# Why does my pigeon hate me?



## Lonelybadger

I have posted a few times about "Corny", a feral pidge I found as a baby and who is now getting on for 4 months old.

I have just recently determined that Corny's a girl, which was difficult, because her behaviour seems very "butch". She does the throat-puffing dance and loud cooing very impressively, when anyone comes home, or when either my husband or myself go into her "house" (broom closet she has taken over and which I have fitted out for her with a nest box, roost and feeding area).

She seemed very fond of me at first. But now her "attentions" seem so rough as to appear hostile. She follows me around the house, and sits on my head or shoulder, but whenever I put my hand near her she will bite, latching on like a dog playing tug-o-war with a football sock, and not let go, shaking her head and cooing loudly through a beak full of my pinched flesh. It doesn't hurt me, but you can tell she really means it, and if I were another pigeon it would do damage. And now she's sitting on my shoulder pecking HARD at my head and cheek and yelling at me. What on earth is her problem? She doesn't do this to my husband.

I have a couple of theories. Maybe she thinks I'm her mate and I'm not paying enough attention to the nest, and fertilisation of the eggs I guess she might want to lay soon. Or she is mated to my husband, and she sees me as a rival hen. Do pigeon hens boss each other like this?

Any thoughts? What should I do? I am not so much worried that I'll lose an eyeball or a hand soon... it's more that my feelings are hurt :'(

I put up with this for a while, thinking that if she didn't get a rise out of me, she would stop. But it's starting to make me mad and sad. ("How sharper than a serpent's tooth is an ungrateful squab"!)I just now fought back, pigeon-style, giving her a hard peck in the chest with my finger and shooing her away. She's sitting behind me now, staring expectantly. AARGH! What does she want from me?!


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## Airbaby

My guess is she is really a he and when he is on your shoulder pecking at you he is pressing you to go lay an egg...male pigeons will chase there female pigeon mates around the loft until they lay an egg....I would see if he is building a nest anywhere and try to hang out in that area to make him think you are getting ready to lay....hopefully this will stop the pecking....just my 3 cents.


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## Skyeking

How old is she.....and has she actually laid an egg?

Sounds like a boy to me too. They are usually the pushy, noisy, dancing, and demanding ones.


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## Pawbla

Can you get some fake eggs? lol. I don't know if it'd work but you can give it a shot. Provide him with nest materials.

Definitely a male one, and he does not hate you. If he would, he wouldn't sit on you, haha.


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## mr squeaks

Actually, lb, he may be pulling a "MR. Squeaks" on you.

Squeaks considers me his mate and over time has developed TWO modes: Mate and Daddy.

When in mate mode, he wants to be where I am, follows me around and will even stay in the bathroom moaning away, hoping I will come and stay with him!

Then, he goes into daddy mode. I have a basket (nest) for him and give him either a dummy egg or Woe's eggs if she's not sitting on them. I also give him shredded paper for his nest. He will sit hours for days, coming off only to eat and stretch and drink water...oh yeah, and poop! The good news is, my cats don't have to worry about a jealous pij chasing them around!

Then, the cycle starts again...

Hope this helps...

Love, Hugs and Scritches

Shi 

I can hold and pet him in mate mode but as a "daddy," he's not interested.


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## cotdt

yeah! give him an egg!


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## jameswaller

*pigeon behavior*



Lonelybadger said:


> I have posted a few times about "Corny", a feral pidge I found as a baby and who is now getting on for 4 months old.
> 
> I have just recently determined that Corny's a girl, which was difficult, because her behaviour seems very "butch". She does the throat-puffing dance and loud cooing very impressively, when anyone comes home, or when either my husband or myself go into her "house" (broom closet she has taken over and which I have fitted out for her with a nest box, roost and feeding area).
> 
> She seemed very fond of me at first. But now her "attentions" seem so rough as to appear hostile. She follows me around the house, and sits on my head or shoulder, but whenever I put my hand near her she will bite, latching on like a dog playing tug-o-war with a football sock, and not let go, shaking her head and cooing loudly through a beak full of my pinched flesh. It doesn't hurt me, but you can tell she really means it, and if I were another pigeon it would do damage. And now she's sitting on my shoulder pecking HARD at my head and cheek and yelling at me. What on earth is her problem? She doesn't do this to my husband.
> 
> I have a couple of theories. Maybe she thinks I'm her mate and I'm not paying enough attention to the nest, and fertilisation of the eggs I guess she might want to lay soon. Or she is mated to my husband, and she sees me as a rival hen. Do pigeon hens boss each other like this?
> 
> Any thoughts? What should I do? I am not so much worried that I'll lose an eyeball or a hand soon... it's more that my feelings are hurt :'(
> 
> I put up with this for a while, thinking that if she didn't get a rise out of me, she would stop. But it's starting to make me mad and sad. ("How sharper than a serpent's tooth is an ungrateful squab"!)I just now fought back, pigeon-style, giving her a hard peck in the chest with my finger and shooing her away. She's sitting behind me now, staring expectantly. AARGH! What does she want from me?!


