# Pigeon or Dove - knocked on door - HELP



## nmillerhhi (May 30, 2008)

We have been feeding the birds in the backyard. We have a flock of ring necked doves who have been coming to feed daily. Two days ago, this large white bird came to the front. We don't know if it is a pigeon or a dove but it is all white with black eyes. It walked onto the porch, looked in the glass door at my husband and pecked on the door. My husband went out and the bird followed him into the garage where it perched on his folding chair. After it had been there a couple of hours, he picked it up and put it in our spare wire dog crate. We gave it food and water. It stayed calm but alert the entire time even when he carried the crate through the house where our dogs were barking. We have 4 toy dogs. We have the crate in our guest room for now. The bird has been quiet but is eating and goes back and forth between the cage floor and the perch we put in there for it. We can put our hands in and stroke it. There is no band on it. Sometimes it stands, sometimes it roosts. It has remained alert and the eyes are clear and bright. 

We don't know what it is other than it appears to be adult. The tail is messed up like most of the feathers are gone. The tail is also dirty looking. The food is wild bird seed but doves are listed on the bag. The droppings appear normal. 

We are curious as to whether it is a tame bird or a feral one in need of a respite. 

I have never had a bird before. It's really pretty. What should I do?

I tried to attach a picture of the bird and a picture of the tail.


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## myrpalom (Aug 12, 2004)

Hello and thank you for caring for this pigeon.
Funny he knocked on your door for help!  Those birds definitly have an instinct for finding caring people.
This bird is tame and obviously used to indoor living.
I think it might be an escaped pet pigeon. He is probably exhausted, and might have had a bad encounter with a cat or another predator, and lost many tail feathers.
Other members more knowledgable than I will soon be here with more advice.
I would continue caring for him as you do, let him/her rest. Definitly not put it outside again, he would not survive.
Myriam


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Welcome to pigeon Talk,

Thank you for responding to this birds need for help.

Please follow the advice on this link, it gives you basic steps to saving the life of a pigeon.

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showthread.php?t=11265

You should also cover the cage and keep any air drafts out.

Once he has gone thru the steps, you can check the bird out for any noticeable lesions or symptoms that he may have. If his tail feathers are missing it is possible he was caught by a cat or hawk and escaped.

Are you anywhere near Enid or Tulsa, we have a couple of wonderful members/rehabbers living there?


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## philodice (Sep 30, 2007)

Awe that is so sweet. I think you may have been adopted by a pet white homing pigeon.


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## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

First off, welcome to the forum. It is definitely a pigeon.

Thank you so much for letting this lovely pigeon into your home. I am suspecting he may have been released during a wedding or funeral and simply lost his way back home.

Pigeons make wonderful pets and this one is obviously used to people and smart enough to know when it needed help and sought you out. I think you should decide whether you would like to keep it or, perhaps, list it in our Adoption forum. But, I would not release it because it simply can not fend for itself.


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

I'll bet that bird was thrown off course by all the storms in the Midwest.
If you have a feed store near-by, perhaps you could pick up some Pigeon seed mix or at a pet shop, Dove seed mix which will work too. Pigeons also need Oyster shell and grit. Both of those can be purchase in small amount at a pet store.
Keep us posted about how the bird is doing. If it acts quiet and just sits fluffed in the cage and doesn't eat, let us know right away.


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## nmillerhhi (May 30, 2008)

Trees Gray said:


> Welcome to pigeon Talk,
> 
> Thank you for responding to this birds need for help.
> 
> ...


I'm about 2 hours from Tulsa and about an hour or so from Enid. I am right outside of Oklahoma City. I gave our bird (now named Blessing) some shredded carrots, lettuce and celery a few minutes ago.


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

The bird may not know that those things are to eat. Even if he does, those things will not sustain him. If you have any dried peas and lentils you could offer Blessing those until you can get some seed for him today. At the very least, get some wild bird seed. This bird looks exhausted and may be starving.


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Well, the wild bird seed that he's already getting should be okay under the circumstances. Can you feel the keel (breastbone) down from between the legs upward and see if it's extremely prominent? Can you almost pinch it between your fingers?

