Hi again guys. I have a mixed update on my feral pigeons that I've been hand raising. While hawk is still doing little bursts of beating it's wings and little 6 inch helicopter flights, Scout is pretty much winging from the tops of furniture and really flying well.
After tossing them single seeds for a few days, I am now having to fill hawk's food and water dish twice daily and feel comfortable not feeding him/her any longer.
Oddly enough, Scout, who seems to be the more physically mature of the two, is still not eating any substantial amount...and still shows no interest in water.
I have backed Scout down to one feeding daily in the hopes that hunger will drive him to eat on his own.
Every time I arrive home Scout goes a bit loony as soon as he sees me and marches around the perimeter of the cage begging to be fed. WHen he does this I grab him and stick his beak in his water dish and play with his seeds hoping he'll get the point. But I'm not having any luck at all pushing him towards independence.
I assume that since he's flying so well, he is more than capable of feeding himself, but he's being a spoiled little brat about it.
Should I continue to feed him once daily? Or should I cut him off completely?
Seems like a case of failure to launch...seems he wants to be hand fed forever
After tossing them single seeds for a few days, I am now having to fill hawk's food and water dish twice daily and feel comfortable not feeding him/her any longer.
Oddly enough, Scout, who seems to be the more physically mature of the two, is still not eating any substantial amount...and still shows no interest in water.
I have backed Scout down to one feeding daily in the hopes that hunger will drive him to eat on his own.
Every time I arrive home Scout goes a bit loony as soon as he sees me and marches around the perimeter of the cage begging to be fed. WHen he does this I grab him and stick his beak in his water dish and play with his seeds hoping he'll get the point. But I'm not having any luck at all pushing him towards independence.
I assume that since he's flying so well, he is more than capable of feeding himself, but he's being a spoiled little brat about it.
Should I continue to feed him once daily? Or should I cut him off completely?
Seems like a case of failure to launch...seems he wants to be hand fed forever