# First pigeon, is this normal?



## OnePigeon (Sep 5, 2015)

First post here - hello 

I have been adopted by a ringed pigeon, born last year, he came down in the garden, didn't want to leave after being watered, fed and rested and no response from his owner so he is still here. I didn't want to abandon him in case he decided to eventually go home and get his neck broken for being late.

I have read a lot of info on how to care for him, he has a long cage, a plant tray for a shelf, covered over at the end, and a thin branch for a perch, a mirror, a cuttlefish, deep water bowl, is fed twice a day with bird seed (no bits of dog biscuit in it) sometimes some lentils or rice mixed in. He has grit and oyster shell and once a week gets a millet spray. He isn't big on veggies but will eat peas or bits of red pepper and carrot when the mood takes him and likes to throw lettuce about.

I know I have a lot to learn if he is going to stay and am looking to sort him out a better place as he is currently in the front room. He was quiet at first but has become noisier as he has grown, and he certainly looks a lot bigger now. 

Questions:
He is moulting, I am not sure if this is due to time of year or the warmth, is this likely and are the tiny feather looking things on his face actually feathers?

Is he going to change colour or pattern as he ages, he seems to be getting a white line low down on his back as his feathers moult?

Feeding him a small jar (one of those tiny jam jars which I think holds about an ounce of seed) twice a day, is that enough? 

Would it be better to feed his daily allowance once a day, I did this and he seemed to eat more?

Does he need the grit, oyster shell and the cuttlefish or should I alternate or stop any of them?

What vitamins should I give him? He is short on daylight although he does get to sit by the open outside door, not enough though.

Is there something else I should be doing for him?


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## cwebster (Dec 11, 2010)

What a beautiful bird! Would feed twice per day and let him eat grit whenever he likes. If he is indoors would add vit d3. Are you sure it is a he? If a she, she needs calcium and d3. Looks very healthy and happy! Will be prettier when he is done mounting. Good job!


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## kiddy (Feb 5, 2015)

Hello and welcome to Pigeon talk  
You have got a beautiful bird. Thanks for your help and concern for this bird. 
They molt yearly so it could be the same molt if he is shedding his feathers. 
In their first molt they change colors which is at around 4 months of age though your pigeon seems an adult pigeon. Can you pls see what the leg band says about his year of birth?
They usually eat 30-40 grams daily. People usually offer feed twice a day and let them have it for 10 minutes and then remove the feeder. Let them have access to grits for all the time. This is what fanciers do. 
I personally don't remove the feeder and let them pick up their remaining seeds whenever they wish and then add the evening feed again because I think they should get something if they feel the need. 
Make all the grits available for him all the time. It helps in digesting their grain shells they eat. 
Buy bird vitamins from pet stores and give a few drops in his water, that helps them in molting. 
A good calcium supplement with D3 in it they require if they don't get proper sunshine. So you can order it online or see if it is available there over pet stores.


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## OnePigeon (Sep 5, 2015)

Thank you for the replies. Am now in trouble as he is loose in the kitchen and I have no way of getting him back from the top of the units, HELP!!!


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## cwebster (Dec 11, 2010)

Just put some food down low and he will come back down. Failing that...when we got squeaker she was really wild and I had to use a net to get her down from very tall bookcases. Do you have or can you borrow a net from someone?


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## OnePigeon (Sep 5, 2015)

He is normally fed by now so was hoping he might get hungry so will try the seed, but no, I don't have a net or have access to one and he has found the ledge on top of the cupboards so it wouldn't be easy to get him.


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## kiddy (Feb 5, 2015)

Don't you have any stool or such to reach him? Sometimes I have to use some stick to shoo my hen from where she is sitting and she keeps flying here and there from one perch to another. Finally when me and she both of us get tired, she comes down. Lol
She is a beautiful weird hen, with her I feel myself a wild creature


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## OnePigeon (Sep 5, 2015)

When I climb on the stool he moves to another place. I have tried with a soft fibre mop, he keeps moving to another place, when I leave him he returns to the original spot he has chosen. I am thinking I will have to phone wildlife rescue to get him down but am worried they will take him.


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## kiddy (Feb 5, 2015)

If you can reach him standing on stool, then you don't have to phone anywhere. Just wait for few more hours. When it is evening or night, just switch off all the lights, he won't fly anywhere then but just move slowly. Climb at the stool and get him.


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## OnePigeon (Sep 5, 2015)

Got him.

I followed him about with the soft mop until he got tired, felt really bad about it though, he doesn't seem to be much of a flier which is probably why he turned up here in the first place. 

I will read through the replies from earlier now he is back in his cage, cleaned and fed 

I am assuming he is a boy from his toes and he doesn't raise his tail in the way I have seen females do.So far haven't been handling him, he backs off when I go near his territory. He only gets handled in a towel when he needs catching and he isn't keen on it at all. Not sure how to get him used to it without worrying him.

I have been giving him probably about the right amount of seed, a bit more maybe but he picks out the sunflower seeds and throws them out, also what looks like wheat, not sure if he eats any or not but it is always still there at the end of the day. His food is in a cat bowl, wide and not too deep and I leave it there through the day and night, change it in the morning with his water bowl.

