[HeartsHolly]

So I have a breeding pair of Fairy Swallows that I have as pets and to breed for show. They both came from a very large show flock and now live in a deluxe critter nation with the middle platform taken out so they can fly/hop from layer to layer. They are both very chill birds, the female (Plum) being the more calm and friendly. However, the male (Cheddar) is acting very much like the cockbird he is and is wing slapping me relentlessly and yesterday bit me after I tried to pick him up. When I walk into the room they'll be calm until I walk over to their cage and then they'll shuffle away from the front of the cage to the back. Cheddar will puff up to twice his size and just shiver and refuse to move (for cleaning) until I nudge him which usually results in a bunch of wing slaps and angry noises. Plum is better at being picked up. She'll move away from my hand and try to hop/squirm away but she doesn't make any upset noises or puff up. She's more curious and chill (yet still timid), and instead of puffing up when I get close she'll move away but look at me and tilt her head.

So my question is how to make them more friendly with me and be happier with being picked up and more comfortable with being handled? I don't plan on taking them to show because I didn't breed them, but I'd like to be able to cuddle and handle them, especially when I have to inspect their feet and muffs. I would love to get them pigeon pants and a harness so we can have little adventures and they can walk around without trying to fly and flee. I'm going to breed them very soon and handtame/feed their babies to get them nice and friendly, but I'd love to have the parents be super nice too.

Thanks for reading, I'm open to suggestions

 

[bootface]

The boy is just defending his territory. It's a lot easier to win them over when you aren't invading their space. I've never tried to hand tame adult pigeons, but it's fairly easy to get them to trust you enough to hang out and eat from your hand. They may never be cuddly.

A lot of imprinted pigeons, especially males, and the bitiest, slappiest birds. The 1 imprinted pigeon I have who I haven't "wilded up" is super cuddly, but that doesn't stop him from pecking me in the eyes and trying to rip my ears off.

 

[Rose Fox]

When it comes to your male, he's guarding his hen and cage territory so the best thing you can do for him is to remove him from the cage to train him. A separate room for training would be ideal so he can't see his cage, or you could cover the cage. You will probably have to physically grab him to get him out of the cage.

Talk to them and spend time beside their cage often so they're used to your presence near the cage. Teach them to associate treats like unroasted, unsalted peanuts with your interactions. It would probably be a good idea to trim their wings so that they can't take off when you try to spend time with them out of their cage. When they are out, teach them the "step up" command so you can use it to get them out of their cage without having to grab them.