# Pigeon Psychology



## turtleandtoad (Jun 10, 2010)

Hi! We adopted a single imprinted male pigeon a few weeks ago and we love him so much but his biting is getting very offensive. He has a large cage he goes in and out of sometimes but we haven't really been closing him in there, just giving him the run of the house. Now he's claimed the kitchen as his own and will attack us if we go in there. He is also territorial of his cage and his feeding area. I know it is very normal for pet pigeons to bite but now he is going for our faces and getting a little too close to our eyes. He also HATES hands and feet. Even when I feed him he will attack my hand, violently knocking the food everywhere(except if I have shelled sunflower seeds which he gobbles then bites my hand). I assume he is trying to establish a pecking order over us. My question is, what is the best approach to get this behavior under control? I've tried not moving my hands away or petting him when he bites but this really enrages him and I want to develop a good, trusting relationship with him. I want to show my dominance over him in a gentle way. Does anyone have any tips? 

Franklin has his endearing qualities too. He is very comfortable with people. He thinks he is a person and will follow us from room to room watching us and is always very interested in what we are doing. He was raised by a person but also loves inanimate objects. Hoping someone familiar with pigeon psychology can help.


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## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

One possible thing to try...is to only allow him to eat with your having him on a Towel on your Lap, with a small seed Bowl on the Towel, and, you 'pecking' also with your crook'd index finger.

This might be a beginning anyway, for him to mellow out a little.

This way, he is forced to recognise, that you are sharing "your" Seeds with him...


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## drifter (Oct 7, 2009)

Maybe you could just give him good whuppin with your index finger, you know show him who is boss. This is the best answer I could come up with, I'm not a pigeon psychologist. Probably the more experienced pigeon people can give you a better answer, if they can stop laughing, but my method might work.


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

turtleandtoad said:


> Hi! We adopted a single imprinted male pigeon a few weeks ago and we love him so much but his biting is getting very offensive. He has a large cage he goes in and out of sometimes but we haven't really been closing him in there, just giving him the run of the house. Now he's claimed the kitchen as his own and will attack us if we go in there. He is also territorial of his cage and his feeding area. I know it is very normal for pet pigeons to bite but now he is going for our faces and getting a little too close to our eyes. He also HATES hands and feet. Even when I feed him he will attack my hand, violently knocking the food everywhere(except if I have shelled sunflower seeds which he gobbles then bites my hand). I assume he is trying to establish a pecking order over us. My question is, what is the best approach to get this behavior under control? I've tried not moving my hands away or petting him when he bites but this really enrages him and I want to develop a good, trusting relationship with him. I want to show my dominance over him in a gentle way. Does anyone have any tips?
> 
> Franklin has his endearing qualities too. He is very comfortable with people. He thinks he is a person and will follow us from room to room watching us and is always very interested in what we are doing. He was raised by a person but also loves inanimate objects. Hoping someone familiar with pigeon psychology can help.


He is very comfortable around you and he considers you part of his flock which you can consider as a compliment. He sounds like a wonderful bird!

However, he is just a male pigeon trying to adapt to a human world. Male pigeons will try to own, claim and protect any AREA you allow him to roam around freely. I have seen this many times. By allowing him access to the other rooms, you pretty much gave him this territory to claim as his own.  You would have to permanently remove him from those areas you don't want him pecking you or chasing you and limit him only to a room or area that he can claim as his and be as territorial as he wants. 

Another thing which will help him occupy his time is to get him a friend or mate. I have such an alpha male in my coop, who chased off alot of my birds and reacked havoc among an otherwise peaceful "community." Now his time is divided between nesting, brooding and chasing his mate around. 

I love these birds as they are so full of themselves  , healthy and happy, they just need to be understood and have their needs met.


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## sreeshs (Aug 16, 2009)

I would like to add a suggestion to what Treesa have mentioned: 

Reduce the food, no free access to food 24 x 7. Let him get hungry and feed only a little, 3 times a day, that too in the room/space/cage where you wish to keep the pigeon. Provide free access to water at the same place. Continue this for a week. Let us know if that brings any change in the behaviour.


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## mr squeaks (Apr 14, 2005)

I definitely have an "alpha" male pij...named MR. Squeaks (notice the capitalization!)

He was an only pij for a long time and considers me his mate. He rules my 2 cats, me, and if he could, my other pijgeons, with an iron beak! He will attack the other pigeons if he has the chance.

However, over time, he developed two "modes": mate and daddy. When in mate mode, I am "allowed" to pick him up, scritch, cuddle and love. 

In daddy mode, he sits on his fake egg (sometimes real ones from WoeBeGone) in his nest basket and repels all comers! The good news is he spends his time _on_ his nest, coming off to eat and poop and not bother me or the cats unless we get too close. If we do, we get a warning growl and a beak strike. 

Treesa's description is perfect! 

Please keep us posted about further "adventures!"

