# pigeon poop



## jenniferp (May 9, 2007)

I recently had the fortune of watching pigeon babies hatch nad eventually fly off my balcony. The parents are back in the same spot with two new eggs. I have pigeon poop ALL over my balcony (it's wood) and there's no way to get a hose out there. How do I safely remove all the droppings? I've heard that you can get viruses from it. Is this true?


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## BrianNAmy (Nov 2, 2003)

There's only real threat from one potential disease you can get. If you live in an area that has any type of birds, chances are you've already caught it - Histoplasmosis. It's non-lethal (unless you have AIDS or a similar illness) and runs the course of the common cold. People even build up a resistance to it once they've already caught it once. The CDC has more information.

Most reports of pigeons carrying diseases are media hype that help label them as "rats with wings" that helps drum up business for pest control companies.

Other diseases in the poop are mostly contagious among other birds and many have a short life-span outside of the body. Some can be contagious to humans, but you would have to actively ingest the poop… so just don’t open your mouth!


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

BrianNAmy said:


> There's only real threat from one potential disease you can get. If you live in an area that has any type of birds, chances are you've already caught it - Histoplasmosis. It's non-lethal (unless you have AIDS or a similar illness) and runs the course of the common cold. People even build up a resistance to it once they've already caught it once. The CDC has more information.
> 
> Most reports of pigeons carrying diseases are media hype that help label them as "rats with wings" that helps drum up business for pest control companies.
> 
> Other diseases in the poop are mostly contagious among other birds and many have a short life-span outside of the body. Some can be contagious to humans, but you would have to actively ingest the poop… so just don’t open your mouth!


Informative and very funny. LOL


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## Reti (Jul 20, 2003)

You can scrape your balcony and then mop with vinegar water. If you do it every few days you shouldn't have a build up of poops.

Reti


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