[Rose Fox]

Recently I adopted a hand raised German Owl squeaker. I don't know the gender yet, though he/she is getting bigger and is starting to coo - and has recently begun to bite hard, which makes me think it could be male.

I keep it in a large dog crate in a busy area of my home. It can see me most of the time, and I talk to and interact with it many times per day as I pass by. I can't have it outside the cage all day because I have cats. Every day for about 2 hours I shut the cats in the bedroom and let the pigeon out. Its wings are clipped so it stays around me and my chair when it's out.

I'm wondering if it would be better for the pigeon if I got it a companion. I understand that it won't be as bonded to me if it has a friend of its own kind, but I also don't want it to be lonely. I would try to get a hen so that it would get along with my first bird whether it turns out to be male or female.

 

[emw0]

I think that's a great idea! A lot of rescuers I know will only adopt out if they know you will get the pigeon a friend, so I think it's usually the right move. We got lucky and both of my birds stayed friendly with us (although, they went through a terrible/cute honeymoon where they would only preen each other all day and peck anything else, but that only lasted a month). We waited until we had our first bird for three months (by that point, she was about 10 months old) to get our second--we took her to the rescue and let her choose a friend (basically the one pigeon who she didn't try to fight). It'll also take the pressure off of you to be with the bird all of the time. I feel like a nice big cage with a mate is paradise for most pigeons! Best of luck!

 

[Rose Fox]

I think that's a great idea! A lot of rescuers I know will only adopt out if they know you will get the pigeon a friend, so I think it's usually the right move. We got lucky and both of my birds stayed friendly with us (although, they went through a terrible/cute honeymoon where they would only preen each other all day and peck anything else, but that only lasted a month). We waited until we had our first bird for three months (by that point, she was about 10 months old) to get our second--we took her to the rescue and let her choose a friend (basically the one pigeon who she didn't try to fight). It'll also take the pressure off of you to be with the bird all of the time. I feel like a nice big cage with a mate is paradise for most pigeons! Best of luck!

I've only had this bird for a couple of weeks, so I should probably wait a while before getting another one. It's hard to wait because right now a lot of local breeders are selling off last year's stock to prepare for this season's breeding season. They are also pulling squabs out of the nest and hand feeding them because it's not breeding season yet. Right now there's a breeder who has birds of the same breed as mine (German Owl) which are hard to find. He also has a couple of Old Fashioned Frills which were hand raised. It's very tempting, but I'm not sure what sex my bird is yet and I don't want to end up with two males fighting each other.

 

[emw0]

That would be tempting--especially the frillbacks (they just seem so cute!). If you have a steady hand, you can get a cheap DNA test (in the USA it's about $20, I'd hope it's something similar in Canada) by clipping its toenail (you'll need to draw a little blood, so that's a drawback). I guess the issue would be sexing the other pigeon if it's still a squab-- tough position you're in! If you end up getting a frillback and they mate, please post pictures of their babies--I have a feeling that combination would be very cute!

 

[Rose Fox]

That would be tempting--especially the frillbacks (they just seem so cute!). If you have a steady hand, you can get a cheap DNA test (in the USA it's about $20, I'd hope it's something similar in Canada) by clipping its toenail (you'll need to draw a little blood, so that's a drawback). I guess the issue would be sexing the other pigeon if it's still a squab-- tough position you're in! If you end up getting a frillback and they mate, please post pictures of their babies--I have a feeling that combination would be very cute!

Well, I found another pigeon but it's not a frill or another German Owl, it's a hand fed crack Turkish Tumbler. I chose her because she has been sexed and she's been vaccinated against PMV and wormed. She's also pretty with the same kind of crest as my German Owl and muffs on her feet. I had another Turkish Tumbler hen a few years ago and she had a sweet personality. I'm picking her up tomorrow and then she will have to be quarantined (I think two weeks but I will ask on a separate thread).

 

[emw0]

She's gorgeous!! Congrats on the bird!