# Mean squab



## shanty_284 (Dec 6, 2012)

Lucky, my 38 day old homing pigeon has decided to be a bastard for the last two days. He has always nibbled and squeaked at me when I approach but in the last two days he has started hitting me with his wings when I help him to get on the counters or the back of the couch. He also hits me when I ry to kiss him or pet him. He is perfectly fine when he wants to snuggle but other than that he has been a complete ass. Is this just a phase? It kinda seems like he doesn't want help because he is trying so hard to fly. The problem is he does well jumping off of stuff but creating enough lift to get up on things is hard and he just smashes into the counter or couch repeatedly. I let him try a few times then scoop him up. That's when he starts hitting me and screaming like I have insulted his very being. Is this going to pass? I won't have a mean animal and as much as I love him my patience is growing thin fast with this new aggressive streak. What would make him start acting that way?


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

When pigeons reach 5-6 weeks of age, they start a stage that is similar to teenage humans. Some grow out of it and some don't. Most pigeons do not associate hands with the human face they love and so pecking and wing slapping is perfectly normal pigeon behavior.


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## Wodin (Nov 5, 2012)

The way you described his behavior made me chuckle, becuase i know exactly what your talking about, but to be honest, it all sounds normal. Not all squabs do it, but some get past a certain age (usually when they would be feeding themselves and no longer relying on their parents for food) and they become more interdependent. beak clicking, wing slapping, and pecking is normal- i thought of it as an inert or natural way of making sure they don't pair up to their nest mates or parents, but some do seem to have major attitudes while others just wouldn't care. Maybe you have a young boy? remember, a pigeon does not know what a kiss is, it probably will pass as he learns to fly and trusts you as a safe and reliable source of food/shelter/warmth/water etc. but adults can be just as territorial!
I do know pigeons need a lot of room to learn to fly, and the less obstacles the better, if hes in the house and you're sure there isn't any immediate danger to him, then just let him learn from trial and error, no need to scoop him up if he fails. If he is at that age where he is flying then personally i would feed him once or twice a day, either a small amount in the morning and again in the evening, or just in the evening. that way he NEEDS you and may drop the attitude, giving him the corn straight from your hand so he associates you with a reward and learns to trust you. hope this helps


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## Quazar (Jul 27, 2010)

shanty_284 said:


> Lucky, my 38 day old homing pigeon has decided to be a bastard for the last two days. He has always nibbled and squeaked at me when I approach but in the last two days he has started hitting me with his wings when I help him to get on the counters or the back of the couch. He also hits me when I ry to kiss him or pet him. He is perfectly fine when he wants to snuggle but other than that he has been a complete ass. Is this just a phase? It kinda seems like he doesn't want help because he is trying so hard to fly. The problem is he does well jumping off of stuff but creating enough lift to get up on things is hard and he just smashes into the counter or couch repeatedly. I let him try a few times then scoop him up. That's when he starts hitting me and screaming like I have insulted his very being. Is this going to pass? I won't have a mean animal and as much as I love him my patience is growing thin fast with this new aggressive streak. What would make him start acting that way?


Hes a Pigeon lol
The fact that his wingslapping you means in his way that he has accepted you and is not affraid of you. 
You are infringing on his territory when he doesnt want you to.
Always remember, a pigeon does things on ITS terms, because IT wants to, not because YOU want it to lol. 
I have an unreleasable called Charlie, who cant fly because of a damaged wing. 
At first he would quite happily accept lifts on my hand or arm to places he wanted to go to, then he would coo & dance and "grunt" when he wanted me to come over & lift him. Now, he attacks my hand for the least thing if I go near him because he has decided everywhere as HIS.


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## shanty_284 (Dec 6, 2012)

*yay!*

oh joy! I'm so happy to hear he is going to be a bastard forever now. lol 
He's actually sleeping on me right now because he's tired and apparently its ok to cuddle and get kisses when he needs a warm place to lay down after he has been a pit viper all day.


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## nancybird (Jan 30, 2011)

Just be patient with him.


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