Love and Hugs

Shi with MR. Squeaks/Dom/Gimie/WoeBeGone/Rae Charles


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## turtleandtoad (Jun 10, 2010)

pdpbison said:


> One possible thing to try...is to only allow him to eat with your having him on a Towel on your Lap, with a small seed Bowl on the Towel, and, you 'pecking' also with your crook'd index finger.
> 
> This might be a beginning anyway, for him to mellow out a little.
> 
> This way, he is forced to recognise, that you are sharing "your" Seeds with him...


Thanks. I will try this and let you know if it works.


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## turtleandtoad (Jun 10, 2010)

grifter said:


> Maybe you could just give him good whuppin with your index finger, you know show him who is boss. This is the best answer I could come up with, I'm not a pigeon psychologist. Probably the more experienced pigeon people can give you a better answer, if they can stop laughing, but my method might work.


I have tried poking him but we just get into never ending wing slap matches and I end up losing.


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## turtleandtoad (Jun 10, 2010)

Trees Gray said:


> Another thing which will help him occupy his time is to get him a friend or mate. I have such an alpha male in my coop, who chased off alot of my birds and reacked havoc among an otherwise peaceful "community." Now his time is divided between nesting, brooding and chasing his mate around.


I would LOVE to get Franklin a mate but as he was raised by humans do you think he would accept another pigeon? The lady I got him from said she tried to put him out with the other pigeons and he would just cling to the window trying to get back into the house with her.


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## turtleandtoad (Jun 10, 2010)

mr squeaks said:


> However, over time, he developed two "modes": mate and daddy. When in mate mode, I am "allowed" to pick him up, scritch, cuddle and love.
> 
> In daddy mode, he sits on his fake egg (sometimes real ones from WoeBeGone) in his nest basket and repels all comers! The good news is he spends his time _on_ his nest, coming off to eat and poop and not bother me or the cats unless we get too close. If we do, we get a warning growl and a beak strike.


I hope he calms down too so I can cuddle with him. He loves to land on us but he hates being pet or touched. Maybe I will get him some fake eggs. He's up on the fridge right now making the owl noise. I think that's his "nest".


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## turtleandtoad (Jun 10, 2010)

sreeshs said:


> I would like to add a suggestion to what Treesa have mentioned:
> 
> Reduce the food, no free access to food 24 x 7. Let him get hungry and feed only a little, 3 times a day, that too in the room/space/cage where you wish to keep the pigeon. Provide free access to water at the same place. Continue this for a week. Let us know if that brings any change in the behaviour.


Thanks, I'll let you know how it works.


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## goga82 (Aug 17, 2009)

i just have to say that is real funny.. my pigeons were aggressive as well before the relase.. they would take a bite out of my hand and wouldnt let go.. they would shake their heads just as dogs do.. while my hand is in their beak..
and they think they were hurting me.. i was cracking up the whole time..
the boxing ohhh my god, what them wings gonna do to me..
they were funny..
they bring mates to my window now days and i cant even touch them anymore .. turned feral over night hahha
but its fun raising pigeons.. speically when they become teenagers


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## Pawbla (Jan 6, 2009)

turtleandtoad said:


> He loves to land on us but he hates being pet or touched.


Not many birds like being pet. Some do, some don't, but it depends on the personality. They do, however, like sitting on people. Take it like a compliment! Hehe.


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## valeri (Sep 6, 2009)

Just wanted to say how much I love the character of your bird! Our pij couple (now in foster care until we can build an aviary) are so sweet, to be appreciated in their own right. Your guy sounds like quite the person.


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

turtleandtoad said:


> *I would LOVE to get Franklin a mate but as he was raised by humans do you think he would accept another pigeon?* The lady I got him from said she tried to put him out with the other pigeons and he would just cling to the window trying to get back into the house with her.


ABSOLUTELY!!!!....after all he is a pigeon, he will adapt. Get him one hen and he will be fine, just give them time.


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## StanelyPidge09 (May 22, 2009)

I also have an imprinted pigeon who is just over a year old now that I adopted (more like he adopted me ) when he was about a month old. He also is allowed out to fly around the house for most of the day but he does have a cage that I close him in while I am away at work. I have observed similar behaviors with Stanley that you are experiencing with your little man. 

So here is our story: (Hopefully it helps)

When my boyfriend and I adopted Stanley in college, he was young and one of us was home the majority of the day so he was out all but maybe 4 hours of the day (he even slept out of his cage). So when he started to get older he would do as your pigeon does, and start claiming areas as his. For instance, the top of the couch was HIS, the tv, the book shelf, the closet shelf, and the list goes on. If we got near him we would be pecked until we backed off.

This past December we moved away from our college house and because of various circumstances he was unable to have free run of the house. Now, he does get to fly around the house for a couple hours a day but he spends a lot of his time in of OUR room (thats Stanley & I - haha). Since this change we have noticed that because he spends a limited amount of time flying free around the house he does not get as territorial of certain areas as he did before, when he is allowed out to fly free. He usually just spends that time out of his room exploring rather than dominating. 

