# Potty training a pet pigeon?



## ArgentBadger (Apr 25, 2016)

Hey everyone,

I have had a pair of pet pigeons for about three weeks now, and in the last few days they have decided to hold their poop until I give them time out of their cage, then they poop on my floor in the same spot every time. Anyone have any suggestions for training them out of it? I'm still trying to get them used to being near me since they lived in a loft outside before I got them, so I don't want to scold them too much since I'm trying to help them understand I'm not going to hurt them. Today I tried outwaiting them and only letting them out after they poop, but they saved some up for the normal spot. If it wasn't the whole day's worth all at once, I wouldn't mind too much.

Thanks for the advice!


----------



## cwebster (Dec 11, 2010)

There are pretty pigeon pants you can put on them. My broody females do that. I wrap them in a towel,when I get them out until they poop. Or you can put newspapers on their favorite spot.


----------



## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

It's actually very bad for the poor things to be holding it for so long. When they were in the loft, they probably had a nest box where they nested and raised babies. So they like to keep their box clean. That is natural, and what you want in a loft. They are now in a cage and therefore they want to keep it clean, as that is their home. 

When I have birds in the house for one reason or another, for one, they need to be let out more often. When I take them out of the cage, I then put them in a smaller cage that has newspaper and paper toweling on the cage floor, so they are put in there first. They will go fairly quickly because they are now out of their "home". Then you let them out for exercise, and change the paper towel. They will still eventually go again, but not for a while. So the smaller cage is like their bath room. LOL.


----------



## ArgentBadger (Apr 25, 2016)

Jay3 said:


> It's actually very bad for the poor things to be holding it for so long. When they were in the loft, they probably had a nest box where they nested and raised babies. So they like to keep their box clean. That is natural, and what you want in a loft. They are now in a cage and therefore they want to keep it clean, as that is their home.


Yeah, I try to let them out for at least an hour or two every day when I get home. It's a pretty big cage, 6 feet tall and 3 feet wide and 2 feet deep, and they have a nest up at the top (and even laid two beautiful eggs 8 days ago). They never had any problems with pooping on the ground level of the cage before, so I have no idea why they have started to do it now. They only started doing it for the past two or three days, or I would think maybe it was because of the eggs.

I change the cage paper every day, so maybe they do just want to keep it clean... if that's the case, what should I do? I can't really let them out any more frequently than that because I'm gone during the day, and I don't want the poor things to feel like they have to hold it!


----------



## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

They will hold it to try and keep the nesting area clean. Unless you can take the time to just put them in a small cage to go in the morning just before you go to work, then not much you can do. It wouldn't take long to just move them to the smaller cage for a few minutes before you leave.


----------



## cwebster (Dec 11, 2010)

Just be careful getting them out to put them in the smaller cage. Fiona used to plop a large one on my shirt, arm, or shoe while I was getting her out. So now I wrap a towel,around her if she hasn't popped yet.


----------



## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

I never ran into that, as the smaller cage was right next to the larger one, and I moved quickly. But that is a possibility. LOL.


----------



## ArgentBadger (Apr 25, 2016)

I'll try to take them out and let them poop in the morning too, then. I just finished a full treatment of an oral medication twice a day though, so they fly away from me when I open the cage door. They definitely pooped on me every time I took them out to medicate them, lol. I guess I'll figure out a good system eventually!


----------



## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Can't you grab them before they get out of the cage?


----------



## ArgentBadger (Apr 25, 2016)

Yeah, what I meant to say is that they are scared of me and try to get away from my hands. I just feel bad that they're scared of me and I don't want them to feel cornered, so I was going to try to take a more hands off approach for a few weeks and try to build some trust.


----------



## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Well, you can't do that and also limit where they poop.
If they always go to the same spot, then try putting news paper or something under where they go.


----------



## ArgentBadger (Apr 25, 2016)

That's what I'm gonna do. Since they poop off the bookshelf every time, I'll just put newspaper under it. It's almost like potty training I guess, since they poop there every time!

Thanks for your advice.


----------



## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Jay3 said:


> If they always go to the same spot, then try putting news paper or something under where they go.


*THIS is what I would do, just lay that paper out where they drop the most poopy piles, their favorite toilet. *


----------