Pidgey


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## nmillerhhi (May 30, 2008)

Charis said:


> The bird may not know that those things are to eat. Even if he does, those things will not sustain him. If you have any dried peas and lentils you could offer Blessing those until you can get some seed for him today. At the very least, get some wild bird seed. This bird looks exhausted and may be starving.


We are giving her wild bird seed that we bought at PetSmart but the bag says it is for doves. It has all kinds of seeds and corn in it. She didn't eat the fresh veggies I put in there but she is up and moving around her cage again today. She is clearly stronger than when she came here. She gets on and off the perch and she walks around on the floor. She seems very alert when we go in and talk to her - we do that several times a day. She looks at my smallest chihuahua when he slips in with us to see her but he doesn't upset her. Of course, they are about the same size and seem just curious about each other. I think she's used to dogs.


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

That's very good. How do her poops look?


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

nmillerhhi said:


> We are giving her wild bird seed that we bought at PetSmart but the bag says it is for doves. It has all kinds of seeds and corn in it. She didn't eat the fresh veggies I put in there but she is up and moving around her cage again today. She is clearly stronger than when she came here. She gets on and off the perch and she walks around on the floor. She seems very alert when we go in and talk to her - we do that several times a day. She looks at my smallest chihuahua when he slips in with us to see her but he doesn't upset her. Of course, they are about the same size and seem just curious about each other. I think she's used to dogs.


The wild bird seed will be just fine for Blessing. What a cool name. When they get lost like this and starving, it takes them a while to bounce back. Sounds good so far.


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## philodice (Sep 30, 2007)

Yes looks like blessing is a very lost, very pampered house pet show Homer. I don't think she looks like a racing Homer.
Give her time, she will be intimidating your dogs. 
Dove mix is fine. It's just smaller than pigeon mix.
Here is an article on feeding Pigeons that I found. Although honestly I just buy the big bag of wild bird seed for my doves because I am lazy.

"Pigeon peas are the best-known legumes used in the pigeon•s food mixture. They contain a high proportion of digestible protein (20%). The calcium and phosphorous content is fairly high at 0.14% and 0.45% respectively. 5- 10% of pigeon peas can be included in the diet.

Green peas

Green peas are the most suitable protein rich legumes for our pigeons. The protein content, at 19.4%, is lower than that of pigeon peas, but green peas are very nutritious and more easily digested. In addition, the various vitamins are better represented than in other legumes. Green peas have a good vitamin B content, and contain vitamin E and carotene. Green peas should form 50% of the leguminous part of the diet.

Seeds

Linseed (til)

Linseed has about the same protein content as green peas but a much higher fat content (about 35%). Linseed may be given only in very small quantities. It helps the growth of young birds. Moreover, linseed gives the pigeon smooth and silky plumage.

Hemp ( bhang )

The pigeons eagerly consume hemp. It is high in fat and protein and stimulates the sex drive. Feed it only in small quantities.

Safflower seed ( kusumbha, karadi, kardai )

Safflower seed is high in protein but also has a very high fat content. Therefore 1-2% in the food mixture is adequate.

Weed seeds and chaff (Chokar)

Weed seeds, of good quality, are an excellent tonic for pigeons. About one thimbleful per bird per day can be mixed with a minute quantity of linseed and hemp. This will gives the birds a supplement of vitamins and minerals that are scarce in the larger grains and legumes.

They should be given in small quantities as many of these seeds have a high fat content, too much of which will make pigeons obese. Some varieties of weed seed also have high fat content."


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## nmillerhhi (May 30, 2008)

*Feed that I'm giving Blessing*

We got this off the bag we are feeding Blessing. It says doves but not pigeons. She seems to eat a lot as well as throw a lot around the cage and floor. It came from PetSmart. 

Brand: Bird Basics
Contents: Milo, white millet, cracked corn, black oil sun flower
composition: crude protein 8%, fat 3%, fiber 7%, moisture 12%

We give her water but we can't tell if she is drinking it. 

