# Found pigeon not sure if it is wild



## mypomgirl (Apr 20, 2012)

Went outside today and found a pigeon on my porch roof. We never see pigeons around here..at least not in my neighborhood. It wouldn't leave and when I tried shooing it away it landed on me. It is in danger of being killed by my cats. It is extremely friendly, will land on me, come to me, let me pet it, pick it up etc. I put it in a rabbit cage I have. It does not like it in there, I had to cover the cage with a blanket in order to keep her calm. No band on it though. She can fly but she doesn't go far and then comes back. Not sure what to do.


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## ETphonehome (Jan 3, 2012)

Cat's saliva is deadly to pigeons they die mostly in a couple of ours/days if attacked or even if just they come in contact with cat's saliva and their beaks.

If you can not take care of him/her try to find someone who would do that or maybe a reabilitation center for birds in your area.

Probably is ill otherwise it would not allow you to catch it that easy, try to see if it has injuries or if is puffed up and or with closed eyes and lethargic. see the interior of the beak and throat and report any anormalities like a yellow stuff in there.

maybe need some meds. posta picture or video and keep it warm in a quite room where the cats can not go in. Give fresh water and some seeds avoid giving bread or any processed food.


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## Jaye (Mar 13, 2008)

Good advice.

...make sure the carrier is clean and free from cat/rabbit hair.

Post a photo of the Pigeon. He/she is clearly NOT feral if she shown no fear and actually landed on you. Probably someone's lost pet or in the least a loft bird.

Check her over for external injury such as scabs, blood, missing feathers, scrapes, etc.

Buy some bird seed locally to feed her. Also, try a shallow dish or cup of water for drinking. We look forward to you posting back.

Thanks for saving him/her...she would have been a goner for sure without you !


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## mypomgirl (Apr 20, 2012)

Let me start by saying, if this is a wild pigeon... I will feel like a dork! The cat didn't touch him/her but as soon as they saw it flying around in the yard they were going to attempt it. The bird will not leave and it is so friendly I am not sure if it would be scared of the cats. It is very tame..it attempts to land on the back of your shoulders..I believe it is trained/used to doing it because it tried it with both my husband and I and our neighbor. The cage had just been completely cleaned and had not housed a bunny for quite some time. It had been disinfected and had been drying outside so it was just handy. She let me put her inside but then she got upset. I covered the cage with a black sheet which calmed her. My concern is that now I have caged a wild animal. She looks extremely healthy and clean. I suspect she is someones pet. My neighbor who owns one pigeon also agreed it had to be a pet with how friendly it is. Here is a picture of her. I am sorry they are not the best, I don't want to entirely remove the sheet as I do not want her to get upset and injure herself in the cage. Thanks in advance for any help/advice. I double checked again, and no band so I just don't know what to do. As soon as i open the cage she rushes out and goes back up to the roof!

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i1/MYPOMGIRL/New/Picture1071.jpg

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i1/MYPOMGIRL/New/Picture1070.jpg


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## mypomgirl (Apr 20, 2012)

I put a box with hay in the corner..my thought was maybe she would nest in it? She just stands by the door the whole time. My other concern is diseases..I have other pets I need to be concerned about.


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

Will your neighbor take the pigeon? At least give you some pigeon food?
If the pigeon is friendly, she likely is someone's pet that is lost or in the least, hand raised by a human.

Just to add...it's more likely the pigeon can get sick from your cats than any of you can get sick from the pigeon.


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## mypomgirl (Apr 20, 2012)

Thank you for letting me know about the sickness stuff. Honestly I have been told all my life that pigeons carried diseases. I am sure that is just a myth. My neighbors had 2 chickens they gave away to someone to eat and they had 2 pigeons. One pigeon was killed in their backyard..I don't exactly feel comfortable with giving them the pigeon.


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

Oh my! I sure understand why you feel that way.
The disease thing is a myth that exterminators share to promote their profession. Not that pigeons don't get sick...everything gets sick...dogs, cats, humans...etc.
Where are you located in case we have a member near you that is willing to take the pigeon?


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## mypomgirl (Apr 20, 2012)

I am in Tacoma, Wa. Unfortunately my daughter is now infatuated with this pigeon. We are an animal savvy family so I am in the process of making a cage that will work for the time being. I will post a pic soon and maybe you can give me some advice as to what else I need to provide her. My daughter is heavily involved in 4-H..now she wants to know if there are any groups for pigeons! LOL


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

I'll private message you my number. I'm not that far away. I do have a friend in Spannaway that will probably take the pigeon. You can buy feed and grit and oyster shell at Tradewinds in Tacoma.
Do keep in mind that pigeons are very social and will do better in the house with you and your family. Pigeons like cages that are long, rather than tall. ...30"x18"x18 is a nice size for inside. Most pigeons like a brick to perch on.


