# Does my Pigeon need a Friend/Mate?



## Joy Sundancer (Jan 17, 2011)

I rescued a Pigeon last winter as it was down and feet frozen to the ground. It has been taken care of and is doing well in our home. I have a large parot cage for it in the home and it has freedom to come and go as it pleases. It does spend more time out now and poops everwhere. We love the Pigeon an so we don't mind picking up the poop. The pigeon does not like being handled by me but is not frightened if I come close. I was thinking of getting another Pigeon for company for him. I think our Pigeon is a boy, it is almost 3 years old and has not laid an egg. I don't know what kind of Pigeon he is as he seems different than other Pigeons I have seen in the wild. 

I am wondering should I get him a friend? 
Do all Pigeons get along or do I have to find another Pigeon like him?
Should I get him a female friend?
Do Pigeons fight?

I also want to build a place for him outside for the summer so he can get some sunshine and perhaps introduce him to being outdoors again. I did find him outdoors so he must have had some experience of being out there but I do not know his history. I would like to get him to a place where he could come and go from his place outside as he wishes but I do not know how to go about that. 

I guess I would also need to have some ideas of how to build him a safe place to be outside for the summer. How big should it be for one and possible two Pigeons. What sould be inside for him to be comfortable and safe?

Pigeons are new to me and so I am not sure how to go about making him more comfortable. Any assistance you can provide to help me find a friend for him and re-introducing him to the outdoors would be appreciated. Does anyone have a simple outdoor design for a Pigeon home that I could build easily. Thanks.

I have included a pic of my Pigeon and his name is Lovey.


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## Jaye (Mar 13, 2008)

Beautiful....looks like a Homer to me.

OK, so...

1) You certainly can get him another Pigeon friend, but it really isn't required...it sounds like he has quite a nice existence there. Humans often feel the need to get a second Pigeon or other bird for their sole one, but I think it is a bit of anthropomorphizing. Yes, in the Feral/Wild world they would find a mate and a Flock, but you and your family act as both of that now.

With that said...there are SOOOOOOOO many healed yet unreleasable Pigeons (whether they be Ferals who sustained an injury which makes it impossible to be released again and make it in the Feral world; or lost fancies or Homers which were never Feral to begin with and cannot find a good home. So, if you got another, I would absolutely urge you to get one who needs a home desperately.

There are way more rescues than homes for them.

2) Boy-Girl...fair guess if no eggs, a boy. If you wanna be sure, get a sex test. This can be done via a bloodtest from an Avian vet, or I believe there are places online where you can send a pulled feather for a DNA sexing (just websearch).

3) Outdoor space: great idea. People call the minimum 3x3xsomething...but I find that a bit absurd. You wanna build a nice enclosure where he/she can move around a bit. There are so many plans for large cages/aviaries and such that you have many choices.

If construction ain't your thing, you can probably find a local toolbelt-carpenter of Craigslist or somewhere who can do it for pretty cheap. Be sure to bone up on mesh spacing and floor material and such...to protect from predators/rodents when outside.

4) Connection to house: thru a window. You can build his/her outdoor space adjacent to a window to indoors.

Thanks for caring and saving your Pal. He/she is very lucky to have found y'all !


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## ptras (Jun 29, 2010)

Beautiful bird! If you want to continue giving him his freedom inside the house without having to clean up poop, there are pigeon-wear "diapers" that you can put on him when out of his cage. Many members on here have had good experiences with them.

Available here: http://www.birdwearonline.com/

There is also a link to Mickaboo on their homepage. That is a bird rescue organization. They have an arm called Mickacoo that deals specifically with pigeons and doves.


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