Her droppings still look normal and she continues to increase her activity (moving around in the cage).


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

If you could add some dried peas and lentils that it would be good for Blessing.


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

nmillerhhi said:


> We got this off the bag we are feeding Blessing. It says doves but not pigeons. She seems to eat a lot as well as throw a lot around the cage and floor. It came from PetSmart.
> 
> Brand: Bird Basics
> Contents: Milo, white millet, cracked corn, black oil sun flower
> ...


That feed will do for the short term, but if you are going to keep Blessing.....(don't remember reading whether you are or not), then you would probably either need to get some pigeon feed or add some grains to what you are giving her now. Pigeons actually don't drink a *lot* of water. Most of what they drink, is after they've eaten. Of course in hot weather they would drink more, but with Blessing being in the house, I would assume it's not hot inside.
One thing you could add to the mix that would be easy to find, is unpopped plain pop corn.


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## nmillerhhi (May 30, 2008)

Charis said:


> If you could add some dried peas and lentils that it would be good for Blessing.


are those the kind you get in bags in the grocery store?


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## philodice (Sep 30, 2007)

That's the stuff. Just check out the legume section and you see the little bags of split peas. They like both colors of peas, and plain pop corn.


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## nmillerhhi (May 30, 2008)

how do I request your Pigeon Care E-Book?


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

nmillerhhi said:


> how do I request your Pigeon Care E-Book?


She's not on line right now, but if you'll click on her user name, then click on "send a personal message to Philodice"............just tell her you want a copy and give her your email address.


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## nmillerhhi (May 30, 2008)

I'll get Blessing some split peas tomorrow.

Tonight, my husband and I took her out of her cage. She was very dirty and had a bit of mud caked on her. We held her in the bathroom sink and washed her with some VO5, which was the most gentle shampoo we had. She seemed to like it and was very calm as we carefully rubbed her clean. We also cleaned the cage and put in fresh water and food. 

It is such a joy taking care of her. I'd never been that close to a bird before and I'm so amazed at how well she takes to my handling her.

While we had her out, we checked her breastbone. It did not seem too protruding at all. 

Another question -- when you have a pigeon in the house as a pet, what do you do about the poop? Does it get all on the furniture?


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

I'm a little concerned that Blessing is as calm as she is. That doesn't seem right to me.

Pigeons love to bathe. It isn't necessary to bathe them and certainly not with any kind of soap or shampoo. Pigeons oil their feathers to water poof them and soap will remove the natural oil. 
Many of us do have Pigeons as house pets. They do tend to poop where ever and everywhere. Some of us have purchased avian diapers from our member, BoniBird. She custom makes them to fit each bird.
Buying the diaper doesn't mean that you can leave it on all the time. That wouldn't be healthy for the bird.


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## nmillerhhi (May 30, 2008)

Pidgey said:


> Well, the wild bird seed that he's already getting should be okay under the circumstances. Can you feel the keel (breastbone) down from between the legs upward and see if it's extremely prominent? Can you almost pinch it between your fingers?
> 
> Pidgey


You can feel the bone but it is not extremely prominent. You definitely can't pinch it between your fingers.


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Well, does she fly easily? What do the poops look like? Picture?

Pidgey


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## nmillerhhi (May 30, 2008)

Pidgey said:


> Well, does she fly easily? What do the poops look like? Picture?
> 
> Pidgey


We just cleaned her cage so as soon as I can get a poop we'll try to get a picture. They are black and gray, firm not runny but not hard. 

The only flying we've seen her do was in the garage before we put her in the cage. She kind of fluttered from one place to another. It's too warm in the garage so we put the cage in our guest room where it's quiet. We plan to let her fly around the guest room today. 

Last night, my husband put his hand in front of her feet and she didn't hesitate to step onto his hand. 

We rent this house and have been here for nearly a year. There is a large cage tossed behind the workshop. We thought it was a rabbit cage. We are wondering if it had been a pigeon cage and the previous tenants left it.