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## mypomgirl (Apr 20, 2012)

What I am going to use is a large dog kennel (large black wire crate), and she is already in the house...seriously this bird is waaaay too people friendly to keep outside The crate will have to do for the next couple of days. But my daughter is into rabbits in 4-H. We know a guy who builds cages and loves helping the 4-H kids...so we can give him a call and he can make whatever we want to whatever specifications. I think we are keeping her/him. My daughter is already asking about joining a pigeon group. She was after me for a while about chickens..I think keeping this pigeon may be a better idea  Any idea how to tell if it's male/female or even what kind of pigeon it is? The cage is bigger than the dimensions you listed so I think it will be okay.


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

It looks like it a roller but I might think differently if I saw the pigeon in real life.Give the pigeon a mirror. If the pigeon spends a lot of time looking at himself, you probably have a male pigeon.The hens don't seem to interested.


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

If you do have a hen, I have a male roller, the same color as your bird. He would just love to relocate and have a mate.


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## mypomgirl (Apr 20, 2012)

After looking up rollers, I am pretty sure thats what it is. Unfortunately it will not let me get her out of the cage now. she is making a coo-ing noise and strutting, along with some heavy pecking at my hands. Not sure how I can regain it's trust.


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## pigeon-lover0 (Apr 1, 2012)

mypomgirl said:


> After looking up rollers, I am pretty sure thats what it is. Unfortunately it will not let me get her out of the cage now. she is making a coo-ing noise and strutting, along with some heavy pecking at my hands. Not sure how I can regain it's trust.


No you did not lose it's trust. The reason it is pecking you is that it is showing you that it is not afraid anymore. Scared pigeons will cower and hide in a corner and will not fight back. Pigeons that fight back trust you and is showing you it is no longer afraid of you.


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## Quazar (Jul 27, 2010)

Its also telling you its happy where it is and that place is now ITS territory, so KEEP OUT lol


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## jondove (Nov 17, 2011)

If your pigeon is cooing and strutting and pecking at your hands very aggressively, "she" might in fact be a "he".

Like it's already been said, you didn't lose any trust, in the beginning he was probably just too shy and unfamiliar with the new place, to claim it as his territory. I understand in your case he wasn't actually very afraid, being so tame and used to people.

So, you are now in the second stage, when he is claiming his territory and acting like he normally would in a flock situation.

You might get to a third stage at some point, when he will trust you completely, but that could take a lot of time and patience. I think it involves the pigeon seeing you as his mate, since in the wild they will defend their territory against any intruders, except their mates and their babies. At least that's my experience.


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## mypomgirl (Apr 20, 2012)

Thank you everyone for your help. Pidgey is definately not scared of me. It is just so odd that he would let me pick him up with no problem outside but now he wants to draw blood if I reach for him. He will come to me and eat from a small bowl in my hand with no problems. He will hop out of the cage etc. I will just be paient and work on him gaining my trust and hopefully he will be back to his friendly self!


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

Pidgey is acting like a normal pigeon. Pigeons don't seem to recognize the hand as being connected to the human they love but rather an alien creature to attack and destroy. My hands are a testament to what I have just told you.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

he sounds like a cheeky little fellow...lol... what a nice story.


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## Jaye (Mar 13, 2008)

Tee-hee...that is one CUTE Pigeon !

And as Lucas says....her behavior (his ?) is just the opposite of untrustful.

She is just toying with you. Novices often mistake grunting/cooing and strutting for aggression.....when in fact it means they are quite comfortable around you. You can leave the cage door open, cats cordoned off very safely...and she/he will come out on his own....


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## jondove (Nov 17, 2011)

mypomgirl said:


> *It is just so odd that he would let me pick him up with no problem outside but now he wants to draw blood if I reach for him.* He will come to me and eat from a small bowl in my hand with no problems. He will hop out of the cage etc. I will just be paient and work on him gaining my trust and *eventually he will be back to his friendly self*!


It's not odd at all and this is his real self. Most animals will defend their territory. You can meet a dog on the street and he might be very friendly, but the same dog will attack you if you come to what he thinks is his territory. But, by the way, unlike a dog, a pigeon will never accept a human as "the leader of the pack/flock". 

Like Charis said, they see the hand as some kind of enemy. They will rather perch *on* your hand, your shoulder or your head, but they hate it when you hold them in your hands.


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## mypomgirl (Apr 20, 2012)

Im pretty sure it has a broken toe. Should I just leave it alone? P.S. she is sitting on my shoulder as I am typing this. I am not sure what to do. She wants to constantly sit on my shoulder but she pecks my ear and ponytail..and she won't get off when I need her to.


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## jondove (Nov 17, 2011)

http://www.justanswer.com/pet-bird/2kbxd-pigeons-toe-broken-looks-its-90-degree-angle.html
That was the first result when I googled for "broken toe pigeon". There are some threads on the forum about this too.

Could you post a close-up picture of the leg with the problem?


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## Miss-Sassypants (Sep 25, 2010)

Aww... I am so glad you are keeping him/her! A pigeon's affections are amazing and it looks like the little fella loves you and your daughter already!

A lot of pigeon owners would _looove _their pigeons to be so affectionate and cuddly like yours (and still have not achieved that!) but here you are, finding a feral pigeon that is! Lucky lucky!

Do look up on pigeon pets and supplies section for more information on caring for them. Hope the toe heals soon and all the best with the new pigeon love!


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