# Pet feral pigeon



## lsylvia (May 31, 2015)

.................................................................................................................................................


----------



## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

He is feral and is going to do that. Perfectly normal. If he is an adult pigeon then I wouldn't worry about him imprinting on you. He views people as predators, and that is why he will wing slap, in defense. If he has a broken wing, then he may or may not be able to be released after it heals. All depends on the break and how it heals. How do you know he's a male? Pretty hard to tell, as sometimes females will act like males. If he is that defensive with you, then I don't think he will really want to be held or petted. If he has grown up wild, then that is what he knows. It will take time for him to get used to you. They all love chopped unsalted peanuts. If you mix some in his feed, so that he will eventually try them, he will love them. You can then use that to get him to come to you for the treat. Not too many though, as they are high in fat.


----------



## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Then why are you worried about him imprinting on you?
How friendly was he with your friend?
All you can do is to go slowly with him. Are you not planning on keeping him?


----------



## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

I only asked because you mentioned that _you didn't want him to be completely imprinted on you. _ Usually people say that when they are planning to eventually release a bird back to the wild, so I didn't understand. 
As far as taming him, the best you may be able to do is to get him to tolerate you. As I mentioned earlier, to a feral pigeon, who lived a feral life until adult, people are predators, and not to be trusted. It's lots easier to raise one from a baby, and even then, they do change and grow away from you when they get older. All are different, and some are friendlier than others. But ferals, when taken in as adults, don't usually tame down all that well. They should also have a couple hours out of cage daily for exercise. I think it nice of you to want to take him, but just not sure you'd be able to get him to be tame like you would like. At this age, he would be happier with another mate.


----------



## cwebster (Dec 11, 2010)

We have two formerly feral pigeons who are very tame. At first they wing slapped us. CBL can send you tips on taming them. Just be careful that the bird doesn't see you as a sex mate as this can really mess them up especially females. Agree that pigeons are too high in fat for regular use. Peanuts probably caused Phoebes xanthomatosis.


----------



## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

cwebster said:


> We have two formerly feral pigeons who are very tame. At first they wing slapped us. CBL can send you tips on taming them. Just be careful that the bird doesn't see you as a sex mate as this can really mess them up especially females. Agree that pigeons are too high in fat for regular use. Peanuts probably caused Phoebes xanthomatosis.



How old were your birds when you got them?


----------



## cwebster (Dec 11, 2010)

Both birds were young adults but they still tamed very quickly. A couple of months. It does take patience until they trust you.


----------



## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

The longer a feral pigeon lives wild, the harder it is to tame them. When captured as adults they don't generally make for good pets.


----------



## witold&elzbieta (Jun 17, 2014)

I also have an adult feral pigeon who is now adapting to being a pet. 

Found her (or him) few months ago in my neighborhood, with a hanging wing, unable to fly.

The first month or so, she was not too friendly, and would also wing slap me and my wife if we tried to pet her. She'd also peck us vigorously! 

Just recently she seems as if she started to like me more (my wife went abroad), as she is cooing anytime I nod to her, or even when I just enter the room. She will still peck and slap if I persistently want to pet her neck and back, but otherwise, she acts kind of tame for an adult feral pigeon. 

She doesn't stay in a cage, but has a box next to the window where she spends most of the time, either dozing or observing what's going on outside. I take her for a walk in the apt once or twice a day and she enjoys these, as the moves must remind her of being on the sidewalk and picking little pieces of food from the ground. When I sit on the floor during these walks, she even approaches me, almost reminding me of a male pigeon courting a female (she will hop and have her tail spread), so I hope she/he only takes it for a play.


----------

