# How to cure biting pigeon



## carolecraig (Jul 31, 2010)

I have an adult PMV rescue. I've had her/him for about seven months. When she was very sick she was very cuddly and loved to stretch out in my hand. Now she bites. It is not a mere peck it is a hold and squeeze as hard as possible. I've tried lots of different ways of cuddling her to break her of this, to no avail. She is not releasable as her head still goes upside down in times of stress. 

I don't think she can go outside as she is on her own. She has a large cage and has free flying time about ten hours a day.

Anyone have any suggestions?


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## cwebster (Dec 11, 2010)

Thank you for rescuing her! Our pigeons often bite when they reach adolescence and want a pigeon friend or mate. I assume you have tried feeding by hand. Someone suggested to me putting hot sauce on my hand where they like to bite but I never tried it.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Hot sauce wouldn't work as they don't taste it. Mammals do, birds don't. 
Your pigeon may have been cuddly when very ill, but now is feeling better. That's a good thing. Most pigeons do not want to be cuddled. So don't cuddle him. When does he do this? When you reach into his cage, it is normal for many pigeons to defend their territory. Does he come to you when out of cage? Does he bite you then? Or only when you reach for him?


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## carolecraig (Jul 31, 2010)

Thank you, both of you. I've rescued a lot of pigeons and never had this experience. This is quite sustained and he/she bites whenever my hand goes near. I have tried hand feeding, but she ignores the food and bites. She/he is attached to me -- comes down off the bookcase when I come home, sometimes sits near when I'm working on the computer (right now I have another -- lung infection, releasable the vet says, I'm not so sure so she doesn't). As she isn't releasable -- it has been about eight months and her head still covers over occasionally -- I'd like to solve the problem and make us both happier.


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## cwebster (Dec 11, 2010)

We used to hold Phoebe while using our desktop computer. We put a towel over the printer and hung pigeon toys from a string over the printer. We encouraged her to attack those and she took her aggression out on the toys.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Lots of pigeons will bite hands. Don't think they see the hands as being part of you. It's the hands that grab them, or medicate, put them back in their cage, so the hands are not something they like. Offer him something he loves, a treat. Now when he ignores the treat and bites you instead, take the hand and treat away. Don't offer it again. Do the same thing hours later, or the next day. When he finally learns that biting makes the treat go away, he should stop. At least that usually works. But it has to be something he likes a lot that he won't get any other way. Like chopped unsalted peanuts. They love those. But until he tries them, he doesn't know that. Mix a little in his feed so that he will eventually try them. He we eventually try them and will love them. Then you use them for this. Not too many though as they are high in fat.


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## carolecraig (Jul 31, 2010)

Thank the two new suggestions. I will try toys she can attack and also giving her peanuts as training....she loves peanuts. incidently, in case anyone is worried, I wouldn't do anything to harm her -- like free her -- because of the biting. I will also perhaps see if there is a rescue pigeon aviary in Ireland. She may just be frustrated out of loneliness.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

I think you may have a boy there, not a girl.


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## carolecraig (Jul 31, 2010)

Jay 3 I think I have a boy too. He/she is named after Isabelle Eberhardt an incredible woman who lived in North Africa at the beginning of the 20th Century and wrote about Arab Nationalism. Isabelle went around dressed in men's clothing in public. When I began to suspect Isabelle was male I decided it didn't matter, given who he/she was named after.


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## carolecraig (Jul 31, 2010)

PS I have tried toys. I think he/she likes them and am going to get some more. The treat suggestion works sometimes, but frequently she ignores the peanut and goes for my hand on purpose.


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## cwebster (Dec 11, 2010)

When we hung the parakeet toys for Phoebe, we would gently let the toy touch her back and she would then happily attack the toys and not us.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

carolecraig said:


> PS I have tried toys. I think he/she likes them and am going to get some more. *The treat suggestion works sometimes, but frequently she ignores the peanut and goes for my hand on purpose.*


Of course he does. So then you take it away and he doesn't get any. He will learn.


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