somone else put in their 3 cents,,so i-guess-i can throw out my 2 cents,.//.prey animal-behavior is instinctive,,yes they know we are predatory animals,..this most likely is a male trying to keep his flock in line,(domination)-,it is possible he feels threatened by you,//,please don,t take his behavior personal,..work within the limits he allows-to win him over,..the majority of my birds are female,,i once thought i could tell the two apart--but,if he lays an egg,-he is a she.//.their behavior is ironically simular--i hope this helps--sincerely james waller


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## Cyreen

I didn't know Ollie was a girl until she laid an egg and she still does the crowing, bowing, puffy bossy dance. 

If Corny's sitting on your head and shoulders s/he's now bigger than you and thinks s/he's boss. Corny, whether male or female, is attempting to establish flock dominance. I would suspect s/he see's you as the contender and your husband is inconsequential. I suspect you may also be "mate".


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## Lonelybadger

*I will try to show more interest in the nest.*

I am tending to agree with Cyreen about the sex. Corny is very slight physically, with big eyes, narrow shoulders and a flat rather than round forehead. I groped his/her pelvis the other day, and the bones were wide apart enough to place an index finger quite easily between. I know that none of these things are 100% accurate, but physically, Corny's very girly.

I will bring home some straw tomorrow and hang around the nest box and see if that helps. I also like the idea of a fake egg! I could make one out of Fimo. A pigeon who is sitting on an egg is a pigeon who isn't harassing me. Anyone know offhand how long/wide they are?

When Corny does go too far, is it OK to fight back? I don't want to alienate her or make her unhappy. (Geez, we need couples counselling).


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## Cyreen

Does she have a cage? I think Corny needs a timeout spot. There's no point getting angry with her and fighting back will cause trust issues. You need to be able to put her away from you when her behavior is unacceptable so that she learns. Don't get angry or loud - just "no" and put distance between you. She wants to be with you. Not being with you is punishment enough.


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## Lonelybadger

*She has a suite of her own*

She has moved into a large closet. There is a nest box up on the highest shelf, which she seems to like, and a perch, and a large slate ledge where the parading and eating goes on. (Also my husband's old bicycle, obviously fun to sit on, now encrusted with turd). She is clearly very territorial about this fancy house of hers. I was thinking of building her a large but proper cage that can go in that closet... perhaps her territory at the moment is too big and it's giving her ego problems. And perhaps being banished to such a cage after displays of evil will calm her down.

I could never be horribly mean to her. She's far too cute.


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## Cyreen

Of course not, but this is just one of those times you have to be the bigger person (pun intended).


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## StanelyPidge09

Stanley, my male pigeon, lives inside with me and he sees me as his mate. When he thinks it is time for me to take my turn on the nest he will attack me, doing a lot of what you are describing she is doing to you. Until I sit on the nest, which just so happens to be my bed, he is super aggressive. Once I sit down his behavior does a 180 degree turn, he begins preening my hand and acts all lovey-dovey! (bipolar much  haha, jk) 

When he does attack me I always try to keep in mind that he is probably trying to communicate to me, whether it be that he wants me to sit on the nest, turn off the lights (he will bite me if I don't turn off the lights by 9:30), or just that he is mad at me for doing something. I would try not to take it personally though. Stanley's mood changed considerably from day to day during his first year. One day he would love me the next he would despise me. Just the day in the life of a pigeon mama.


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## chezd3

Hello! I have a male King Pigeon called Dovee. He is very outgoing and in fact I take him MickaCoo Pigeon and Dove rescue Adoption fairs and he is a perfect gentleman and loving and sweet. But when I out him back in his aviary, and go in to clean up his nest box or pet him, he bites me. I think for him it's a territory thing. He used to be single and also has had a lot of changes with mates. He has been separated, divorced and Widowed. Now he is married again and is most happy just being a pigeon and want to be left alone most of the time. If I am near his best he will bite and wing pop me sometimes to say get out. But he will turn around and fly and jump on my shoulder to show the other birds I am his human So I am not sure the pigeons are bipolar, rather just kind of ungrateful. I since have a very tame homing pigeon I can cuddle and play with and let my protective Dovee alone, until it's time to work for the cause of rescuing King Pigeons!


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