# I Wish I Spoke Pij!



## valeri (Sep 6, 2009)

Ever since we've been medicating Chauncey twice a day, he's showing (oddly enough) an incremental desire to get closer to us when we're working in the office. Up until now, he's been content to sit on our high bookshelf all day, only coming close to us or back to the cage for food.

In the past few days, he's flown down to our work table mid-day, stayed (at arm's length) or slept close by to us on top of his cage. He's also walked across my husband's keyboard multiple times, and checked out everything I've been eating or drinking at my computer station.

This is a first. In the evening, when he's back in his cage, he's doing this little parading routine with me. Can anyone tell me what it means?

I talk to him from outside the cage and he walks around in circles, then charges toward me at the cage bars, sometimes cooing, sometimes not. I know I've seen feral pigeons do little circling routines with each other. This is a bit different, but could it be that he's warming up to us? Or is he telling me something else?

My husband thinks Chauncey realized that the worst that happens when we handle him is that he gets a little grape-flavored liquid to drink.


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## Msfreebird (Sep 23, 2007)

valeri said:


> Ever since we've been medicating Chauncey twice a day, he's showing (oddly enough) an incremental desire to get closer to us when we're working in the office. Up until now, he's been content to sit on our high bookshelf all day, only coming close to us or back to the cage for food.
> 
> In the past few days, he's flown down to our work table mid-day, stayed (at arm's length) or slept close by to us on top of his cage. He's also walked across my husband's keyboard multiple times, and checked out everything I've been eating or drinking at my computer station.
> 
> ...


LOL, He's warming up to you, flirting and curious about what your doing at that desk now. All good things. Pigeons are very smart and nosy. They want to know what their "mate" is doing and where they are at all times. The circling and strutting is "look at me!"  The charging is "your mine!"
Have you tried scratching around his head and neck? They love it, that's affection to them


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## doveone52 (Aug 3, 2009)

That is so sweet!


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

It is an honor and a privilege when they become comfortable around us. That means you are considered an equal and you can enjoy his/her company when he/she feels like it. If this is a male he will no doubt think he owns the place and will allow you to share his territory.  It is a compliment to you that he is healthy and adjusting to a human world.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

yes he is starting to look at you as his flock. progress.


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## valeri (Sep 6, 2009)

Yay! Thanks! I was hoping this was a move in the right direction. His moves had the feel of affection, so I figured it was probably a good sign. 

Another great thing that's come of the medication routine is that my husband has bonded a bit more with Chauncey. He's always liked The Chauncemaster (as he calls him). But I've been the one cleaning, handling, etc. When he's is in town now, he's helping me, restraining Chauncey, comforting him. And we've learned that Chauncey is actually more comfortable and less squirmy being handled by him. 

re: Scratching around his head. We just started doing that. He looks at us like we're abjectly nuts. And he flinches noticeably with any hands coming near his head. But we'll keep trying. I know we're not pigeons and we have to keep that in mind.


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## starlinglover95 (May 6, 2009)

once he gets used to ya'll he'll love it. all 3 of mine love it and sometimes come looking for me to scratch their heads. congrats with him


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## Msfreebird (Sep 23, 2007)

valeri said:


> Yay! Thanks! I was hoping this was a move in the right direction. His moves had the feel of affection, so I figured it was probably a good sign.
> 
> Another great thing that's come of the medication routine is that my husband has bonded a bit more with Chauncey. He's always liked The Chauncemaster (as he calls him). But I've been the one cleaning, handling, etc. When he's is in town now, he's helping me, restraining Chauncey, comforting him. And we've learned that Chauncey is actually more comfortable and less squirmy being handled by him.
> 
> *re: Scratching around his head. We just started doing that. He looks at us like we're abjectly nuts. And he flinches noticeably with any hands coming near his head.* But we'll keep trying. I know we're not pigeons and we have to keep that in mind.


Start near his back and work your way up to his neck and back of head, don't go straight at his head


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## SPedigrees (Oct 27, 2004)

I forget how Chauncey came to you, Valeri, but I wonder if, in his past, a girl might have gotten hold of him and abused him. Especially in light of the fact he has shown more trust in your husband, and has been more suspicious of you. But it certainly sounds like you have won him over! 

I imagine my bird, Hedwig, was handled a bit by her former owner, because she was quite tame when she came to us.

I was thinking, like others, that it is unusual for a pigeon to be so afraid of human contact, since pigeons seem to be rather trusting birds, easy to tame. So perhaps there is a reason, something that happened before you adopted Chauncey.

Anyways it is so great that he is coming around. If he is doing his strutting, walking in circles routine for you, he's definitely decided you are "ok."


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## Msfreebird (Sep 23, 2007)

SPedigrees said:


> I forget how Chauncey came to you, Valeri, but I wonder if, in his past, a girl might have gotten hold of him and abused him. Especially in light of the fact he has shown more trust in your husband, and has been more suspicious of you. But it certainly sounds like you have won him over!
> 
> I imagine my bird, Hedwig, was handled a bit by her former owner, because she was quite tame when she came to us.
> 
> ...


