# Adopting a new pigeon



## msmely (Feb 13, 2011)

Hi,

I just lost a pigeon and am interested in getting a new pigeon. The pigeon that I had was feral and disabled (couldn't fly). So my family realises if we want another pigeon, taking care of it will be a completely different scenario that we don't know much about.

Theres a pigeon in an animal shelter that we might like to adopt. Thing is, we don't have an aviary...do we need one? Our other pigeon just lived in a hutch in the laundry because it didn't fly.
So can we just keep her inside the house? 

And are pet pigeons much different to feral pigeons in terms of personality?

Thank you


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## kamz (Jan 23, 2010)

Msmely sorry to hear about your previous pigeons loss. From his videos he looked like a very special pigeon. What happened to him, out of curiosity? 

I know bec a wildlife cared in Victoria has 2 pigeons that she is looking to rehome through this site. It might be worth contacting her to see if she still has some available? 

Otherwise, if you are looking for a specific breed, I would suggest looking at all the differing breeds and considering which type of breed would suit you. 

If you end up being interested in fantail pigeons, I may be myself interested in revoking a black hand tamEd pigeon - but only if the adopter would ultimately be getting a second pigeon. My Baio is a friendly hen who is lOnely because her cage mate, after about a year still ignores her. It would be nice to find her a home where she has a pigeon friend who shows some kind of interest in her!

Whatever you do I strongly recommend against getting a bird from local retail pigeon outlets - if u google Baio's story on pigeons.biz or look under the stirues forum u may see why. 

If you want a bird, if you ring dr Colin walkers practice in scoresby I am sure they could find you a young squeaker fir free - they often look after racing birds or fancy birds that have lost their way and are looking for a new home

Best luck with your search, and I'm sorry for the loss of your one winged pal

Susie


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## Libis (Oct 8, 2010)

msmely said:


> Hi,
> 
> I just lost a pigeon and am interested in getting a new pigeon. The pigeon that I had was feral and disabled (couldn't fly). So my family realises if we want another pigeon, taking care of it will be a completely different scenario that we don't know much about.
> 
> ...


You don't need an aviary if it is allowed free flight in the house each day. You will need a pretty decently sized cage. I'll let other members tell you what the best dimensions for an indoor pigeon to sleep in are, since I only keep doves. (My ringneck pair lives in a cage that is roughly 31 x 20 x 53" *that's just a guesstimate, if you want I can go measure it though. It's just been a while since I bought it.) 
Your hutch might work if it is brought into the house. It just depends on the size and how easy it is to clean.

When looking, don't forget that there are also a lot of ringneck doves out there needing homes. They are a bit smaller than pigeons, but also do very well as pets.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

msmely said:


> Hi,
> 
> I just lost a pigeon and am interested in getting a new pigeon. The pigeon that I had was feral and disabled (couldn't fly). So my family realises if we want another pigeon, taking care of it will be a completely different scenario that we don't know much about.
> 
> ...


each bird has his own personality..but some breeds have traits special to them.. homing pigeons are robust and animated, some of the fancy breeds like jacobins can be stand offish or reclusive,but easy to pick up... most act about the same as a feral would. the hutch in the laundry sounds fine if you let the bird out to interact with you allot.. usually they do best with a mate as that is their main drive is to find a mate and nest and lay eggs..some hens can be paired off together and live fine together.. two male birds may not get along or if you do have a lone male he will try to pick a human for his mate and can get a bit bossy sometimes.. the one at the shelter may be the bird for you.. it is worth a try.


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## whytwings (Feb 12, 2011)

msmely said:


> Hi,
> 
> I just lost a pigeon and am interested in getting a new pigeon. The pigeon that I had was feral and disabled (couldn't fly). So my family realises if we want another pigeon, taking care of it will be a completely different scenario that we don't know much about.
> 
> ...


I have a pigeon that is recovering from a serious illnes and he lives inside my house , in my lounge room infact  ......he sleeps in a large Cockatoo cage , but has access to the sunshine and my other birds outside during the day . 
I think there is a bit of a difference in personalities between feral and pet pigeons unless you can get a very young bird ....but kamz might have a solution .
Cunninghams Warehouse from time to time have brilliant wide cages if they are where your located which would suit a lone bird very well .....slide out trays .....easy cleaning ect , they are also on casters so easy to move around and stuff .

I'm sorry to hear you lost your pet bird .....I believe you had a video or a link from a thread here that I had seen before .......good luck !


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## msmely (Feb 13, 2011)

Thanks Kamz for the advice. I really didn't want to buy a bird off those retail type places or websites and would rather take in a pigeon that really needed it so I'll try and contact Dr Colin and Bec  Atm I don't know if we would be getting two, were not against the idea but were just not sure yet.


Thanks Libis. We would defenitely give it free flight in the house everyday. I'm not sure if our hutch is big enough though so we might end up trying to get a cage that would be better fit for a pigeon that flys. So the cage would be kept inside then? and then I can just give it free flight time for a few hours?

@Spiritwings I'm pretty sure my old pigeon Charlie was a male because he got quite bossy with us! Sometimes he would love us bow and peck with affection and other times all we would get were wing slaps, him walking in circles and weird territorial noises! haha With the new bird we might try and find it a mate eventually but regardless everyone in my family constantly gave our old pigeon lots of attention so I'm sure it'd be no different with this one.




> Msmely sorry to hear about your previous pigeons loss. From his videos he looked like a very special pigeon. What happened to him, out of curiosity?


Thanks Kamz, he was very special and my whole family are heartbroken. He was perfectly healthy and I was about to put him inside his hutch but a lot of his friends were outside, more than I'd seen in a while so I let him stay outside a bit longer. Then my friend brought her dog over and opened the side gate without letting me know (which she has never done before) she knows I have guinea pigs and a pigeon. So I went out and found Charlie already dead  I loved him so much but we'll never forget him and he came and taught us how special pigeons are! No one in my family looks at pigeons the same way now, its quite interesting!


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## Libis (Oct 8, 2010)

msmely said:


> Thanks Libis. We would defenitely give it free flight in the house everyday. I'm not sure if our hutch is big enough though so we might end up trying to get a cage that would be better fit for a pigeon that flys. So the cage would be kept inside then? and then I can just give it free flight time for a few hours?


That or I guess you could fly a homing pigeon from your shed. I don't know how safe it is to fly only 1 or 2 birds though. Some people keep fantails in a shed/loft and let them out to hang around the garden. 

I like keeping birds inside the house, I feel like they stay really tame seeing you all of the time. If you can get a cage with a removable tray it might be easier for you to keep clean than the hutch anyway. You might also want one of those stretchy seed guards around the bottom of the cage--birds can throw a lot of seed onto your floor. 

Oh, and if anyone is worried about the bird(s) pooping in the house, maybe look into this: http://www.birdwearonline.com/


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## kamz (Jan 23, 2010)

Really sorry to hear about what happened to Charlie. I know you worked very hard to do everything you could to keep him a happy and healthy pigeon. It's really sad when things that are out of your control like this happen. 

I wish you the best of luck finding another pigeon - I know you'll take great care of whatever pigeon you find msmely.


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