You're in Tulsa? We're in Yukon, just west of OK City.


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## philodice (Sep 30, 2007)

Only my hand raised baby doves are that tame. I can 'preen' them and pet under their wings, and pour water on them from a watering can while they lift over one wing and then the other. This pigeon either has brain damage from crashing, a viral neural disease, or has been hand fed from birth. Those are the only 3 conditions under which I've ever heard of a bird being this tame. Maybe the previous tenants could not take pets to their next house, and Blessing was released from that very cage in the back. That would explain how she came to knock on the door and waltzed right in. If only that pet psychic was around. 
It would be strange to think she survived alone for a year. More likely, the old owners took her with them and she got out, and homed back to her place of birth.


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## nmillerhhi (May 30, 2008)

*Our Blessing*

Blessing fussed and struggled a little when we first picked her up but when we started stroking her and talking to her, she calmed right down. She was turning her head to look at each of us. When we bathed her, we put her in the sink with lukewarm running water and and sort of ran it over her. She was very dirty - like she had been caked in mud and the mud had fallen off leaving mud stains. She seemed to like the bath. When we couldn't get the dirt all off, I put a very tiny bit of the shampoo on my hands, lathered it up and then stroked her where she was dirty. The dirt stains came off and we rinsed her well.

Here are some pictures we took this morning with my husband holding her sitting on his hand. She was fine with sitting on his hand, then flew over to the dresser where I got a nice shot of her. When he picked her up to put her back in the cage, she fussed and I took a picture of her flapping her wings in protest. Then she calmed back down and let him put her in the cage. Someone asked for a picture of her poop so I tried to get one. 

We have kept her in a quiet room and we go in there frequently and just sit and talk quietly to her or reach in to stroke her. We have kept the dogs completely separate from her other than my 2.5 lb chihuahua Chico has followed us in to take a peek.


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## nmillerhhi (May 30, 2008)

*pictures of Blessing*

I think I got Blessings pictures this time


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## nmillerhhi (May 30, 2008)

*More pictures of Blessing*

Here are the other pictures of Blessing as well as the picture of two of her poops. My husband was laughing at me trying to take pictures of her poops.


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

nmillerhhi said:


> Blessing fussed and struggled a little when we first picked her up but when we started stroking her and talking to her, she calmed right down. She was turning her head to look at each of us. When we bathed her, we put her in the sink with lukewarm running water and and sort of ran it over her. She was very dirty - like she had been caked in mud and the mud had fallen off leaving mud stains. She seemed to like the bath. When we couldn't get the dirt all off, I put a very tiny bit of the shampoo on my hands, lathered it up and then stroked her where she was dirty. The dirt stains came off and we rinsed her well.
> 
> Here are some pictures we took this morning with my husband holding her sitting on his hand. She was fine with sitting on his hand, then flew over to the dresser where I got a nice shot of her. When he picked her up to put her back in the cage, she fussed and I took a picture of her flapping her wings in protest. Then she calmed back down and let him put her in the cage. Someone asked for a picture of her poop so I tried to get one.
> 
> We have kept her in a quiet room and we go in there frequently and just sit and talk quietly to her or reach in to stroke her. We have kept the dogs completely separate from her other than my 2.5 lb chihuahua Chico has followed us in to take a peek.


I'm confused...is this another bath?


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

Blessing is so pretty. Tell you're husband not to laugh........Pigeon Poop is at the TOP of our conversations around here...............
And her's looks pretty darn good to me..............


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Well, what a mystery. You see, they typically act pretty tame when they're sick but this one's not horribly sick, if he is at all. It has happened before that a pigeon walked in on a family and took over the place. Treesa (TreesGray) had one do that once, wonderfully friendly bird.

Yeah, I knew where you were when I saw "Yukon" up in the top post.

Pidgey


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Lovebirds said:


> Tell you're husband not to laugh........Pigeon Poop is at the TOP of our conversations around here...............


Yeah, this can be a pretty crappy place, sometimes.

Pidgey


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## nmillerhhi (May 30, 2008)

Charis said:


> I'm confused...is this another bath?


