# How high maintenance are pigeons to keep?



## Adriel Ownbey (Jan 20, 2004)

I still live with my parents, and my dad doesn't want a cat in the house, but I very much want an animal companion that I can touch and carry and show off to people. How high maintenance are pigeons to keep?


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## maryco (Apr 1, 2002)

Hello and welcome to pigeons.com!

Pigeons make wonderful pets, I have 2 myself, Dotty who is a handicapped feral and his wife Pearl a pure white homing pigeon.

I also live with my family, we have a cat and I keep my birds in my room, it's a small room but they like it as I don't keep anything in there except for them so they have a lot of free space.
I do cover my clothes in the closet with a plastic shower curtain as I leave the door open as a perch for dotty to sleep on at night.

I have a couple so they keep each other busy, if you have one then you will have to give him more attention, I had a pet pigeon who I raised from a baby 2 years ago but he sadly passed away, he was very tame and would follow me everywhere, he stood on the door knob when I was in the bathroom waiting for me and he stood on my shoulder while I took a shower, What a sweetie he was...

Pigeons like all birds (unless trained or are wearing a pet bird diaper) will poop wherever they go, it's not such a problem for me since I follow them around and clean up everywhere they go and I put newspaper under the perches, they don't poop in their nest or food area which is good but some pets will.
I don't think pigeons are high maintanace pets but one must be sure to have everything for them as with any pet and they have a right to proper food, housing and last but not least medical care (I would suggest finding a good avian vet that will see pigeons)

Below I will post a part about "basic pet pigeon needs" so you can get a general idea.

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Pigeons make wonderful pets and are pretty easy to care for, here are some basic things that pigeons need: 
1. Fresh water (I usually change it twice a day) 

2. A pigeon mix either from a supply store or you can make your own by buying some seeds from a bulk store and mixing them (Pigeons like things like Milo, whole white or green peas, whole corn, millet, safflower, raw peanuts (NOT salted or dry roasted)..etc. 

3. Pigeon grit (Not gravel from a pet shop) you can get red cross grit from a feed supply store, it contains crushed oyster shells and is a good source of calcium.
Also you can offer him chopped cuttle bone and crushed egg shells. 

4. If your bird is an indoor pet he will need a vitamin and mineral powder that goes in the water since he won't be able to produce any vitamin D3 without direct sunlight, so you can buy a supplement from a pet shop. 

Housing: 

A nice cage will do, the pigeon should be able to stretch out both wings and still have some room. Pigeons don't really like round perches so you can get a flat perch.
The droppings should be cleaned once a day to keep the cage clean and the pigeon healthy. 

You can add ACV (Apple cider vinegar) to the water once a week, this helps keep the bird healthy also.
The dose is 1/4 cup or alittle less per gallon of fresh water. 

Also once or twice a week you can offer the pijjie a shallow pan filled with water to bath in, pigeons love baths and it's so fun to watch them splash around too! 

Hope that helps and if you have any questions please post them here..









Mary


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