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![]() Just adopted a rescue feral(?) pigeon – he won't let us near himHi! Granted it's only been about a day since we (two adults) adopted him. He had been living in an adoption center for a couple of months, which mostly cares for cats and dogs; I was told they didn't have avian experts. Before that, he was picked up on the street because it was apparent he had an injured wing. He looks healthy, is eating and drinking, and can fly a little (we had a little incident transferring him to his crate and he got away from us briefly) but it's clear there's still something wrong with one of his wings. He cooed a lot last night, and he flaps his wings a lot – a couple of times it really sounded like he was trying to get out and fly away.
Basically, he's afraid of hands. It really kills us to stress him out like this, but we need to do things like clean his crate, refresh his feed and water, etc. We can deal with wing slapping and pecking if it means keeping him alive, obviously! But I'd like to move on to things like bathing him, putting pants on him (so he can explore the place on his own), but I feel like I can't do those things until he at least tolerates my presence. He does have a blue band on his foot, but it's not clear if the adoption center put that on him or if he was found like that. Does that mean he was a racing or homing pigeon? And if so, doesn't that mean he should be used to people? I hope one day he loves us as much as we love him... does anyone have tips for how to get him to trust us? How long could this take? Might he be happier at an animal sanctuary, since he's an unsuitable candidate for release? Thank you!! P.S. I attached a picture of him from the adoption center. |
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Thank you for adopting the bird. Our first pigeon was a severely injured feral, Phoebe, who was nearly decapitated and had a broken wing. We got her fixed up. It took a few months for her to get really tame but she became a really tame family member. Patience and ground peanuts help. Pigeons dont need to be bathed but in warm weather will bathe themselves in a shallow dish of water. You can make friends by slowly letting the bird acclimate to his cage and not hurrying things.
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Well you could be right about the adoption centre putting the ring on. Had it been a stray racer, they could notify the owner, (which incidentally is taboo as the owners don't want them) and if they are returned are killed because they failed some obscure criterion! The rings are readily available on eBay. I ring my rescued ferals.
Get the bird into a routine. Did you say it was caged? I let mine wander around the bath room (it's easier to clean) with paper down and food and water. They do like to get on a perch, normally the taps or vanity cabinet and preferably with cover above. I often think they are born under a railway bridge and feel secure with a roof above them. I have a certain tune I whistle to them, to let them know I am approaching and I speak to them. It's about interacting and gaining confidence. I try not to touch them and only do so if I want to check them over. When I do they 'growl' hit me with a wing and I laugh and call them naughty boys. I'm hoping to release one soon, he has been with me over a year. Twice I've tried to release him, but he won't fly. The other, 'Top Gun' will never fly, alas, he broke his wing two years ago. Have fun with your new charge, it will be an experience. |
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If that is a metal band with no opening on the bird, which it does look like, at least in that picture, then the breeder of the bird put it on, as they have to be put on at around 5 to 7 days old. A clip on band is plastic and opens to be able to remove it. I don't think the place where you got the bird would have put it on him, as you said that they weren't really set up for birds anyway. And most of those places are not going to band a bird.
Also some racers don't want them back, that is true, but not all of them are that way. And it may have not been for racing anyway. Some birds do get lost or injured, and there are owners out there that want them back. Can you post a profile view of the bird? A good cage for him needs to be large enough for him to move around in, more wide than high, with flat perches, rather than a round branch like they gave him. And wide enough for him to be able to flap his wings. Some use the metal dog crates, a good sized bird flight cage, or a good sized rabbit cage works well.
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Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass........It's about learning to dance in the rain. Last edited by Jay3; 21st September 2018 at 04:59 PM.. |
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That ring will be numbered as a means of identity if it is a racer and the rescue would have been able to contact the owner.
If you would like to know what the pigeon racers get up to, message me and I'll give you the gory details. |
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The owners are not all that easy to get in contact with. Most people have no idea of how to track a band number. And many of the owners just don't get back to you.
Don't even know that it was a racer. What are the numbers on the band?
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Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass........It's about learning to dance in the rain. |
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Thanks all for your feedback, it is all well taken. And apologies for the late reply, it's been a busy day of supply shopping and an attempt at getting him (his name is Pippin) to bathe!
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I definitely don't like the idea of contacting this owner. I'm imagining a person who handled him very roughly, and the concept of racing is so cruel already. I'm not thrilled with his environment at the adoption center either. Pippin probably has a family and is feeling very lonely. I'd love to get him a companion if one day another pigeon needs a home, preferably a lady! I like the idea of letting him hang out in the bathroom more regularly, which we kinda did tonight. But even when we left him alone and returned, he didn't seem to go anywhere. I feel like he might only be flying in what he deems to be a serious emergency (getting away from mean hands). Otherwise, I'm not sure if he's up to it. ex. I left him in the bath tub with a casserole dish of water, and he did not enter, let alone leave the tub. Last edited by nindit; 21st September 2018 at 08:38 PM.. |
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It's not my intention to have these birds of mine as show-ponies, I want them to retain their feral instinct. It is different with baby birds, they are fully dependent on you and can quickly accept you as a surrogate parent. Introducing a friend to the bird initially causes problems. The resident may attack the interloper for invading its space. It's what I have seen myself. That band number is not a racing pigeon's identity. It would have letters in conjunction with the numerals. It's probably a breeder's number and somehow the bird escaped from what ever fate was intended for it. Is his wing showing signs of droop? As you point out, he is able to flap them. At this point-in-time, he is not going to be too interested in bathing, don't worry about that. As long as he is eating and drinking. I might ask: what is the condition of his stools? Also, does he fluff himself up and show lethargy? Pigeons carry diseases inimical to each other (not humans) given the close proximity in which they live. They may not readily show signs, however, at a later date a disease will manifest itself by way of tell-tale signs. There are many here that can tell you about precautionary checks, prevention better than cure, so-to-speak. Keep us updated won't you. |
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As I’m typing I have his crate open and some food and peanuts a few inches away in an attempt to entice him out, but so far no dice. Maybe I need to get out of his line-of-sight. I attached a zoomed-in profile picture of him. Apologies for the quality, but I don’t want to get too close yet. |
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Oops, I forgot to address his stool – it’s been all across the spectrum. It was initially great during the ride home, solid and dry, but it quickly became very watery out of fear, I’m afraid. Over the past 48 (I think?) hours at home generally they are solid with a watery sheen, with white and green and a bit of urine.
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Wow, breaking update – he hopped out of his cage, wandered maybe half a foot away, then stepped on his snack on the way back into his cage! He kindly left a little poo on the corner of the napkin I laid out. This entire moment lasted about 30 seconds.
Though as I’m typing this, he’s just stepped out again. So maybe he’s testing his boundaries? And he’s eating the peanuts!! |
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Sometimes they attempt to fly. albeit instinctively in a feeble attempt. I should not be able to catch any bird that can fly away and the fact that I am able to (without using any devices) tells me something is wrong with them. Generally these birds die in a short space of time, it seems I am retrieving them when they are close to death and beyond help. Looking at your bird, he looks bright and bold. |
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Tags |
feral, injured wing, pigeon adoption, rescue |
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