# New rescue pigeon owner needs advice.



## Wrat (Jun 5, 2011)

I suddenly and unexpectedly find myself the owner of a pigeon. I figured I'd post here and ask those more experienced than myself for their knowledge and wisdom.

First, let me tell you a story. It's important to bear in mind that my budget is...tight. About two weeks ago, I go out to do a bit of light gardening only to find a pigeon sitting on the back stoop. Well...not sitting so much as flopping around and bleeding. Turns out one of the neighborhood kids got overzealous with a BB gun. The poor bird caught one in the wrist of his right wing and happened to crash down in my fenced in yard. I managed to extract the BB and patch him up and as it stands, he's doing well. It's been three weeks, he's got a small scar where the wound was and he still dosen't hold the wing up properly. A friend's father (a retired vet) was visiting from out of town over the week end. I got him to take a look at the bird. He says I did a good job on the wing, but the tendon damage is simply too great and he (at least, I think the pigeon is a 'he') will probably never fly again. I was completely unprepared to take on a pigeon...but there it is. I named him Quetzalcoatl (Qetzo for short) and have embraced my responsibility to keep him alive and well. It helps that I've got the space and free time.

I have him in a cage that measures roughly four feet high by three feet across by four feet deep. It's got a few platforms I added on at various levels (with ramps to get to them) and I'm currently seeking a roommate so Qetzo stays sane and warm.

My questions to you, the experienced masses of the internet; 

1) Can anyone recommend a good site for trustworthy, helpful information for folk in my sort of situation? (in addition to this one, of course)

2) Can anyone recommend a few good books on the subject?

3) How much can I expect to pay for Qetzo's roomie? I don't need fancy, just alive and healthy. 

4) Can anyone recommend a good site for finding such a pigeon? (Or location in the neighborhood of Martinsburg, WV)

5) I'm thinking about adapting a rabbit harness for Qetso so I can walk him around the yard/garden some for exercise. Is this a bad idea?

6) How do I tame him, and how tame can he get under the circumstances?

7) Does anyone have any advice in general?

...I may post up more questions as they occur to me.


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## Quazar (Jul 27, 2010)

Hi, welcome to PT & thanks for helping this little guy.
A few pics of him & the cage would be helpful as far as more advice about living quarters go, although sounds like youve got that under control.

As far as sites go, not being biased or anything , but here is probably the best.
There are loads of folk with plenty of experiance that are only too willing to help anyone with injured birds. 
You will also get a lot of better advice here than you may get from a vet.
(I'm not implying that vets are bad, just that most (even avian) have not had enough experiance with pigeons to make proper judgement, and some only guess. Most folk on here deal with pigeons welfare every day and have on numerous occasions helped birds that vets would normally PTS). They will also be the first to tell you to go to a vet (and reccomend a pigeon friendly one) if they think that it is nessessary. 
Theres also a lot with pet pidgeons & doves that will share their experiances & knowledge with you & give you some tips about safety in the home etc.
As far as a mate goes for him/her, although it would be nice, its not really nessessary, but If it is a He, then would be better with a female companion as males often get very territorial.
If it is female, then either a male or female would do, but if you get a male, then you will also get eggs....which would need to be substituted with fake eggs or ..... more birds lol.
The problem with getting it a mate is whether it is male or female, as unless you get a dna test or it lays an egg, you cant really tell.
As folks on here say, if it lays an egg - its female, if it doesnt lay an egg - it could be female. Theres no definate non medical way to tell for sure if it is a male.
if you def want to get it a mate, go for a female & rather than go to a breeder or purchase one, theres loads of "rescues" and "non releasables" that are always needing homes.
You can also get pigeon "diapers" from www.birdwearonline.com which helps protect your home from poops & think they also do leads so you could take him for a walk.
As far as tameing him is concerned, everything about a pigeon is really on their terms.
Most do not like to be handled, but others love getting attention, cuddles & the back of their necks rubbed.
Best way to win a pigeons affection is treats. Most will do anything for peanuts (raw unsalted of course).
Im sure others will be along to add things but again welcome to PT & hope you enjoy the company of your new friend.


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## Wrat (Jun 5, 2011)

Thanks. I'll get pics up as soon as I can get a hold of my housemates camera. 

it has occurred to me that squabs could be in my future after getting Qetzo some company. I figured I could sell the offspring, or failing that release them. 

There's a decent sized flock that favors the neighbor's roof. I can't help but to wonder how many times I've watched Qetzo hanging out up there as I've sipped my morning tea.


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## Msfreebird (Sep 23, 2007)

Thank you so much for rescuing this little guy  EVERYTHING you need to know can be found here on this forum. If you travel around here, you will find everything from housing, diet, treatments, birds looking for homes, and just someone to talk to for advise 24-7!
The cage size you have him/her in is adequate, just need to make sure it is 'predator proof' - cats paws, mice or rats getting thru the bars (if its a dog crate). I would not take him out in the yard in the open....hawks have been known to swoop down and take pet pigeons right from their owners! I have an aviary attached to my loft for the birds to get fresh air.
I think its wonderful that you want to get a friend for him/her. Best to observe him/her for a while to determine 'what' he or her is? You can put 2 hens together, but you don't want to put 2 cocks together  If its a cock, you can get him a hen, and if you don't want babies, you will have to switch the eggs with fake eggs.
There are plenty of birds here looking for homes and alot of members in your area......someone will be along to help you with that


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

I think he will love a roomate...that is if he likes the new comer..pigeons can be territorial so he may want to defend his pad at first..sounds like you got it all figured out.. feeding is important, so see if you can get a pigeon mix..if not you can make your own with some wild bird seed if need be. you may have that figured out already though.. you will want to get a hen pigeon...even if yours turns out to be hen..two hens can get along well. This bird sure did land in the right yard.. Im very heart warmed to read about your caring for him.


