# Peculiar Pigeon Problem



## stormshadow (Mar 10, 2009)

I stay in a small hostel room and I found out that a pigeon laid its eggs in my room. I wake quite late in the morning and usually these pigeons enter and leave my room in the early hours. Now that the eggs have been laid, the pigeons are staying for a longer time in my room (in the evenings and nights).

While I do nothing intentionally to scare them, my movements in the room like opening the door or combing my hair is scaring these pigeons away from sitting on their eggs. They had not considered this while building the nest (which was done in the morning hours when I was asleep). Sometimes they leave the eggs around 8:00 PM only to sit back on them at 6:00 in the morning .. will this affect the egg development ? What can I do now ?


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

ummm, they will have trouble if they keep getting scared off the nest. I suppose you have two choices, let them have the room and you move, or shoo them out so they can start over someplace else and don't let them back in....just wondering is'nt it getting alot of bird poop in where you live.


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## stormshadow (Mar 10, 2009)

I cannot move out of the room because of pigeons  .. so I will have to drive them away. There is not much of pigeon **** in my room .. I think they **** elsewhere


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

This is one of the most interesting threads we've had in a long time.
Where do you live...what city?


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## stormshadow (Mar 10, 2009)

Mumbai, India


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## wolfwood (Jan 26, 2009)

At some level, they trust you or they wouldn't have built their nest there to begin with. Site selection, nest building, & egg laying didn't all happen in 1 night while you were sleeping. Although _you_ may have been surprised by their arrival - - - they knew you were there. And, in many cultures (I don't know about India), a bird's nest is a very lucky thing - often a blessing. 

Would it be possible to build some sort of barrier around the nest? With sheets of wood or, even, cloth? Something that would _visually_ shield them from your every movement around the room, but that they can still come/go from in order to get food & water when they want to? It would only need to be temporary, as the babies will eventually hatch and grow up ... at which point you could shoo them all out with a strong *suggestion* that they find a new home. Just an idea ...

Please keep us posted - I'm intrigued.


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## Grimaldy (Feb 25, 2007)

Good answer wolfwood!


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## stormshadow (Mar 10, 2009)

I think the pigeons are now getting more comfortable with my movements in the room and one of them sat on the eggs the whole night yesterday and this is probably because as wolfwood said they had some degree of trust in me to begin with.

The nest is on a very thin ledge and it would be difficult to make a shield without disturbing the nest. I will leave the nest as it is and they will probably get used to it (in fact, they are deliberately crouching low to avoid visual contact !) and see what happens.

I had also placed some seeds on my window's edge in an attempt to provide them food yesterday night only to see the seeds disappear in the morning ... I thought that they obtaining food in my room would make them more confident/comfortable. I will chase them away only after the eggs have hatched and the chicks are old enough to fly.


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## george simon (Feb 28, 2006)

stormshadow said:


> Sometimes they leave the eggs around 8:00 PM only to sit back on them at 6:00 in the morning .. will this affect the egg development ? What can I do now ?


 Well I would say if they do not sit on the eggs for that that long (8pm to 6AM) 10 hours the eggs will not hatch. 
...GEORGE


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## stormshadow (Mar 10, 2009)

They sat all night long yesterday however, I do not know if the embryos are already dead.


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## Ed (Sep 18, 2008)

wolfwood said:


> At some level, they trust you or they wouldn't have built their nest there to begin with. Site selection, nest building, & egg laying didn't all happen in 1 night while you were sleeping. Although _you_ may have been surprised by their arrival - - - they knew you were there. And, in many cultures (I don't know about India), a bird's nest is a very lucky thing - often a blessing.
> 
> Would it be possible to build some sort of barrier around the nest? With sheets of wood or, even, cloth? Something that would _visually_ shield them from your every movement around the room, but that they can still come/go from in order to get food & water when they want to? It would only need to be temporary, as the babies will eventually hatch and grow up ... at which point you could shoo them all out with a strong *suggestion* that they find a new home. Just an idea ...
> 
> Please keep us posted - I'm intrigued.



or even cardboard
its cheap and easy to bend, fold, or cut to whatever shape you want it to be
a couple of staples and it stays where you want it to also


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## tuxedobaby (Sep 9, 2008)

what people have said is true,,maybe screen off part of room, on other side,the pigeons may become used to your presence in time and learn to co-exist with you


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Well, for one, if they don't stay on the eggs, they won't hatch. And for two, has anybody thought about the fact that these ferral birds could, and probably do have either mites or lice or both? Don't think I'd want birds nesting in my bedroom, that I had no way to dust or spray. Just a thought.


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

Jay3 said:


> Well, for one, if they don't stay on the eggs, they won't hatch. And for two, has anybody thought about the fact that these ferral birds could, and probably do have either mites or lice or both? Don't think I'd want birds nesting in my bedroom, that I had no way to dust or spray. Just a thought.


Great point.


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## KIPPY (Dec 18, 2003)

> The nest is on a very thin ledge


Sounds scary. How secure is the nest and will it be safe once the eggs hatch? I'm having a visual of the youngster falling off the very thin ledge.


