# Poopy questions



## Guest (Sep 11, 2005)

Hi everyone! I haven’t posted in some time, but I hope everyone and their pigeons are doing well. I have some questions.

1.	Is it normal for pigeons to have a whitish look to their face when they’re molting? I’m attaching a picture of Poopy that might give you an idea of what I’m talking about. The white is much more obvious in person.
2.	I think I’m allergic to Poopy. Does anyone know if this is probably a reaction to his molting and heavy dander? Hopefully, it will pass soon, but everyone thinks I have the flu and I’m suffering terribly from allergies. I dust my office (Poopy’s room) every day, but a thick layer of dander appears every day.
3.	How long does molting last? He’s been molting for about three weeks now. It started out slowly, but now there are tons of feathers and dander everywhere. His colors are really starting to show. I’ve attached a picture that shows the green that is beginning to come out around his neck.
4.	I still don’t know whether Poopy is a “he” or a “she.” He’s started making long, low, very pretty sounding chortles. Isn’t that what the males do? If he’s a male, I’m surprised that he doesn’t react to his image in the mirror at all. When someone gets close to him, he makes a loud, “HOO!” sound, but when we’re alone, he makes the low chortling sound. 

I’m not sure that we’ll get a mate for Poopy now. He seems very happy. I’m concerned about an outdoor aviary, since our seasons can be so extreme. If there are times that I would need to bring the birds in, I don’t think my allergies would stand two and I think I might have to quit my job to clean up the poop. Poopy has a cage, but I never close it. He’s free to fly around my office and he flies A LOT! He flies all around my head. He landed on my chair the other day. He still won’t let me touch him, but he really wants to get close to me.

I thought I could attach pictures to this message, but it appears there is a problem with the web site, so I can't upload the pictures.

Thanks again to everyone for helping me! Maybe I'll learn enough to help others soon.
Teresa


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Hi Teresa,

Sounds very possible that you are allergic to Poopy. If you can ventilate the area and open windows that would help. 

Pigeons molt all year, but the heaviest molting starts in August and hopefully that ends in a month, sepends on when your bird started the heavy molt. Hopefully the allergy will clear up when the heavy part of the molt is over.

The loud grunt sound is an alarm. He is warning of danger or you are threatening to him, my birds to it all the time when I come close, and I have had them for years.....like I'm going to hurt them or something. It is a noise they use also to warn each other of danger, like when a hawk approaches.

I can't imagine what you mean by white around the face, unless you mean the new pin feathers coming in which look white at first.

You can either upload a picture from your picture file in attachments or provide the link to your website. When you attach the pictures have to be small or resized, or they don't upload.


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## Guest (Sep 11, 2005)

*Thanks Treesa*

Hopefully, those are the pin feathers around his face. I still know very little about pigeons, so I'm not even familiar with pin feathers. He seems extremely healthy and much stronger than when he first came to us, so I haven't been concerned that he is ill. I thought it was probably part of the molting process. 

I might buy an air purifier for the office, since it's still pretty warm here and I'd rather not open the windows.

For some reason, the pictures did upload this time. I didn't have to alter them. They just wouldn't "stick" to the message the first time. They appeared to upload the first time, but they wouldn't show up in the message. 

If you are able to see the white around his face, I would appreciate it if you would tell me if you think it could be something other than pin feathers. Thank you again!
Teresa


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## Reti (Jul 20, 2003)

He is a very handsome bird, just so cute. Love his colors.
Seems like to be pin feathers around his face.

I have an air filter in my den where I keep my birds. Even though I have too many birds it seems to do a good job.

Reti


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## John_D (Jan 24, 2002)

One of our friends sent me a pic of one of his recent rescues, worried that "Stan" seemed to be 'going gray' around his face. It was indeed just the little beginnings of new feathers sprouting. From what I can tell, Poopy is sprouting, too.

Guess your chortling pidge has decided you're the nearest thing to a mate  

When you are clearing up around Poopy, maybe wear a little dust mask. I've got them from a pigeon supply house, and also from a farming store.

Fine Poopy he is !

John


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## Guest (Sep 12, 2005)

*Thank you all*

John, it's funny that you mentioned Stan appearing to be going gray around the face. That's exactly how I would have described Poopy. I know he's a baby though, so even if pigeons do gray, I think he has years to go. I always wear the air filters when I'm cleaning his area. I definitely need to try the air purifier. I'm glad to hear that yours helps, Reti. 

Thanks again for all the advice!
Teresa


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## TerriB (Nov 16, 2003)

*Allergy Assistance*

Teresa,

Here are some things that I found help reduce the allergen load:

- Before cleaning up the poops and feather crumbs (bits of shed sheath and molted feathers), use a spray bottle to lightly mist the area. This keeps the very tiny flakes from becoming airborne (and inhaled).

- Hang a small hand-held vacuum close by to suck up small feathers. This really helps when the birds are molting!

- Wear a dust mask when cleaning up, especially during the molt.

From my experience, adding another bird doesn't really increase the workload that much, since they are social and tend to hang around together. You get to see a whole different side of pigeons watching them interact. Enjoy!

Signed,
Found one, now have six


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## Guest (Sep 13, 2005)

*Grey head*

Izzy was having the greyish look to his head and I found it a little odd, but sure enough now there are a bunch of new feathers coming in on his head.
Monica


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## Guest (Sep 13, 2005)

*Thanks, Terri*

That's great advice. Do you keep the vacuum on? I've been using Windex to clean the hardwoods and all surfaces he manages to find that haven't had newspaper taped down. I always spray the areas like you suggested and then clean. Anyway, I read that ammonia is dangerous to birds in one of the posts on this site, so I guess I should just use water from now on. Windex Sparking Orange and Windex Vinegar do not contain ammonia, but they probably contain other harmful chemicals. I might reconsider finding him a mate, but I don't want to raise baby pigeons. Well, I'd like to raise baby pigeons, but there are several reasons that I shouldn't do that. 

We think that maybe Poopy is a hermaphrodite. I've followed all the advice for trying to determine whether Poopy is a male or female, but he seems to possess both qualities of the male and female. Is there a way to prevent male and female pet pigeons from reproducing? I would really love to see him have some fun with another bird. He stares out the window all day (when he's not walking around the floor pooping). 

Thanks everyone!
Teresa


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## Reti (Jul 20, 2003)

You can always replace any eggs they lay with dummy eggs.
If you get another pigeon you will see his behavior will be totally different.

As for cleaning, I use in the bird room vinegar to clean the poop including in their cages, for the wooden furniture I use pledge wipes.

Reti


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## TerriB (Nov 16, 2003)

I have the vacuum in the holder so it is always charged and ready.

Pigeons are very social animals so that would be great if you get a companion for Poopy. We have three mated pairs of birds in our little flock. Every month, they lay eggs and I swap the eggs out for wooden dummys. Easiest birth control of any animal I've ever worked with.  Having a second bird also makes any training go faster since they now have some competition for attention and treats.


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