I'm sorry. It was the same bath. We've only given her one. I was trying to explain how we did it. We didn't just put a bunch of shampoo on her. She needed the bath and had no problem with us pouring water on her. The dirt wouldn't come off with just plain water, which we tried the first time.


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## nmillerhhi (May 30, 2008)

Pidgey said:


> Well, what a mystery. You see, they typically act pretty tame when they're sick but this one's not horribly sick, if he is at all. It has happened before that a pigeon walked in on a family and took over the place. Treesa (TreesGray) had one do that once, wonderfully friendly bird.
> 
> Yeah, I knew where you were when I saw "Yukon" up in the top post.
> 
> Pidgey


We don't know a lot about birds (we're learning fast) but we do have 4 tiny dogs, the smallest of which is a "special needs" chihuahua. We have 2 chihuahuas, a miniature pinscher and a miniature dachshund. We watch poop very carefully here. Our oldest chihuahua has megacolon which can end up with surgery if we don't watch her poop. At 8 months, the smallest chihuahua eats anything so we watch his poop to see if anything odd shows up. 

We have only been in Oklahoma for a year. I'm from SC and my husband is originally from Texas.


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

Pidgey said:


> Yeah, this can be a pretty crappy place, sometimes.
> 
> Pidgey


Not biting....................


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## Dezirrae (Oct 6, 2007)

Just reading this post now (a wee bit behind  ). What a cute bird - and how kewl that s/he just knocked on your door

I too love the name - hope Blessing is continueing to do well. Would love an update when you have a chance.


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Well, this bird's an Okie, afterall, and we're just friendly people!

Pidgey


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## nmillerhhi (May 30, 2008)

*Update on Our Blessing*

Blessing is doing very well. She is definitely stronger. In fact, the little rascal has my son intimidated. She's pretty feisty now. She'll flap her wings at you but if you don't scare off, she will step up on your finger. She's quite alert to her surroundings and is very calm except when I run the vacuum cleaner. She gets just a little edgy then. 

We moved her into the family area of the house today and into a new cage. She has been in the guest room where we have been letting her out of the cage to move around the room for increasing periods of time. This weekend, we found a very large wire dog crate and have outfitted it for her. There's a perch and a shelf as well as three bowls for grit, food and water. 

She has been eating well and drinking water. Her food is a mixture of wild bird seed labeled for doves, green split peas, lentils, brown rice and unpopped popcorn. Her poop is very normal. 

When we moved her from the guest room to the dining room, I carried her and she made absolutely no protests about it. Instead, she was relaxed and just looked around as I walked. Her new cage is located in the corner by the sliding glass doors. She is close to everything going on. The dogs are all housed in crates in the dining room as well. We call it our "gated community" and there is some major high class begging going on at mealtime. The dogs don't pay any attention to her. They probably think she's a funny looking dog since she is in a crate like theirs. The dogs are two chihuahuas, a miniature pinscher and a miniature dachshund. 

Blessing is such a sweet and pretty girl. We are calling her a girl since we don't know the difference. I'm checking into ordering her a bird diaper and a leash from PGWear. I'm trying to decide on the print now. 

I'm sending some new pictures of her, especially one that shows her pretty face. I really love her.


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

What a beautiful white pigeon Blessing is! Thank you so much for taking her in and caring for her as you have! Please keep the updates and pictures coming!

Terry


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## KIPPY (Dec 18, 2003)

Sounds like someone may have lost their pet. Lucky you found her and she found you guys. Blessing more then likely wouldn't have lasted too long out there on her own. 
Seems like you got everything under control.


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## nmillerhhi (May 30, 2008)

The difference between Blessing now and when she found us is amazing. When she pecked on our door, she was this poor bedraggled, mud-stained, hungry bird. She was clearly tame but was too quiet. Now she's still tame but clean and feisty. We were happy the first time she flapped her wings at us in a small show of defiance. Reminded me of my son at 2. We knew she was gaining strength and starting to feel good. 

We named her Blessing because we feel blessed by her presence.


