# What pigeons make good "house" pets



## lizwinz

I am so glad I found this site, everyone seems very helpful and your care sheet for pet pigeons is great.

I've been thinking of getting a bird for sometime now and I think I've finally decided on a pigeon.

Trouble is, I can't find much useful information to help me decide what breed...I've googled like crazy but most the information I come across seems to be about breed standards for show, loft keeping etc...and while interesting, not really what I'm looking for

I plan to keep one pigeon as a pet in a large cage and letting him or her out for a couple hours each day (not outside)

I'm guessing that rollers and racers may need to be exercised outdoors and that maybe tumblers and "show" type pigeons are more my speed 

So far I've been thinking of either a Lahore or a West of England Tumbler, are either of those a good first pet pigeon?

I also like the look of Old German Owls but I read an article that said they need a room aviary...is that correct?

I'm open to any suggestions/corrections and also I am interested in hearing about everyone's favorite pet.

Thanks all,

--Liz


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## Pigeonpal2002

Hi Liz, 

Welcome to our group Well pigeons do make wonderful pets indeed and there are all kinds of varieties of them. Have you considered adopting a disabled or needy pigeon from the forum? There is almost always birds for adoption here or you could also check your local animal shelters. 

Also, unless you are around a lot, and even so, the pigeon *could* get lonely with no other feathered friend. This depends on the bird itself, whether it's male or female, tame or "wild" in how it feels about being a single bird.


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## lizwinz

Hi Brad,

Thank you for the welcome and reply.

To be honest I haven't thought of adopting a pigeon until you mentioned it. I've been thinking I would like to get a young healthy bird from a good breeder...but I am open to the idea of adopting a bird that needs a home.

I've been re-thinking the idea of only having a single bird after reading your post. If I were to have a pair of birds would they be likely to be _a lot_ less people-friendly? 

Also, in general would it matter what kind of pigeons are housed together as far as age, variety and gender?

--Liz


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## Reti

Also, in general would it matter what kind of pigeons are housed together as far as age, variety and gender?

--Liz[/QUOTE]


The variety doesn't really matter, the age doesn't matter too much either, but you don't want to have too many males in a small place, cause they will fight.
Sometimes even two males fight for no aparent reason. 

If you have a pair, they might be a little less people friendly. That also depends if they were pets before and how much human contact they had before they came to you.

Some shelters/rehabbers do have breeds, it happens quite often that a racing/homing or show pigeon gets lost and the owner can't be located.

Reti


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## Lolita's Mom

*Wild pigeon as a pet*

My Lolita was picked up during an ice storm at an abandoned theatre
in downtown Saginaw, MI at 10 p.m. last November. She was injured and starving. 

She is a wonderful pet. I can't keep her in a cage, even though she is in the house, because I "rescued her" I didn't take her prisoner. She and I are close "buds." She gets on with the cats and the Greyhound. She goes outside with me and returns to a police whistle or a loud double "clap" of the hands. 

She has several "roosts" in the house where I have
newspaper and pick up daily. Not really much mess. I am planning to
put shelves in those areas, up near the ceiling and put plastic on them.
I think it will work out. She also has a box on a dresser in front of
a big mirror that I wipe off daily. It is covered with plastic.

She has a cage and I put her in it every evening. She goes to it when
I tell her it is time for bed. I cover the cage with a sheet that I sewed
into a fitted cover. The cage is big enough for her to spread her wings.
I cannot imagine her sitting in it all day. How cruel!

She watches everything I do: vacuum, cook, clean, wash clothes, wash face, make bed, read book, computer. She plays the electric piano when I 
play the violin and the dog howls. She screws up the computer. (If my fingers move on the keys, why can't her toes move on the keys?) She takes a bath with me every Wednesday. She has her own, very set schedule that she made up herself.
She will eat only KayTee, dove food, but she will take seeds from my hand. (No bread, fruit or other things people talk about for their pigeons, just KayTee) She sits on my head when I garden and flys down every little while to inspect something I did on the earth. She tolerates other birds eating
her food outside, but not very much!!!!!!! I can tell.

She has laid two eggs but threw them out of the basket near the ceiling
when they didn't hatch. I think She mated with my hand. She is with me
all the time that I am home, on my shoulder. She talks to me...coo, coo, coo.
She nibbles my toes and fingers and strokes my hair.

Honestly, I can't imagine life without her. She is the closest pet I have
ever had and I have had everything.

If you are tolerant and not squeemish about a few little hard pieces of poop, then get a pigeon. It is a wonderful sharing experience. It has made me realize the awesomeness of God, his wonderful creativity and how much he loves his creations. I know he loves me. He gave me Lolita!

Check out her pics - I am putting up 2 new ones of Lolita outside:

community.webshots.com/user/gkoehler


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## Reti

Lolita has such a busy life, LOL. 
How wonderfuly the two of you get along and do everything together.

