# pigeon trust!!



## rowanred (Apr 10, 2006)

Hello, I am having some problems with Ari and Lux. They were doing really good flying around my house, not hitting windows or knocking to many things over, until a few days ago. Ari has been trying to land on things that can;t support him so he falls, Lux flew full speed into a window. They both have tried to land on my curtains and they keep getting caught, So I have to rescue them. Now they are acting like they are afraid of me because I am the one who had to untangle them from the curtains. They don't land on me anymore, they avoid me and at night when I try to put them back in their cage they fly away from me. I know it's not the cage because they fly in and out of it all day on their own to eat and drink. So is there anything I can do to regain their trust? I am not expecting them to want to hang out with me all day like Sully did but it would be nice if they were tame enough to handle and socialize with a little bit.

Can anyone help me with my skiddish pigeons or am I just going to have to deal with being totally rejected by them?

Also how long will it take for Ari to regrow his flight feathers on his one wing, because he broke them of in the crash landing that lead me to find them? Right now he still gets around but its more like he leaps from object to object than flies!!


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## Camrron (Dec 19, 2005)

Well,

With one bird you have a pet who will think of you as another bird. With two birds or more you have a small flock who will think of you as a human all of a sudden. They learn faster from each other naturally than from us. I had the same experience of having one sweet, loving bird, who when introduced to another bird started treating me like I was an intruder in my own home. Consider yourself lucky they are not both sitting on the top bookshelf telling you off every time you walk past them.

I think I would lose the curtains or trade them in for roller-blinds, even Venetians. If you have indoor free-flying birds perching on your curtain rods then the fabric will be getting soiled and ultimately you will throw it out anyway. All of my birds have crashed into the windows at one time or another. It is inevitable but they learn fast. Mine all survived this encounter fortunately. I think now it is a fact of bird life indoors that they will make a rush at glass only to discover it isn't open-air afterall. Others put stickers on their windows to remind the birds. I just leave my windows streaky and that works just as well.

To regain your birds trust though you will have to work from their point of view. Starting with food. Don't leave an unlimited seed supply all day or they will pretty much ignore you through the day. Clean up stray seed at night and don't feed them until they approach you in the morning. This sets things straight in their minds pretty quick as to who is the parent. 

Second, don't chase them around the house or do things that clearly upset them. Like grabbing them in the dark or chasing from room to room. Also, allow them a safe place to be *where you never bother them*. If they have a safe zone they can be counted on to go there when stressed, sick, tired, bored or just plain sleepy. Let this be their hands-off zone. This is more important than it sounds. If your birds begin to view you as a predator because you are trying to catch them you will lose all trust for a long time. What you want is for them to come to you of their own accord.

So we are back to food. Treats are a good idea. The trick is to only give them when you need the birds cooperation. Don't overdue it out of love or the effect will be lost. This is just a little bird psychology for you but I hope it helps. It is easy to underestimate a birds good sense when you cannot see past their panic-based instincts and behaviours. It takes time to rebuild trust too once it is lost so try to be patient.

Cameron


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## Pigeonpal2002 (Jul 27, 2002)

Camrron said:


> Also, allow them a safe place to be *where you never bother them*. If they have a safe zone they can be counted on to go there when stressed, sick, tired, bored or just plain sleepy. Let this be their hands-off zone. This is more important than it sounds. If your birds begin to view you as a predator because you are trying to catch them you will lose all trust for a long time. What you want is for them to come to you of their own accord.
> 
> 
> Cameron


Hi Rowanred, 

I think Cameron brings up some excellent points and I really agree with the above one especially. Indoor pet pigeons really should have a "safe" spot where they can retire unmolested or bothered. Even if it's a place that you can easily get to them, let them feel safe in a spot of their choosing and try your best not to interfere with them while in their "safe" spot.


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