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## nmillerhhi (May 30, 2008)

*Question about Blessing's care*

I'm doing everything I know for Blessing's comfort. I've moved her out of her initial isolation and quiet to a more active part of the house. She should get more stimulation from that. 

Remember, I've never had a bird before. Do I need to provide her with things in her cage like mirrors, bells, toys, etc? Do pigeons like treats? I saw all these things in PetSmart but they were for cockatiels and parrots or small birds like parakeets and canaries.


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## philodice (Sep 30, 2007)

I think she looks great and she is so sweet!
You take some good pictures. The food situation sounds great, too.
Yea pigeons love toys. Those little bell balls for cats, a dove or pigeon stuffed toy or sculpture for company. A mirror to strut by. Pigeons know it isn't another pigeon in the mirror. They know it is them, and they check themselves out just like we do.


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

philodice said:


> I think she looks great and she is so sweet!
> You take some good pictures. The food situation sounds great, too.
> Yea pigeons love toys. Those little bell balls for cats, a dove or pigeon stuffed toy or sculpture for company. A mirror to strut by. Pigeons know it isn't another pigeon in the mirror. They know it is them, and they check themselves out just like we do.


Yes, the mirror is a must for a pigeon. Pigeons are very social creatures and don't like to be alone. All birds see best in the light so don't feel you need to keep the light dim to soothe her.

I'm happy it's all working out. 
Great name. She sure knocked at the right door.


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## Dezirrae (Oct 6, 2007)

Thanks for the updates! Blessing just looks beautiful and very happy. Who wouldn't be with the loving care she's getting  Somehow they do seem to know who to go to...

I'm relatively new to being a bird owner as well - I've had two ringnecks since early December and now also have two pigeons. I was very concerned at first when they didn't react to things the way I thought they would so I thought I'd share my experience with you - just for perspective.

I forget who - but someone here told me to observe how they react to the mirror... if they seem to be "attacking" it to remove it... I can tell you that my birds all react to the mirror differently. Pidge doesn't seem to even notice it and Hope (our younger pigeon) likes to gaze at herself sometimes and peck at the mirror at other times. Our doves though are the most amusing with mirrors - both will sit in front of the mirror for hours on end gazing at themselves - and one even "bows" to her own image  LOL

One thing I've found that Hope really enjoys is a sprig of millet spray. I hang it on the side of the cage with a wire tie (or tie-tie as I've always called them). She'll peck at it forever. And once Pidge saw her doing it, he started 

I've also found that they like apple skins chopped up real tiny... as a treat. So far my two have not shown any interest in split peas or lentils  So I'm still working through what they enjoy (other than the basic diet).

What a joy filled adventure you all have begun - enjoy!


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## nmillerhhi (May 30, 2008)

Charis said:


> Yes, the mirror is a must for a pigeon. Pigeons are very social creatures and don't like to be alone. All birds see best in the light so don't feel you need to keep the light dim to soothe her.
> 
> I'm happy it's all working out.
> Great name. She sure knocked at the right door.


Blessing is definitely not alone now! She is sharing my dining room with our 4 mini dogs and us. We pass by her cage constantly going from the living room to the kitchen. She's also next to the sliding glass door so she can also see outside. The dogs are crated at night and when we are gone but they can all see each other and "chat". The dogs must be crated or this house would be in chaos. The Min Pin gets into everything. The dachshund steals everything she can reach -- and she can climb up to any height. She hides everything she steals so we have to search the house for our things. The oldest is a Chihuahua who feels she should be an only pet and tries to beat the rest up. 

Our house is pleasantly chaotic but oddly peaceful at the same time. My boomerang son, age 22, is currently gone again.


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## nmillerhhi (May 30, 2008)

*First pictures*

Here is Blessing on her arrival. In one picture, she had just gotten my husband's attention by pecking on the door and was waiting on him to let her in. My husband walked out right after this picture and walked into the garage. She went in with him and got on a chair. She hung around inside the garage, perching on various things, until we put her in the cage and gave her food.


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