# Setting up home for pigeon



## Mrs Noah (Mar 18, 2013)

I have read on different posts that a dog crate would make a good home for a pigeon staying indoors. From what I've read..a large/xlarge crate would be ideal. 

Is it better to have a floor grate in the crate? Would is damage the bird's feet?

Would it be a good idea to have a few thick branch perches in addition to flat perches?

What about a place to roost? Do I need to have a box for that as well?

Mirrors?

Thanks in advance for your suggestions.


----------



## John_D (Jan 24, 2002)

Hi

As we don't know the 'domestic' situation the pigeon will be coming into, and if this is a temporary or permanent indoor resident, can only suggest some general tips.

First, of course, it is not good for a fit, healthy pigeon to be confined in a cage for long periods at a time anyway. 

If the pigeon is, for instance, a rescue bird with a disability (we have quite a few non-flying pigeons in our aviary), then its accommodation/arrangements may vary according to the disability.

For an indoor pigeon which is given plenty of 'free run', a really huge cage is not really necessary. 

When we have injured rescue pigeons who need to recuperate (and be quarantined), or unwell pigeons needing to be confined and treated, they have a chinchilla cage 3 ft long x 2 ft high x 18" deep. It has two long shelves at different heights, and the only other 'furniture' (and the most popular) is a housebrick to perch on. We cover the floor mesh with a suitable surface such as newspaper with a large sheet of tear-off paper roll (couch roll), or a large-size puppy pad.

Branches or rounded perches are not something they prefer, unless they are of a normally tree-dwelling species who would perch and roost on branches in their natural environment.

Mirrors are not necessary.

A box is not necessary inside, since their cage with perches would be their roost.

If it is a pigeon used to human company, it should be OK - pigeons are flocking birds, so do need company.


----------



## Msfreebird (Sep 23, 2007)

Cages for pigeons need to have more 'floor space' than height. Large dog crates are good for that. Not good for them to stand on grates all the time. Alot of people make platforms out of 1x4 boards, bricks, etc. Exercise is important....a little flying time inside the house if the bird is not disabled. (turn off ceiling fans if you have any!)
Can you give us more info about your bird? Is it a 'rescue' or a domestic?


----------



## Siobhan (Dec 21, 2010)

If your bird is healthy and you just want to fix him/her up with a "room," a large dog crate will work. They come with a tray in the bottom, so just put newspaper on it to catch the poops (you'll still end up scrubbing it every few days, LOL), a fat perch and maybe a shelf of some sort (sturdy; pigeons weigh more than parrots, which is whom those shelves are often made for) and two food dishes -- one for food and one for calcium-fortified grit. You can buy the grit at the pet store. Maggie likes the ground up oyster shell type the best. Then a water dish. Get big bird dishes that hang on the sides of the cage because the bird will turn them over and dump them if you don't. A mirror is nice but not a necessity. And maybe a couple of toys or some paper towel or an old magazine to tear up. Maggie loves to do that. She doesn't play with toys a lot, but she does a little, so she has a couple of them in her cage. You'll also need to provide a bath regularly. Maggie takes a bath two or three times a week and I just put a shallow baking dish on top of her cage with an inch or two of water in it for her to use or not as she sees fit. She drinks out of it, too, when she's out of her cage, so you'll have to remember to change it daily (or more often, if your bird takes a daily bath; Maggie does, in the summer). You'll probably want to get an old coffee table or something like that to set the cage up on. Birds don't like being too low.


----------



## Mrs Noah (Mar 18, 2013)

This is a banded racing pigeon with an injured wing. I contacted the owner (as did the president of the pigeon club he's a member of). He was supposed to pick her up this past Saturday. Long story short, I still have her and at this point plan on keeping her. I immobilized the wing (didn't see any other injuries or wounds) so the jury is still out on whether or not she will fly again. She currently recuperating in a small dog crate in my garage, but I need to bring her inside soon...I live in Texas and things get a little on the warm side. She's eating and drinking well and I have her on avian vitamin drops. Just hoping her wing mends.


----------



## Siobhan (Dec 21, 2010)

You might be amazed how fast he'll heal up and be able to fly again, so keep that in mind when you're fixing up his place to live. Pidgie poop is messy, so if she's going to have the run of a room or the whole house, know that you're going to do a lot of scrubbing. You probably want to put towels on the backs of the couch and chairs and keep paper towels handy for picking up messes. Even though Maggie can fly, she walks around as much as she flies (or more) and she likes to roost on the tops of doors. Get in the habit of glancing up at every door before you shut it so if she's up there, you won't close it before you move her.


----------