It could also be that her husband is more relaxed than she is. If she's worried or tense Chauncy might sense that. But it sounds like their winning him over - and he WILL OWN THEM - LOL


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## valeri (Sep 6, 2009)

Yep, my husband is always more calm than I am! I'm just more nervous by nature. He's super cool and relaxed. He works in a high-pressure job and they call him "the ice man" because he can stay so centered when craziness surrounds him. I'm sure Chauncey picks that up. 

But I do also wonder about Chauncey's background. I mentioned this in another post, but when we took Chauncey for his first vet visit, the vet said that the ferals she treats are a lot more tame than Chauncey. She let him out of the carrier to see how his movement was, and he just panicked. It surprised her. She had to turn out the lights to calm him down. I thought perhaps this was typical of a racing pigeon who wasn't handled much. But it has occurred to both of us that maybe he wasn't handled well. Or as SPedigrees suggested, maybe even abused or treated roughly. Or . . . maybe at one time cared for by a male owner. He showed a preference for and calmness around for Hugh from the start. But he talks and coos to me, not to him. Funny, huh?

(SPedigrees: We got him from a fellow volunteer at our wildlife hospital. He had been hanging around a house that didn't want him, so they handed him off to our friend. She was over-loaded with rescues so we offered to help find him a home. And here we are, almost three months later -- with our "pet" pigeon. lol. He wasn't traceable. He got out of her house once and came back to her. So I'm not sure if he would have gone "home" if given a chance. That's about all we know about our poor little guy.)

We have a lot of experience with abused domestic animals (cats, dogs). They usually come around with time and patience and love. I hope that Chauncey starts to feel more and more safe here. I won't expect miracles but I'll be so gratified if they occur.

I still want to create a better cage home for him. I think that will help, too. 

Thanks, as always!


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## Msfreebird (Sep 23, 2007)

valeri said:


> Yep, my husband is always more calm than I am! I'm just more nervous by nature. He's super cool and relaxed. He works in a high-pressure job and they call him "the ice man" because he can stay so centered when craziness surrounds him. I'm sure Chauncey picks that up.
> 
> But I do also wonder about Chauncey's background. I mentioned this in another post, but when we took Chauncey for his first vet visit, the vet said that the ferals she treats are a lot more tame than Chauncey. She let him out of the carrier to see how his movement was, and he just panicked. It surprised her. She had to turn out the lights to calm him down. I thought perhaps this was typical of a racing pigeon who wasn't handled much. But it has occurred to both of us that maybe he wasn't handled well. Or as SPedigrees suggested, maybe even abused or treated roughly. Or . . . maybe at one time cared for by a male owner. He showed a preference for and calmness around for Hugh from the start. But he talks and coos to me, not to him. Funny, huh?
> 
> ...


Have you ever posted a picture of Chauncy?
The reason I ask is because I went to a show recently and was looking at the different pigeons for sale. There were some there that were beautiful - a little different than the typical homer, I can't remember the breed but I think it was some type of a "high flyer". The breeder was telling me that they are a little more skiddish and flighty than the other breeds. (that's why I didn't get a pair). Maybe that's what Chauncy is. Just a little more high strung?


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## valeri (Sep 6, 2009)

Msfreebird said:


> Have you ever posted a picture of Chauncy?


There are some pictures on my profile page. Can you tell anything from those?


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

I'm very happy for you Valeri. We told you he would get better. Just takes time to trust. And you need that before you can build a relationship with any animal. This is a great update, and I'm sure there will be more as things go along. Have fun building your relationship with Chauncey. Well Done!


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## Msfreebird (Sep 23, 2007)

valeri said:


> There are some pictures on my profile page. Can you tell anything from those?


I'm not good at different breeds, but I can say that he's one good lookin guy, spoiled  and looks very content


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Looks like a beautiful little homer to me. Maybe he wasn't handled much, or maybe it's just his personality.


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## Tamara21 (Jun 24, 2009)

This is a great post I am so happy to hear that he is doing so well!!! It does take time and believe me after a while Petey was loving the head scratching thing...now he comes up to me and I put my hand on him and scratch all along his back...he hunkers down and coooooos....I am so happy for you...okay...now you have to take FOSTER out of the mix....you all are forming a good bond...just accept he's your new family member!! LOL


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## valeri (Sep 6, 2009)

I know, Tamara, it's true. We do consider him ours now. The only way we would give him up is if someone we knew, loved and respected offered him a beautiful aviary with other pigeons and lots of space and nooks to have some pigeon fun. But we hope he's happy with us for now. If we can swing it in the near future, we may find him a mate. We just want to make sure we can handle it logistically and financially (vet bills), to be fair to everyone.

Chauncey comes to visit more when we're typing at the computer desk. He still doesn't want to be handled, but I pick him up from time to time to give him a scratch behind the head. He hates it, but I want him to have some handling that doesn't involve bad things.

