# Grabbing the bird



## Rodger (Jun 26, 2012)

I lost weeks worth of trust-building today.

At the end of March, we took in a wounded racing homer. The owner was indifferent to getting the bird back, so we rehabilitated it, named it, and we are learning how to care for a pigeon. He is fascinating.

Months have passed. He is in good health, he has a large cage. The cage sits in a screened-in porch, and the pigeon has the run of the entire porch. Consequently, he doesn't spend much time in the cage.

At first he wanted nothing to do with us, but over time we have worked on opening lines of communication, and by last week he would eat from our open palms, attend our activities on the porch (lunch, etc.) with amusement, and generally broadcast contentment.

Then today I had to capture him in order to attend to a band that had ridden up over the ankle onto his thigh, and also to cage him for the day while we did some painting out there. Trauma ensued. I had to chase him around the porch making several unsuccessful attempts to grab him until I finally tossed a net over him. 

We lubricated the knuckle with vegetable oil and eased the band off his thigh, and he has spent the rest of the day silent and immobile in the farthest corner of his cage, staring out at us with apprehension.

When you wizards need to capture a bird for medical or other attention, how do you do it? I suppose if your bird is hand raised, that's one thing, but ours was an athlete, and is clearly not happy about physical contact with humans.

Thanks for your help.

Rodger


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Thank you for providing a home for this needy bird. He is lucky to have you.

No not all our birds are hand raised, but those that are are definitely pets and easy to grab.

I usually will catch my non-hand reared within the coop when they are in their nest box or in their aviary. I have just gotten good at and usually get them the first try, you will too. 

But once you have tried to catch them and fail they definitely know the drill and will make it harder and harder for you to catch them again. That is the key, catch them the first time! LOL


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## Crazy Pete (Nov 13, 2008)

I go early in the morning while it is still dark, I'm way to lazy to chase them.
Dave


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## Reti (Jul 20, 2003)

He will forgive you, trust me Bribe him with some of his favourite treats.

Reti


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## Miss-Sassypants (Sep 25, 2010)

Can you try to lure him with peanuts next time? Put trails of peanuts to where you want to trap him... that might work?

On another note, THANK YOU for caring for him and loving him. You are such a good soul! All the best!


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

sometimes you have to do what you have to do.. just like getting a kid to take their medications. If he needs attending for his own good then it has to happen.. they may not like it, but he won't be traumatized for life, it is part of keeping birds.


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## Rodger (Jun 26, 2012)

Thanks, friends. As several of you predicted, the crisis passed and relations with Boyd (that's his name) have returned to normal, more or less. It hasn't gotten to the point yet that he will actually approach me, but I am confident that he will. Thanks again,
Rodger


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## Shadowringneck23 (Jul 5, 2012)

*Net*

Usually birds are pretty tame so owner's don't usually have problems like this. In your situation, I would have just used some sort of netting to capture him.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

Shadowringneck23 said:


> Usually birds are pretty tame so owner's don't usually have problems like this. In your situation, I would have just used some sort of netting to capture him.


NO BIRDS ARE NOT PRETTY TAME..ESP PIGEONS.. SOME ARE THAT ARE HAND RAISED .. they did use a net already to catch the bird. you need to read the whole post and only post if you are sure of what you are saying.. because correcting you is going to get old.


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## Shadowringneck23 (Jul 5, 2012)

*Correction*

I read the entire post. That's why I was agreeing with what method he used to catch his pigeon. I have known many pigeons to be tame, especially those hand-raised when younger. Not all pigeons are tame, but some are. You cannot compare them all as a whole and expect to have one answer. They are all different depending on how they were raised, and many other contributing factors.


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## Dove Lady (Apr 15, 2011)

Spirit Wings.. the question was: "When you wizards need to capture a bird for medical or other attention, how do you do it?"

I believe Shadowringneck was truly answering the question. He would use a net. Roger ended up using netting out of desperation in his story, but Roger wanted to know what we do.

I use a med. sized fishing net. I can catch them in the air if I have to with it and have NEVER had an injury in 2 years. (just be fluid with the catch, and cushion the momentum.) they realize they are caught and just fold up thir wings and sit in the net cuz struggling gets them nowhere.


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## Shadowringneck23 (Jul 5, 2012)

*Thanks*

I wasn't trying to be misleading, I was just stating that I would have also used a net in his situation. It seems like the challenge would be cushioning the momentum as you mentioned.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

there are many different ways to catch a pigeon..he already used the net so the advice was moot. at any case they need to be caught sometimes reguardless of how it is done..everyone has their fav.. the point is "it needs to be done for the care of the bird so don't freak over it".


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## Dove Lady (Apr 15, 2011)

The point is not moot. He asked for suggestions... so it IS the point.. Question: What 
An Answer: Net An Answer: get up early An Answer: Peanut trail

Opinions and suggestions are what we are require to make proper choices about our flying friends. Just because he mentioned useing netting doesn't mean that we shouldn't suggest it as a good choice for next time.. Roger seemed worried that he had made the right choice. 

I think it was the right choice.

Why get on Shadowringneck's back? I mean.. you didn't pick on Pete for saying he was "Lazy" 

As for cushioning the net catch... 90% of the time as soon as they get in the net they just fall like a stone cuz they can't open the wings far enough to struggle. I just make sure to continue the forward momentum slightly so they don't get their beak caught like a horse's bit. 

This sometimes looks like a ballet with a pidgie partner.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

Dove Lady said:


> The point is not moot. He asked for suggestions... so it IS the point.. Question: What
> An Answer: Net An Answer: get up early An Answer: Peanut trail
> 
> Opinions and suggestions are what we are require to make proper choices about our flying friends. Just because he mentioned useing netting doesn't mean that we shouldn't suggest it as a good choice for next time.. Roger seemed worried that he had made the right choice.
> ...


telling him to use a net after he already did was not making sense to me..and it seemed he the thread maker was more worried about the bird being afraid...there is no way around that is what Im saying net or not.. eveyone has different ways of catching birds..he did it with a net..which is fine and it is fine to do it a different way too.. the point is it has to be done.. so do it and not worry too much over it.


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## hamza syed (Jun 22, 2012)

man don't fight on the tips given .. its only the way to catch a pigeon if u use a net, the pigeon/s gets itself caught or u use a trap, or by hand raising .. the main thing is that they are caught and are in ur hand


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## Kiko&Kalani (Aug 10, 2010)

Hey Rodger,

I have a pair that I have had since they were 7 days old that I have no problem catching, but I once rescued a young feral pigeon and rehabbed before releasing him. Getting him back into his cage was, at first, tramatizing for us both. I finally discovered a technique that work with little to no stress for us both:

1) have a helper to hold a flashlight
1) let the pigeon perch somewhere you can reach him
2) turn out all the lights and get it as dark as possible inside
3) once dark, have helper shine the flashlight into bird's face 
4) quickly and gently grab the bird 

This worked for me everytime (once I started doing this). I have also used this on another adult feral and worked like a charm. 

Good luck,
Beth


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## Rodger (Jun 26, 2012)

Thanks Beth. I will try that next time. I have indeed noticed that it is easier in the dark than it is in daylight.

R


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

*To our new members: Thank you for your help.

A lot of old threads (or already answered threads) are being resurrected lately with repetative information given and it is confusing and wasting time. Please do not respond to old posts or posts where questions have already been answered with same info. We appreciate your efforts, however, most of these old and even some new threads have been responded to.

Thank you.*


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