOICE BUT I HAVE BECOME ATTACHED TO HIM.*

Whitefeather was about the age Kippy was when she fell from one of the palm trees, I felt as you, although I have become attached to her, if she decided to fly free, then that is what she is supposed to do & she did.

*WHAT IT COMES DOWN TO I FEEL BAD KEEPING HIM IN A CAGE BUT I DONT WANT TO LET HIM GO.DOES THIS SOUND CRAZY OR WHAT?*

This does not sound crazy at all.
However, there are certain risks a pigeon encounters if it has been 'hand raised', if you will, and then allowed to fly free. They aren't as street smart as the 'pro' ferals.

I think each of us has to do what we think is right. Some members allow their pigeons to fly free, some don't. It's a tough call. Kippy very well may stick around the house. Then again, he may find a mate & move on. It does sound like he is pretty content to stay at home.

Unfortunately, I learned the hard way with Whitefeather. While she was gone for a few days, she got into something & became quite ill, but was able to get back home to me & I was able to hold & comfort her for about 10 minutes before she passed away. She was a true sweetheart.

Please keep us posted on how Kippy is doing.
Cindy

[turkey]

It may make you and your pigeon feel better if you got him a mate. Then you could keep him in his cage instead of letting him out. Your cage sounds roomy. I don't know if you mentioned perches, but you could add a small shelf on each side of the cage so he can fly back and forth.

But, if you are going to continue to let him loose, then I wouldn't really recommend getting him/her a mate because you would most likely get a domestic pigeon that would NOT survive when let loose.

Julie

I think you should keep your pigeon in the cage. Since it's a half year old now, it's gotten used to being a pet and it won't learn how to protect itself.

However, you've decided to let your bird be free. There is something you should do first.

Have you been feeding the flock that lives around your house? If not, start doing it now, and don't let your bird out again til they are used to coming down into your yard. Then, wait til all the birds are near your patio before you let yours go.

That way, your pijjy will be more likely to make friends and join the flock. And it will be easier for you to pick out which one is yours.

Al

[KIPPY]

I WEIGHED OUT THE PROS AND CONS AND KIPPY IS STAYING HERE AND I'M GOING TO BUILD A BIGGER CAGE.
THANK YOU, TO EVERYONE FOR YOUR HELP,
KIM

[BillC]

So many opinions..well here goes mine. I also rescued a baby feral Pij about a year ago. I keep him in a large parrot cage in my back yard. I let him go everyday. He returns everyday. I enjoy watching him fly, he's awesome. Sometimes he's gone for hours and sometimes he just turns around and comes back in immediately. I give him a physical everyday. Sometimes he comes back with pigeons flies. I physically remove them. If he has feather lice I spray him with mite and lice spray for birds. I know you care for him,but don't worry ,I guarantee you he's moved in with you permanently.Good luck.

[maryco]

I think you made the right choice, keep us posted!

Mary

[Trees Gray]

Hi Kim,

You mentioned that you let your pigeon out and he took off for three days, and again he went out and came back quicker. From my standpoint, I think he has "homed" with you. As the owner of homing pigeons, we train our youngsters at about 6 to 8 weeks. When we first let them out some of them are gone for two or three days, and after that they usually come home quicker. You have an offical homing pigeon, who will return to you faithfully.

After they have gone out and *routed a few times they pretty much start coming back earlier. You shouldn't have to worry about wether he will come back or not, anymore. *"Routing" is what young birds do when they first go out, they are gone for a couple of hours, taking mental pictures of where they are in relationship to your place. One day they will go South, the next they will go North, until they have circled the whole perimeter of your neighborhood.

If you continue to let him out, make it early in the day, before the hawks arise, and make sure he has NOT eaten. He will then come back much quicker...and yes, it would be nice for him to have a few more pigeons to fly around with, are you willing to train some more? They are safer flying in a group and he will not be lonely. Pigeons are social creatures. Also, make sure he goes in the cage or aviary right away, as soon as he lands. Only you can make the decision to fly or not, because there can be some unforseen dangers. I have been very careful with mine, and haven't lost one to a predator, yet. Treesa