# Cockfighting Me?



## Chefkey (Apr 14, 2016)

My wife almost ran a baby Rock Pigeon over in her car about one year ago because it was in the street and couldn't fly. She called me and I went and picked the bird up and brought it home. It started to be able to fly but it was friendly and enjoyed standing on our shoulders while we walk around the house so we kept it. We checked and it is a male and we keep him in a cage when we are not home as we have other animals that we separate when we let him out. His cage is a very large Hamster cage, he even hovers in it sometimes so he seems happy in there and I gave him a nice container with hay in it that he likes to sleep in.

Lately though when I feed him and change his water he will charge my hand and then try to bite me. If I gently grab his back and slowly push him down while rubbing his neck he calms down. As soon as I let him up he starts charging me again. If I let him out of the cage he gets on my shoulder and seems content for a while and then will start plucking at my head. Not hard plucks though, he has never broken my skin.

I was just wondering, is there a way I can make him stop this behavior? What are the best methods to make him act more neutral with me? Also, he is a young bird so maybe this is an adolescent phase? I give him weekly showers after I change his bedding and paper and he really likes them and coos and grunts as he cozies up in his nest. He's a nice bird so I don't think it's aggression more just some kind of dominance show. Just wondered if anyone knows. Thanks


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## Woodnative (Jul 4, 2010)

Look through this forum this is s a common tale for single hand-raised pigeons reaching puberty. All normal in the abnormal world he lives in. Sometimes he may consider you (your face/head) as a mate but the hands are intruders that he must defend his space against. In the long run a larger cage with a female pigeon would probably be the best answer, though they would need to be introduced slowly in separate cages at first to get to know each other. Pigeons/doves have a very very strong urge to be with a mate. BTW you said you checked and it is a male..........watching behavior or DNA test???


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## Chefkey (Apr 14, 2016)

We checked the shape of it's anus, according to some help sites the males is curved up and that it what we found. If that's wrong then I guess we don't know.


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## Chefkey (Apr 14, 2016)

It's good to know about the mate helping but I wouldn't know the first place to look to get one since this is a wild found bird


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## Woodnative (Jul 4, 2010)

I am not sure if that shape thing works or not, but if he hasn't laid eggs yet probably a male. His mate doesn't have to be a wild/feral pigeon. You can get him a domestic pigeon hen of any breed and he will be quite happy! Homing pigeon or fantail or........


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## RamseyRingnecks (Jun 18, 2013)

Yeah, this is pretty normal adolescence for pidge boys.

I usually suggest o my clients and adopters to find their birds two toys.

Male birds need a sex toy. My father in law's ringneck dove has a small plush gorilla he likes to mount. They toy does not even have to be bird shaped, just appropriately sized.

They also need a hate toy. Something they can vent their aggression on that diverts it away from you. You can use this other toy to instigate play fights with so that he can vent out the rest of his frustration on it.

It also helps for a tame bird to be invited to come out rather than be taken out of their cage. That way they can come straight to you with out feeling a need to defend their space from your hands.

Pigeons are very protective of their nest space in general. This is not bad behavior. It's just the pigeon being a pigeon.

Interacting with him in his enclosure is considered a challenge for the right to his space, so you can help him avoid that anxiety by just ignoring him during routine maintainence that requires you reach into his cage.

If you just have him, try making cleaning and food time coincide with free flight, so he can be distracted doing something else and you can be in and out with no confrontation.

You can also train them to put themselves away by associating "go home" with a reward.


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## Chefkey (Apr 14, 2016)

Thanks for the advice everyone, I tried a small plush bear just a little smaller than him and he had fun trouncing it. First he looked warily at it and circled it for a few times, then he gave it a few test pecks. After that he stepped on it, moved it all around the cage and at times he pecked it fiercely. Now he is sleeping comfortably in his nest and the bear is still sitting in there so I guess he got used to it and it no longer bothers him. I'm not sure if this helped but he doesn't seemed distressed so I'll keep an eye. He just did a round of his chicken dance right now but then sat back in his nest again. That dance is VERY normal behavior lol.


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