# Releasing feral squeakers



## Guest (Jun 25, 2008)

On May 18th I took home a feral squeaker from the animal hospital where I work (I had posted about it then). I estimated he was 25 days old at that time. A couple days later I brought home another one about the same age but twice the size. He's huge! And very aggressive. He had a limp which has since resolved. At this time they are approximately 62 days old and are doing great.

I've tried everything I can think of to find some rescue or rehabber near me to do a soft release with these two but have had no luck. The only pigeon flocks I see around here live in shopping centers or gas stations. There's quite a few pigeons living at the shopping center about 3 blocks from my house and I've seen a few pigeons on my street here and there, but so far none have found their way to my backyard feeder. 

For the past 2 weeks the two squeaks have been living in a small flight cage in my backyard. I've been feeding them a variety of bird and people foods and they eat everything very well. I have not handled them, and while I can walk fairly close to them they're still scared of me.

I was hoping I could release them in my backyard. I feed on my patio and have a nice variety of wild birds that come every day to eat, which includes several pair of doves, cardinals, grackles, a blue jay pair, and others. If I did this, would there be a chance they would find the local pigeons who live not very far away? I think my yard is as safe a place as any, the biggest danger is a cat that comes by. I was thinking that if these pigeons are eating with the other birds, and the birds were scared and took off, that the pigeons would follow. The jays and grackles are great at making warning calls that even scare my pet pigeons when they're outside in their cage. And my pet pigeons have never lived in the wild.

So is there a chance this would work? I feel bad for these squeakers, they get excited when they see my pigeons in their outside cage and want to go to them. Or should I release them in the parking lot if I can get near a flock? I don't see those wild pigeons foraging near the stores very often though and without much flight experience I don't think the young birds could keep up with the feral flock should they take off and leave. At least in my yard I can feed them and watch over them.


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

You should release them in your yard so they are supported. They will eventually find the other pigeons. That's exactly what I used to do and it worked out great for the birds.


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## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

Hi Sasha008,



Be best if they could have some opportunitys to socialize with feral adults, before release.


Normally, the Pigeon-Parents do this, or, ideally, the person-surrogote-parent does this, in supervised outings for the fledglings to acquire the modes of awareness and social skills for acheiving their independance and confidence, and the best time frame for us to do it, is in the weeks before the young Pigeon is flying...and it usually takes four or five or six forays, of at least fifteen or twenty inutes each, with our definite supervision, watching fro close by.


When raised without any bond or connection to the care giver, the young Pigeons have zero reason to listen to them or to be supervised for outings, whether as pre-fledglings or post-fledglings, and all the worse once flying, since they will fly up to a roof or something and then not know what to do...or, even before, where they would run off and try and get away from the person..!

And, usually, these Birds then, who have not been socialized to their feral Kin, will have difficulty, getting over their shyness, difficulty being assertive enough, difficulty knowing to follow the younger ferals for bachlor and bachlorette Night roost places which are 'safe', and or gaining the modes of being and awarenesses necessary for the feral or wild Life.


So, since these little ones are of flying age, and are not bonded to their care-giver for them to come when called pending their independance, and they have not had opportunity to learn the modes and social competance of the ferals to whom they are destined to belong...the best solution would be to find a rehabber or similar who has pre-release feral adults with whom these youngsters can spend a week or so with...to then be released to a feral flock.


I'd be glad to do it if you are able to get the here to me.


Otherwise, it is not a good idea to just turn loose hand raised or semi-hand raised Pigeons who have not had these important educational developent phases to prepare them.



Phil
Las Vegas


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