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## LUCKYT (Jan 17, 2009)

stomshadow, i would not worry about lice or mites, they are VERY species specific. I would worry about the many Bacteria, and viruses they could spread too you though close exposure to the dust, and the droppings.
Having wild birds near were you are sleeping is NEVER something i would recommend. Been there done that. Dave


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## myrpalom (Aug 12, 2004)

Those bacteria and viruses are pigeon specific. An illness that is transmissable from birds to humans is hystoplasmosis, and pigeons dont get it and are no carriers. It is found in chicken farms. Ditto for avian flu. Pigeons are immune. 
The myth that pigeons tranmit illnesses to humans is invented by the pigeon pest controllers, to make money.
I sleep with my pet pigeon Toto since 17 years. Never got sick.
Myriam, Pigeon Rescue Lapalomatriste Belgium


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## LUCKYT (Jan 17, 2009)

Me thinks you are mistaken....... Dave


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## myrpalom (Aug 12, 2004)

_The Myth of Disease

The most widespread misconception about urban pigeons is that they are carriers of disease. The truth is that the vast majority of people are at little or no health risk from pigeons. In fact, a child attending school is many times more likely to get a disease from another child than from neighborhood pigeons.

It is no surprise that pest control companies charge pigeons with transmitting histoplasmosis, toxoplasmosis, psittacosis, crypttococcosis, salmonellosis, meningitis, tuberculosis and encephalitis. Of these diseases, histoplasmosis and crypttococcosis are the only ones that could be linked to large bird populations, even though pigeons themselves are not infected with and are not carriers of the diseases. These fungi occur naturally in soil. When bird droppings mix with the soil over a period of years, they can enrich the soil in a way that favors development of airborne spores, and people who live near sites where pigeons roost may be exposed. Histoplasma fungus and infection are prevalent on intensive chicken farms

The symptoms of infection generally resemble a mild cold. People recover without medical intervention and develop a natural resistance against further infection. Much of the population has already been affected, developed an immunity, and never been aware of it. Histoplasmosis is rare in dry states because it requires moisture to grow. Salmonellosis and toxoplasmosis are more commonly contracted from undercooked, contaminated meat. (2)

There is no evidence linking the other diseases to pigeons. In fact, most of them are so common in nature, so rare in humans or so mild in their symptoms that pigeon control is pointless. _

sources: [
http://www.downbound.co.uk/Pigeons_s/478.htm
http://www.downbound.co.uk/Pigeons_s/478.htm

Me thinks I am right ... Myriam


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## LUCKYT (Jan 17, 2009)

So, if you are so sure of the repeated post you Quoted, you are recommending that this person, living in India, sleep in the same space with street pigeons? I personally i am not even going to go into this any more.
I am thinking your experience with Mold, fungi, ect. is limited. I myself as a teenager contracted Lung problems living with four Squeeks in my bedroom as a youth. I never have a fear of catching anything from any bird, BUT to tell someone from another country, NO problem is irresponsible. Dave


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## Magpie_Heart (Feb 26, 2009)

I've read that there are very few illnesses/diseases that pigeons can pass on. Lices/mites shouldn't become a problem. You shouldn't come into physical contact with these birds anyway because they are wild. I hope you get to see the babies grow up and know that you helped them.


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## LUCKYT (Jan 17, 2009)

Magpie heart, lice and Mites cannot become a problem, other things can, I am sure this person has enough problems in their life.


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## myrpalom (Aug 12, 2004)

LUCKYT said:


> I am thinking your experience with Mold, fungi, ect. is limited. I myself as a teenager contracted Lung problems living with four Squeeks in my bedroom as a youth.



Dave I live with 700 pigeons since 17 years, spending many hours every day in my lofts. So I don't think my experience is limited.
At my knowledge, lung problems with pigeons only refer to "pigeon lung disease" that is an existing allergy  that a person has for pigeon dust and this person then developes the ilness by long time contact with those birds.
Myriam


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

LUCKYT said:


> stomshadow, i would not worry about lice or mites, they are VERY species specific. I would worry about the many Bacteria, and viruses they could spread too you though close exposure to the dust, and the droppings.
> Having wild birds near were you are sleeping is NEVER something i would recommend. Been there done that. Dave


You're wrong Dave. People HAVE gotten lice and mites from pigeons.


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

*All Bugged Out*

From one that is going through a bird mite infestation...let me tell ya, it is no laughing matter.
They are really small and hard to even see with the naked eye, unless they have recently gorged on blood and even then, if your eye doesn't catch them in just the right light, you are left wondering just where all the bites are coming from.
Believe me, they enjoy human blood just as much as they do bird blood. All I can say is thank goodness for Ivermectin.
Dust every new bird you take in and dust your birds regularly even though you don't see any bugs. These guys are so small, you probably won't ever see them.


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## ceren (Feb 20, 2009)

for those of us who very rarely take in birds... is there a way to acquire small amounts of Ivermectin? I'm sure my little feral could use a dusting, even if I haven't seen a mite yet.


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

ceren said:


> for those of us who very rarely take in birds... is there a way to acquire small amounts of Ivermectin? I'm sure my little feral could use a dusting, even if I haven't seen a mite yet.


That's the thing...you don't see them because they are just too small. You can buy ivermectin at a feed store or though the Pigeon supply. Dusting would be adequate but you also will need to treat the cage.


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## jenfer (Jan 7, 2008)

Ceren,

I could send you some ivermectin if you email me your address. It's the injectable kind that you can use topically or orally.

Jennifer


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## Magpie_Heart (Feb 26, 2009)

stormshadow said:


> I stay in a small hostel room and I found out that a pigeon laid its eggs in my room. I wake quite late in the morning and usually these pigeons enter and leave my room in the early hours. Now that the eggs have been laid, the pigeons are staying for a longer time in my room (in the evenings and nights).
> 
> While I do nothing intentionally to scare them, my movements in the room like opening the door or combing my hair is scaring these pigeons away from sitting on their eggs. They had not considered this while building the nest (which was done in the morning hours when I was asleep). Sometimes they leave the eggs around 8:00 PM only to sit back on them at 6:00 in the morning .. will this affect the egg development ? What can I do now ?


What do you want to do about the pigeons? Are you happy with them staying in your room?


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