# can i clean my babies nest? change everything?



## goga82 (Aug 17, 2009)

today they are 10 days old.. 
and their nest is OMG.. i cleaned poop around but thats just not good enough.. i wanna know if im allowed to take everything apart.. all the branches put the whole nest in the trash and get them new bedding? will mom and dad freak out? quit caring for them or they wont care?


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## thepigeonkey (Oct 12, 2011)

It should be ok.

What breed are they? some breeds need to be left alone.


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## FrillbackLover (Mar 18, 2011)

Ive taking out the nest and thrown everything out, the parent were okay, you should be fine


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## goga82 (Aug 17, 2009)

thepigeonkey said:


> It should be ok.
> 
> What breed are they? some breeds need to be left alone.


feral pigeons.. both mom and dad.i had the mom since the day she was born same as dad.. ohh i cleaned the nest i feel relived.. i threw out everything they had.. put babies in about 2 inches deep box.. put bedding in it and we shall see.. mom and dad having dinner right now.. if mom decides not to sleep with them i will panick


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## thepigeonkey (Oct 12, 2011)

they won't mind you changing the nest, sometimes it needs to be done. if the nest isnt in the sun, warm enough or ventalated it can get quite stinky. if it gets too rank the parents will stop feeding the squabs so its a good thing you changed the bedding.


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## Quazar (Jul 27, 2010)

goga82 said:


> today they are 10 days old..
> and their nest is OMG.. i cleaned poop around but thats just not good enough.. i wanna know if im allowed to take everything apart.. all the branches put the whole nest in the trash and get them new bedding? will mom and dad freak out? quit caring for them or they wont care?


Goga, Since the others obviously dont know the history of your birds, (They are feral rescues) I would just try to clean as much as you can without disturbing the nest too much. They should be OK, but being feral, and not really used to human intervention (even though they are used to you) they may well reject the situation then you would have to take over lol.


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## thepigeonkey (Oct 12, 2011)

too late the nest is clean


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## goga82 (Aug 17, 2009)

Quazar said:


> Goga, Since the others obviously dont know the history of your birds, (They are feral rescues) I would just try to clean as much as you can without disturbing the nest too much. They should be OK, but being feral, and not really used to human intervention (even though they are used to you) they may well reject the situation then you would have to take over lol.


ohh god no, i just hope they dont reject them.. i seen feral pigeons after babies fall out of the nest , mom continue to feed them untill i find them LOL.
i did try to clean as much as i could.. but half of the nest was torn apart, branches were everywhere and poop was ugh mixed with the branches that i got from outside. i cleaned the nest yesterday and since its on the carpet.. in the corner of the closet. on the floor.. carpet got lil wet, and it did start to stink a bit. wish u could only see a picture ugh
i spoke to one lady in pittsburgh, she does a lot of rescues, and she got a little loft for her ferals, she said she cleans the nest often and so far she had good luck mom and dad never had rejected the babies..
Once i turn the light off,, i will put mom next to them.. i did it last night.. so she stayed with them,, fed the in the morning.. yesterday after cleaning i added some of the matierial i use as y hamster bedding.. it didnt seem to bother mom and dad.. so lets keep the fingers crossed and pray 
if necessary liek i said in my earlier threads.. i could continue caring fot the babies. at least in this age (10 days) im not afraid..
babies up to 5 days i would be scared to feed
lets just hope mom and dad dont mind the freshness


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## thepigeonkey (Oct 12, 2011)

they won't mind at all. I'd put a dollar on it!


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

I always change the nests. Can't stand dirty nest bowls or boxes. I would just use the same kind of bowl or box so it looks the same. It never bothers them. I have fancies, homers and ferals. Besides, yours are already much older, so it shouldn't bother them.


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## goga82 (Aug 17, 2009)

update, dad came down, and i thought everything is ok,, but they just walking around the babies,, as if they are scared of what thsi new thing is .. u guys think they would get it tonight..???

another update.. ok he just fed them  uhhhh i almost had a heart attack  lol
thank u guys


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

When you change out a nest box or bowl, try to use one just like it. They'll be okay.


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## thepigeonkey (Oct 12, 2011)

phew!! I can keep my dollar


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## Quazar (Jul 27, 2010)

Glad they're OK, was just a bit concerned it was more like a total clearout & completely new nest that they would either have to rebuild or may not even recognise.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

If the babies are in a bowl, I would clean and then use the same bowl, or one just like it. If they are just in a nest in a nest box, I clean out the entire nest, then make a bit of a nest with fresh straw, and put the babies back in. It has never bothered any of the parents. I usually wait til they are abt. 5 days old.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

It is a good idea to keep everything the same as possible..cleaning is fine, just don't change the nest bowl and put the same bowl in the same spot, they can get leary of too much change.. I use the disposibles so they all look alike I put the babies in a new one with some pine shavings in the bottom and chunk the the old one, mine have never had an issue with it as it looked the same as the old one. but I think that was a good point from Quazar as he is very experience with ferals and so is jay3.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

As sw has said, that's the secret. Keep everything the same. That way, things are kept clean, but nothing has changed. She's right in that they are leary of change. Everything goes back just as it was. You're happy, and they're happy. And the babies don't smell like poop.


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## goga82 (Aug 17, 2009)

update :
u guys are completelly right, without knowing i did change the nest, to completelly different setting. branchges are all gone,, and babies are restiong on the new bedding in the same spot. 
u live and learn now i know. 
their original nest was made up from whole bunch of branches.. there is no way that i could clean dispose of that and make something even simular to it.

good thing is mom slept with them, and they both continue to feed the babies thry oout the morning.
today they are 11 days


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## goga82 (Aug 17, 2009)

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/f5/my-babies-will-hatch-tomorrow-58762.html

this is how original nest looked like. just imagine lots of poop around now that they are bigger


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