So... maybe if you just let him have free run over one room, the room his cage is in, and just limit his time flying around the rest of the house he may then just accept the room he is kept in as HIS and hopefully not the whole house


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

turtleandtoad said:


> Hi! We adopted a single imprinted male pigeon a few weeks ago and we love him so much but his biting is getting very offensive. He has a large cage he goes in and out of sometimes but we haven't really been closing him in there, just giving him the run of the house. Now he's claimed the kitchen as his own and will attack us if we go in there. He is also territorial of his cage and his feeding area. I know it is very normal for pet pigeons to bite but now he is going for our faces and getting a little too close to our eyes. He also HATES hands and feet. Even when I feed him he will attack my hand, violently knocking the food everywhere(except if I have shelled sunflower seeds which he gobbles then bites my hand). I assume he is trying to establish a pecking order over us. My question is, what is the best approach to get this behavior under control? I've tried not moving my hands away or petting him when he bites but this really enrages him and I want to develop a good, trusting relationship with him.* I want to show my dominance over him in a gentle way. Does anyone have any tips? *
> 
> Franklin has his endearing qualities too. He is very comfortable with people. He thinks he is a person and will follow us from room to room watching us and is always very interested in what we are doing. He was raised by a person but also loves inanimate objects. Hoping someone familiar with pigeon psychology can help.



That will not happen. I have to agree with Teresa's comment.
Also, you don't dominate a bird. You win him over with trust. Some pigeons are just more aggressive than others. Many like being held, but most do not like hands or being petted. I have a precious little pij who lives in the house with us, as she is handicapped and would not be happy in the loft. She will bite you fiercely when you reach into her cage, or if you try to pick her up to put her in her cage, but this same little character follows us all over the house, sits with me while I work on the computer, and will sit in your open hand for hours if you let her. I just adore her, and would not change her for the world. It is just her way. You really don't change their way, you learn to accept it as part of their nature and personality. But dominate them? Never!


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## Billy-jake (Jan 17, 2010)

Hi

We have had our BillyJake about 18months now and he is very territorial! He is a wonderful pet, and I love him and have learned to cope with his occasional 'woke up on the wrong side of the nest' nasty moods. 

I don't mind him 'claiming' shelves as his, but sometimes he gets so aggressive he will come and attack us while we are just sat on the sofa, or fight with us on the floor.
Letting him bite doesn't work, he doesn't get bored, and yes I know what you mean about the endless wingslapping!

However, we have found that when he gets into his nasty mood and just won't leave us alone we can pick him up and hold him for half a minute and this calms him down. When we let him go he grumbles a bit but toddles off and stops bothering us... for the moment.
Holding him (always gently) appears to work because his aggression seems to disperse, but also he won't want to approach our hands to bite them when he knows we will pick him up.

It doesn't seem to harm him in any way, he is just as happy as ever, and it is not a long term fix but does help for those moments when you want to change his food without a pigeon attached to your fingers scattering it everywhere.

Has anybody else tried a similar technique?

I would be interested to hear people's thoughts on this.

Louisa


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Sure, I do that all the time with a fresh little hen that I raised from 2 days old. She loves to land on me when I enter the loft, but if I put my hands anywhere near her box, even to feed treats to her mate who is very friendly, she will attack and bite. She doesn't just bite. She grabs hold and twists. OUCH! When she is doing this, it is impossible to give treats to her mate, who is trying to get at them. Sometimes he will even bite her, as if to say "Knock it off dummy. She's the one with the peanuts for gosh sakes"! When she does this, often I will pick her up and cuddle her and smother her with kisses, which she hates. LOL. When I release her, she stomps back into her box and stays away for a little while anyway, as she knows that I will just pick her up again. It's really funny. And it usually works.


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## cotdt (Apr 26, 2010)

If you rub their little chests they will fly off and leave you alone.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

cotdt said:


> If you rub their little chests they will fly off and leave you alone.


I'll try it. But I kinda enjoy cuddling her, even though she hates it. LOL.


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## Billy-jake (Jan 17, 2010)

I don't know about tickling his chest LOL.
That always seems to get BillyJake randy.. he starts making wheezing sounds and trying to mount my hand?!


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## StanelyPidge09 (May 22, 2009)

Yes, I do the same. When Stanley goes nuts I pick him up and smother him with kisses.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

StanelyPidge09 said:


> Yes, I do the same. When Stanley goes nuts I pick him up and smother him with kisses.


I think we just enjoy snuggling them and covering them with kisses, and when they behave that way, they give us an excuse to do that. LOL.


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## Budd (Jul 20, 2010)

That's how pigeons eat from their parants beaks.They are used to sticking their beak into one food source like down the throats of their parants.Our hands appear to have multiple enty pionts between fingers so they go into a feeding frenzy mode. My pigeon Stevie plunges his beak in between my fingers and bites as i hand feed him as well. It's possible that your pigeon is just trying to be friendly in a way that's hard to understand.


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