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## Wrat (Jun 5, 2011)

Right now I have him on wild bird seed and just this morning gave him a handful of grit "borrowed" from my housemates' chickens. Is there a particularly good site for ordering proper feed online?

I heard that a pigeon can live happily off of chicken scratch, is this true?


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

You probably have a feed store in your area where you can buy seed for pigeons and grit for pigeons. Likely the seed will come in 50# bags although some feed store sell it in 5-10# bags. If 503 is all you can get, store it in a metal garbage can to portect it from rodents and such.
Ask for 14%-17% protein. 
Most pigeons enjoy leafy greens such as spinich and kale. My pigeons like minced carrots and defrosted peas and corn too.


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## Wrat (Jun 5, 2011)

...Edited the first post to include a pic...


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## Heedictator (May 19, 2011)

it has a feathered feet like my pigeons before~ nice one for being a hero for that pigeon^^ holding and touching him/her more frequently especially on the head, cheeks and ears and on the back will make him/her tame~


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## Jaye (Mar 13, 2008)

Yes, he may well have a few Fancy genes mixed in somewhere.

BTW...do you know who those kids were ? If you have an Animal Care/Control dept. in your locality, you should report them. If not...gimme their names and I'd be glad to pay them a visit....

Thanks for caring and saving Quetzl. If you are really interested, you CAN get him sexed either thru a blood test at a vet...or by plucking and sending a feather to an internet testing place (do a websearch).

As Quazar says, there are so many (too many) rescued unreleasable Feral Pigeons and Doves, that it'd be great for his future buddy to be one of those.

Harness ? Not so sure about that Idea...I like the concept of an aviary better. Also, although he/she cannot fly anymore, you want to make a decision whether she/he will be a 'lap Pigeon" or more of an Aviary/Loft Pigeon (the former being very acclimated to human touch and proximity...the latter, less so). Certainly as a Feral he has an innate fear and distrust for humans (as clearly has been illustrated he should have )...so it would take a fair amount of time and effort if you wanted him to be sociable with you (if this route, best to sometimes keep him in the house, IMHO...out of cage time in the house).

Anyway...as Quazar said...really...there aren't many other Pigeon sites on the web as good as this one. Poke around here a little...there's good info.
PigeonAngels is the other site I can think of, although as of late they have been having their troubles.

Also...do find yourself an Avian vet. Find one now..as opposed to when something comes up.

Again, thanks for caring and welcome to the Forum.


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## ptras (Jun 29, 2010)

Wrat said:


> Right now I have him on wild bird seed and just this morning gave him a handful of grit "borrowed" from my housemates' chickens. Is there a particularly good site for ordering proper feed online?
> 
> I heard that a pigeon can live happily off of chicken scratch, is this true?


Chicken grit is fine short term. Chicken grit is usually crushed granite. Although not harmful (and even somewhat helpful) to pigeons, proper pigeon grit contains calcium and other minerals that are essential for a pigeon in the long run.


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## Wrat (Jun 5, 2011)

Jaye said:


> BTW...do you know who those kids were ? If you have an Animal Care/Control dept. in your locality, you should report them. If not...gimme their names and I'd be glad to pay them a visit....


There wasn't a witness or anything, but two doors down there lives a very loud drunken ignorant group of people with a son that loves waving various toy guns around. The house between that one and mine usually has a roof full of pigeons. (my bed is situated specifically so they're the first thing I see when I wake up in the morning, I like watching them.) If I were the type that shot up birds, the words "shooting gallery" would come to mind. 
They received a spectacular telling off the morning after we found Qetso, and the police were contacted. The nice lady next door (with the roof full of pigeons) told us that she called the cops on them for things like this seven times last year. The police do nothing, the ignorant stay ignorant, birds get shot at. 


Jaye said:


> Thanks for caring and saving Quetzl. If you are really interested, you CAN get him sexed either thru a blood test at a vet...or by plucking and sending a feather to an internet testing place (do a websearch).


I'm working with found materials and a writer's salary, how much would such a service cost?


Jaye said:


> As Quazar says, there are so many (too many) rescued unreleasable Feral Pigeons and Doves, that it'd be great for his future buddy to be one of those.


How do I look into that in my area?


Jaye said:


> YHarness ? Not so sure about that Idea...I like the concept of an aviary better. Also, although he/she cannot fly anymore, you want to make a decision whether she/he will be a 'lap Pigeon" or more of an Aviary/Loft Pigeon (the former being very acclimated to human touch and proximity...the latter, less so). Certainly as a Feral he has an innate fear and distrust for humans (as clearly has been illustrated he should have )...so it would take a fair amount of time and effort if you wanted him to be sociable with you (if this route, best to sometimes keep him in the house, IMHO...out of cage time in the house).


We have a frequent house guest, a dear close friend who visits often. She is very, very allergic to birds (weird, eh?). As much as I'd love to set him up with some sort of window mounted cage so he can still be close to his flock, it's just not an option to keep him inside here. For the first week or so, before we got our hands on a proper sized cage, I had no choice but to keep him inside in a tank that's way too small...no worries though. We quickly discovered that he was happy to stand on top of it and "talk" to his friends through my bedroom window.


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