He won't take a bath so I have sprayed him, is that right?

The ring is GB14 and he was fairly small looking when he was found under the bird feeder, he looks a fair bit bigger now. I should probably weigh him but would rather he got used to being handled first.

He was quiet at first but when he was used to being here he started making little sounds which are now quite loud, having looked it up 'nesting calls'. I chat to him and he has a view of anyone that passes the room, and a window but not sure what else to do to make him feel at home. (Chasing him around the kitchen may not have helped I suspect).


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## cwebster (Dec 11, 2010)

So glad you were able to get him safely back in his house!


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## OnePigeon (Sep 5, 2015)

Back in his home 
He is a bit subdued tonight, maybe he won't wake me in the morning.


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## kiddy (Feb 5, 2015)

Glad that you got him back  
To make him used to your presence and tame, feed him in your hand not in bowl. If he skips one meal like that, he will eat when hungry(But only if he is stabilized and doesn't seem sick, injured or tired ). 
Feeding from hand is the best thing I get to tame them, so try it. 
You can buy pigeon /dove seed mix for him(of you haven't bought yet) , he will like it. 
For bath, just put water in a large pan, he will bathe when he wants, no need to spray or force bath. Birds are not given bath that way. They bathe themselves.


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## Heather Feather (Aug 24, 2008)

Such a beautiful pigeon!


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## OnePigeon (Sep 5, 2015)

He has settled again after his time in the kitchen, it is the room he was in when he first arrived and he seems to like it, would have made him a home in there but for the cooking.

Tonight he made a new sound, so far he has been making nesting sounds, I was sitting by him, he knew I was there but couldn't see me and he made the sound I have researched which is called 'song' - need to find out what it means. If anyone can tell me it will save me some time trying to find out.

I will try the hand feeding when can concentrate on him.


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## Whytpigeon (Sep 14, 2015)

If he has a band or ring as you call it on his leg then that info could possibly be used to find the owner . That is the right thing to do before just keeping it. It was probably brought up in a loft and could have a mate and a whole relationship with a flock. Keeping only one pigeon is not ideal for their quality of life. But it is better than being on the street.


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## cwebster (Dec 11, 2010)

If the bird has a band it is prudent to see if he has a home. But some people who race pigeons don't want them back so it is prudent to check that out too. If he doesn't have a home it is ok to keep him. Lone pigeons do ok if given enough attention and time out of the cage. They get very tame and loving. If you keep him you may want to get him a flight cage and aviary and maybe a mate. Pigeons make great pets! Our beloved Phoebe was an only bird who we had for eight happy years. Best experience of our lives, caring for her.


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## OnePigeon (Sep 5, 2015)

His owner was contacted straight away, while I was setting him up with a temporary home, the first thing we did was look online to find out where he was from.

He is still here. His feathers have changed from being all dark with the purple/green chest and there is a white line around his back end, he also looks bigger.

He has a new mirror (his own rather than mine) and a new perch with a rough surface which I read is supposed to keep his toenails in good order. He has learned that he likes peanuts.

If there is anyone about to answer a question or two....

I have seen pigeons (pets) that have little snuggly beds for nests, should he have something like that? He sleeps on his perch or on the shelf at the back of his cage but wonder if he needs something else.

Is there something I can use safely around the house as an insecticide that will remove household pests and not harm him? Alternatively if I move him to another area would it be safe to treat his room and return him after a few days, if so how long?


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

You can buy a mite and lice spray at a pet shop to spray him with. Keep it away from his face though. Don't have to spray the house.
Those rough sandpaper perches are very irritating to their feet. Don't need that. Besides, pigeons don't like round perches where they must grasp it to stay on. They prefer standing on a shelf type perch with their feet flat. Give you give him that? He doesn't need a nest as he doesn't have eggs or babies. Just a nice flat perch to roost on.


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## OnePigeon (Sep 5, 2015)

He has a shelf to sit on which fits along the back of his cage and is covered over.

Regarding the insecticide, it is for the house - household pests, not pigeon lice, I need to treat the house for insects and don't want to harm him.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Anything you spray will bother him. They have delicate respiratory systems.
What are you spraying for?


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## Lefty07 (Dec 30, 2009)

A *Pyrethrum-based *insecticide is SAFER for birds than some others. But the bird and his cage should be removed from the room your are spraying temporarily. And you'd want to be especially careful with making sure his food and water bowls don't get any exposure to the pesticide.

Sprays designed for eliminating pests on pet birds are often Pyrethrum-based and those are safe, if used as directed. But the spray for pet birds may still be a different (most likely LOWER) concentration than for household pests, so I would still do the above precautions and avoid exposure to your bird, it's food, etc. if spraying for pests.

If you end up getting a professional exterminator and he can't verify what type of insecticide he is using, I'd see if a friend could take your bird temporarily for a few days, when your house gets treated - and "air out" the house well before bringing him back. As Jay says, birds have delicate respiratory systems - so you especially want to avoid letting your bird inhale any pesticides (as well as ingesting any from his food or water).


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