I agree, every pigeon, feral or breed can make a great pet.

Reti


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## Victor

I am still doing a lot of catching up here at Pigeon Talk while away for almost 2 weeks during the College World Series, and I too ,like Lolita's mom, have a plain ol' pigeon "mutt"  but I would *never* trade him in for another one ! 

Like Lolita, Tooter enjoys when I am gardening or just hanging out in the back yard. His latest discovery is my 10 speed bike and enjoys riding a couple of times a day on my head or shoulder when I ride in my back yard. My wife Bev says we are both crazy but she still l_oves_ us both!


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## Poulette

Lolita's Mom, does Lolita coo a lot? I wonder if a female makes the nest call? My male Tigeon sits in his nest and makes a ouuuuuu ouuuuuu ouuuuuu ouuuuuu call until I come and scratch his neck and head while he goes on this love song. He stays on the nest all day long, until I put back the stuffed dove on the eggs at 7 PM.
He is a master cooer!
Suz.


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## linn

*Wild Pigeons are Wonderful Pets*

I was just reading about Lolita and she reminds me so much of my pet wild pigeon, Moby, who I found at a week old. 

Moby's story is at:

http://home.earthlink.net/~razhome/id12.html

and pictures of her meeting people and sitting on their heads are at:

http://home.earthlink.net/~razhome/id14.html

I took her to work with me everyday, near the beach in San Diego, and she would fly in and out of my window, visit other people's offices (via their windows), check out the surfers, or sometimes just hang out on my computer or visit with people in my office. And at home we have a balcony overlooking a park where she would fly around and visit as well. She changed the way many people thought about pigeons. I had been wary about her being outside (she had been chased by a raven when about 2 months old, her first long flight!) but there were never hawks at the park or down by the beach so I thought she was pretty safe. A few weeks ago however, when she was just outside my office window, a juvenile peregrine falcon killed her. I looked up at one point and saw it sitting on the rail outside my window. When I went outside to investigate, Moby was already dead on the ground; her neck had been chewed apart. 

I am so happy to hear about Lolita and the other pet pigeons here. Lolita's story just about had me in tears, she is so much like Moby (even looks just like her) and I miss Moby so much. As Lolita's mom said, she is like no other animal I've had, and I've had plenty. (Moby also lived with 2 cats and a dog, and for the last couple of months, an African grey parrot, inspired by Moby giving me a newfound love of birds.) She was just 1 week shy of her 1st birthday when she died. 

I hope to get another pigeon or dove at some point, but it will probably have to be something a little different. This hurt too much, and I would hate having to keep a wild pigeon indoors (knowing how much she loved to fly and meet people outside), yet I'd be too petrified to let one outside again. The falcon who got Moby was probably the first sighting of a bird of prey in that area in over 5 years or more (as long as anyone can remember). I may get something like a Ringneck Dove at some point, that can be kept indoors a bit better. Our little household is way out of balance without her -- she was such a sweet presence.

Also, a note to those keeping pigeons indoors, "free" like Lolita and Moby -- check out the "flight suits" at http://www.birddiaper.com/ . They are a godsend! It took me about 2 weeks dealing with little tizzy fits and pouting; but after that there was just a minor pout after putting the suit on in the morning (she didn't like being dressed, like any little kid) and then all was well. Especially if I put on her favorite music and danced with her right afterwards. I also attached a name tag in it so when she was out "making friends" people would know who she belonged to and how to get ahold of me. 

I wish all of you the best and it is so good to see so many pigeon lovers. They really are amazing creatures. Moby literally changed my life, and she will always be incredibly special to me.

Raz
(picture attached is the only good one I have of the two of us "together" -- she had a fondness for sitting on both head and "tails"


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## Jiggs

Why not enter your bird into the photo competition?


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## Victor

AND I SECOND THAT MOTION!


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## Lin Hansen

Welcome Linn,

Thank you for sharing your story of Moby....it was very, very touching and I'm so sorry for the loss of your sweet bird.

Also, thanks for providing the links to read Moby's story and view all of your great pictures. I thoroughly enjoyed looking over your entire home page...you indeed have quite a zoo there! The picture of your cat in the bird cage with Moby having the run of the house is priceless.

Knowing the outcome made viewing the pictures bittersweet, but you can be confident through sharing your story and pictures, that Moby is still bringing joy to people's hearts even now.

Thanks again,
Linda


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## Pigeonpal2002

Hi Raz, 

Such a heartbreaking thing to have happened to your dear Moby She sounded like quite the character with all her outdoor adventures. All the pictures are really wonderful, your site is very good too!

I'm so sorry that she's gone and I do hope another wonderful pigeon will come into your life again soon.


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## TAWhatley

Raz and I are workin' on another pet .. not to worry .. I have one that might be just perfect and Bart has many others ..

Terry


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