Found pigeon near Stillwater, MN

[Mominator]

Hello - We've found a very friendly banded pigeon. We think its a rock pigeon. He's now hanging out in our garage, eating and drinking well. We put a small heater in the garage because he was shivering (it's below freezing here). This is his band number: SG 07 712506 AG. It doesn't conform to any of the numbers I've found online. Can you help us find out where he belongs? Thank you!

[TAWhatley]

This is an AGSG bird, and we will not be able to locate the owner. The AGSC "company" went out of business, and we have no way to trace the band.

Welcome to Pigeon-Talk, by the way, and thank you so much for assisting this pigeon.

Please do not release the bird .. it doesn't know how to fend for itself. If you are interested in adopting the bird, that would be great, and if not, please let us know, and we will help you find a home for it.

I'm going to move your post to the AGSG forum. You can read some of the background about these birds in the AGSG area. It's a very sad story.

Terry

[TAWhatley]

Here's a link (with more links) regarding the AGSG birds: http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/f46/em...ded-29054.html

Terry

[Mominator]

Thanks for the info ~ very sad story! The other part of our story is that we live near a hunt club where a lot of people train their dogs - so I wanted to be careful about finding his owner as I don't really endorse using birds as bait so to speak.

I'm not so sure about keeping him - we have 3 cats and a dog, and 5 chickens we are trying to find a home for (long story).

[TAWhatley]

The bird may well have escaped from the hunt club after being sold or given to them.

Please continue to keep the bird safe, and we'll help you find a home for it if that is what you would like to do. Not sure I can be of much help with the chickens, but we do have members here that are well versed in chicken things and might be able to help.

This is a good chicken board: http://www.backyardchickens.com/ .. you might want to post about the chickens there.

Terry

[Mominator]

OK, I will keep him safe.

I really know nothing about pigeons - do people keep them indoors? Do they need exercise? Will they get lonely without pigeon friends? Will they slowly go insane as the cats secretly torment them ?

[TAWhatley]

Why don't you e-mail a fellow named Arty at tallship30@yahoo.com .. he's a pigeon rescuer in Coon Rapids. He may be able to help you out with this pigeon and may also know of some local chicken rescue folks.

Yes, people do keep pigeons indoors .. outdoors (but safely confined) as well. They do need either time out of their cage or a big enough cage to fully extend and flap their wings without hitting the sides of the cage. Pigeons do better with another pigeon for a companion, but they also can become very tame and will view a human as their significant other! Don't know about insanity from cat "attentions" BUT the cats might be in for a big surprise. Check out the posts from Mr Squeaks here .. he pretty much rules the cats in his home!

Terry

[Mominator]

What I'm trying to ask is this, is it reasonable to keep a pigeon in a cage indoors where cats also live, and it will get no exercise for months (until spring)?
Thank you~
Cheryl

[TAWhatley]

Originally Posted by Mominator

What I'm trying to ask is this, is it reasonable to keep a pigeon in a cage indoors where cats also live, and it will get no exercise for months (until spring)?
Thank you~
Cheryl

Depends on the size of the cage and how safe the bird really is from the cats. Pigeons are very adaptable birds and if given even moderately adequate housing, they will do fine. Obviously, they need fresh water and food daily. If the cats are just around coexisting and not threatening the pigeon, all will be well. While it would be better if the bird could have some flying time .. the bottom line .. alive, safe, and well fed and cared for trumps exercise in my book especially since this is a domestic and non-releasable bird.

Terry

[Mominator]

Thanks, I read some great threads about pigeons and cats in the same household. I'll talk to the rest of the family and we'll see where we go from here!

Cheryl

[Mominator]

Two of the three are fairly young cats with all the curiosity that goes with youth. Then again, I loved the thread that talked about cats realizing the bird is part of the family when they see it is cared for by the humans.

[spirit wings]

Originally Posted by Mominator

Two of the three are fairly young cats with all the curiosity that goes with youth. Then again, I loved the thread that talked about cats realizing the bird is part of the family when they see it is cared for by the humans.

Also, it is ok to let your cats know what behaviors you will not tolerate, they can learn too...just make sure the cage has bars that they can not get their paws/claws in to grab the bird. and I would keep them at a distance, if they are staring at him it might make him feel nervouse. also don't tust them when no one is home...my cat knows not to get on the counter when Im there, but I know she does it when Im not there...sneaky buggers...

[Mominator]

I think we're going to try to keep him. We have him in an old guinea pig cage in in the house, in a room by himself for now. He still seems to be eating and drinking, but is droppings seem quite wet today - maybe he's stressed from getting caught and being put in new surroundings?

[TAWhatley]

Originally Posted by Mominator

I think we're going to try to keep him. We have him in an old guinea pig cage in in the house, in a room by himself for now. He still seems to be eating and drinking, but is droppings seem quite wet today - maybe he's stressed from getting caught and being put in new surroundings?

Good for you, Mominator! The bird probably IS stressed, but it is also probably suffering from some degree of deprivation from fending for itself. I would suggest giving it a few days with good food, fresh water, and a quiet environment. If the poops don't look better in a day or two, then we need to explore other avenues.

Terry

[Mominator]

Sounds good. I'll get back to you with any news!