He's doing another new thing: Going back in his cage to sleep! Because we've been letting him out most of the day (you'll recall he was impossible to catch) he's come to realize that the cage also stays open sometimes. So, mid-day, we'll sometimes find him sleeping on the little bed I made for him in there. That was a huge turning point: the cage no longer means "prison." This just happened last week.

One other thing. I came upon what Chauncey likes to sleep on. We've tried what seems like everything, from bowls to baskets to boxes to bricks. He took to the basket temporarily but never used it again. He likes bricks, but doesn't always want to sleep on them. I noticed he consistently liked to sleep on the cage floor, right at the bars, looking out at what we're doing in the room. So I fashioned some fleece-like pads and blankets for that spot on the cage floor, and he just loves them. It's favorite sleeping place now. I wrap t-shirt material around fleece or just use fleece sometimes, to create a thick padding. That seems to be Chauncey's style.

Here's a photo of his latest novelty -- looking through the screen we installed for him in the doorway. (It's a retractable, roll-up screen. We can lock it in different positions, including one that lets kitty inside when we're around and supervising. She's afraid of Chauncey (unless he's safely in his cage) and prefers to watch from a distance. His wing flapping terrifies her.)

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/picture.php?albumid=882&pictureid=11947


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Thanks for sharing the picture. I'm glad everything is going so well with you and Chauncey. I think the fleece is a great idea too.


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## doveone52 (Aug 3, 2009)

What a great story! I hope you keep Chauncey but even if you do not, he's leaps and bounds ahead of where you started!


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Valeri, how are things going in Chaunceyville?


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## valeri (Sep 6, 2009)

Things are going okay. We took in a pigeon rescue from a local vet (as you may have seen in a previous post). Poor baby was so traumatized. She couldn't fly and was abjectly scared of us humans. I connected with a fantastic, compassionate rescuer in our area and she agreed to take and nurture this pigeon in a safer setting -- meaning more space, with pigeons around, and a safe environment for a flightless pij. Now the pigeon is doing so much better. She's had a vet visit and looks good except for her inability to fly -- which is probably due to old trauma or past infection. She seems to have been flightless for a long time. But she's in a place where she doesn't need to fly and she's getting happy and healthy.

We then picked up a rescue at a shelter -- a white racing pigeon we've temporarily (or permanently) named Clyde -- after Clyde Panghorn (the old stunt pilot). Although my husband is calling him "Clyde the Glide." We've introduced him to Chauncey and although Clyde is almost certainly a male (by his behavior) we're still not sure about Chauncey! Chauncey is trying to make friends and is such a dear -- a gentle, persistent, elegant soul. But Clyde is a little aggressive with Chauncey. Not to the point of hurting Chaunce, but absconding with Chauncey's favorite things, kicking Chauncey out of his bath, his perch. Chauncey keeps on coming back and trying again.

So, we're going to see how it goes. If they don't get along, we have a few options in terms of re-homing Clyde and fostering another pigeon to see if we can find Chauncey a compatible match. All thanks to this human angel who has been helping us. 

The most important thing we've learned is that Chauncey really does thrive having another pigeon around. I know that should have been obvious. We just weren't quite sure what his reaction would be when a new person came around. It's wonderful to see him interact. He wants so much to be a part of Clyde's life, and keeps coming back, even when Clyde rebuffs him.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Oh my goodness. I didn't know any of that. You guys have been busy. And I have to give you lots of credit in trying to make Chauncey happy. You're good pijjie parents. You know you can find out if Chauncey is male or female, by sending in a feather. I think it's about $25. Might be worth it, as that way, if he is male, you could try with a little female. I feel bad for him that he is trying so hard to befriend this other bird who is giving him a hard time. I must have missed your other posts. Thanks for the update on this one. I hope if it doesn't work out with this bird, that you don't get frustrated and give up. I'm sure there is a good match out there for Chauncey. How long have you had the new bird?


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## valeri (Sep 6, 2009)

Well, first -- this generally isn't a "giving up" household, for better or worse. 

But second, it seems our beloved boy Chauncey . . . may be a girl. Chauncey has bonded with Clyde in a way that suggests a male/female relationship. And Clyde has all the trappings and behaviors of a boy. That interaction between them just started today. Clyde was banded in 2008, Chauncey in 1999 -- so there's a bit of an age spread. We were joking about Chauncey the cougar because she's been the one showing the most interest.

I've learned some already, but now I'm entering a brand new world of pigeon couples, possible eggs, etc. Do pigeons at Chauncey's age (10) produce eggs? Our local (and dearly treasured, beloved) rescuer told us how to replace the eggs and so forth. Of course, it figures that the first time in three years we decide to travel at Christmas -- it's this year. I think we have it covered in terms of pigeon-sitting, but I have to see how it goes over the next few days.

And then there's kitty -- just got used to Chauncey, got blasé about Chauncey, and now sees two birds stir up her safe little world. She's cowering a bit more in the bedroom and requires lots more TLC and confidence.

Yep, we've been "busy" to say the least. All in our little home office in a one-bedroom apartment, no less.


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