# Pigeon Human Bonding Tips + Discussion



## dweebasaurus (Jan 10, 2018)

I've heard it all, and none of it adds up:

Pick up your pigeon and pet them to get them used to your hands.
Don't pick up your pigeon until they're ready or they'll never trust you.
Let your pigeon bite your hand.
Don't let your pigeon bite your hand.

I want to hear all of y'all's stances on holding/petting pigeons, getting them used to hands, and how it would, could, or does affect bonding.

The only consistent thing I've heard is that they like unsalted peanuts. Some of which, I'll happily report, I got today ~


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## YaSin11 (Jul 23, 2009)

dweebasaurus said:


> I've heard it all, and none of it adds up:
> 
> 
> The only consistent thing I've heard is that ~


 Pigeons are wonderful, intelligent birds and they have their own individual personality, they are not all 'consistent' in their nature, so not surprised you did not find 'consistent' advice.

That being said; there _are_ some methods you can use to slowly gain their trust.

I thinking using feed to build and establish a relationship with your pigeons is very helpful. If they see you as the food source slowly they would start trusting you.

Sudden movements never help, IMHO.

Do share more info; how long have you had them? their age? how many etc. and hopefully the Forum will be able to provide you suitable answers.

Wish you Good Luck


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## Crazy Pete (Nov 13, 2008)

Talk soft, move slow, and only feed them from your hands if it takes them a few days to get hungry too bad, when they get hungry they will eat.
Dave


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## bootface (Jun 29, 2017)

All training methods work, when done correctly. Some methods are kinder than others. I always want to avoid as much stress for the animal as possible, so I'm strongly in favor of force-free methods. 



dweebasaurus said:


> Pick up your pigeon and pet them to get them used to your hands.


This works through learned helplessness. The bird learns that fighting is useless and gives up. After that point, they may learn to enjoy your company, but not always. I have one pigeon that got to the point of giving up when she was getting daily PT. As soon as her situation changed she wouldn't tolerate handling. We now have a decent relationship although we are not close. I do not personally like this process, although it has some advantages in terms of speed when they require frequent handling.



dweebasaurus said:


> Don't pick up your pigeon until they're ready or they'll never trust you.


Like I said, they can become habituated to handling after they've learned to give up. However, this requires you to be extremely consistent and, frankly, harsh. If you ever let them go when they struggle, it can take a much longer for them to give up. If you lapse in your handling before they become habituated, they will quickly revert. Not handling them until they are comfortable is much kinder and you can get a more lasting effect. I don't want my pets to have any negative connotations with me, even if it might eventually results in them liking me. 



dweebasaurus said:


> Let your pigeon bite your hand.


If you let them bite your hand, and never remove it when they bite, they will learn that biting is ineffective in creating distance and will try something different, or give up completely. I don't like this method, because it isn't necessarily going to change their emotions, just the behavior. Biting is a means of communication, and I want them to be able express themselves in as many ways as possible. 



dweebasaurus said:


> Don't let your pigeon bite your hand.


If you're trying to win their trust, just don't do things that makes them feel like they have to bite you. Avoid those situations all together. Every time they feel the need to attack, they are creating fearful associations with you. If you remove the threat after they have attacked, they are more likely to attack in the future. 

I'm also opposed to using starvation to motivate them to eat from your hand. Mostly because it's not nice, but there are some behavioral concerns that go along with it: It might not change their emotions, only the behavior. Animals (including humans) will do things that make them uncomfortable for high value rewards. This doesn't necessarily make them more comfortable, and it doesn't necessarily mean they are more likely to do it when the reward isn't as high value (ie, they aren't starving).


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

bootface said:


> All training methods work, when done correctly. Some methods are kinder than others. I always want to avoid as much stress for the animal as possible, so I'm strongly in favor of force-free methods.
> 
> 
> This works through learned helplessness. The bird learns that fighting is useless and gives up. After that point, they may learn to enjoy your company, but not always. I have one pigeon that got to the point of giving up when she was getting daily PT. As soon as her situation changed she wouldn't tolerate handling. We now have a decent relationship although we are not close. I do not personally like this process, although it has some advantages in terms of speed when they require frequent handling.
> ...



I agree with this post.^
Forcing pigeons is not the way to go. Forcing doesn't equate to trust. They learn to trust you because you aren't doing things they hate. They learn to trust because you are taking the time they need to get comfortable with you. Forcing isn't the same as having them want to come to you. I would rather they liked me and came to me because it was their choice. Just be patient and kind and let them get used to you. You need to spend a lot of time around them.
When I get new birds in, I offer chopped unsalted peanuts, and if they don't want to take them from me, then I just put them down near them and go about my business. Eventually, they will be coming to me for the treat. Some take longer than others. Be patient. 
Also, they won't even know what the chopped peanuts are. Mix some into their feed for a while so they will try them. Once they do, they will love them.


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## Saphira (Sep 2, 2017)

I am new to pigeons, so feel free to take what I say with a grain of salt.

First question you should be asking yourself is if you really want your pigeon bonded to you. Here is my experience, and it relates to a single pigeon that I did not cage or "discipline" in any way.
I got a baby rescue about 4 months ago. My plan was to release it after raising him to a safer age (he wasn't flying at the time he got to me), but I did it too early (out of fear of him bonding to us and becoming unreleasable) and he got injured in the attempt. I thankfully recovered him and accepted the fact that I now have a pet pigeon. He gradually warmed up to us (note that we didn't particularly attempt to bond him to us, from the above reason - which included never hand feeding him, minimal physical contact and so on), and ended up showing signs of bonding to me and considering me his mate. Let me tell you what that looked like in my case:
- he will 100% follow you around. If you close the bathroom door in his face, he will hit himself against the door until you come out. He will insist on coming with you in the shower. 
- leaving the house will be a struggle. He will cling to you desperately. I had to run out and close the door quickly, and often I'd find him waiting by the door when I got back.
- he will hoot all day nest calling you. They are relentless. I've had mine walking from me to the bedroom all day. 
- you will never be without socks again. They will bite your feet, probably to drive you to nest. 
- he will attempt to mate with your hands and feet, if it's a male at least. 
All in all, it's a huge commitment .

The first thing he started doing was follow me around the house. People around me found it funny the way he was scuttling this way and that. First time he flew was when I walked so fast that he couldn't follow me on foot. Then he flew up on my shoulder/head. We spent many evenings with him preening himself on my shoulder or head. Then he started the nesting calls and the dances - tail dragging and cooing his heart out. Then he started bringing me straws and dried leaves and I was stuck with velcro pigeon that would not give up trying to get me into the bedroom even if it took him all day trying. Then he tried to mate with my hand and refused to sleep away from me.
This is what I got to with my pigeon before finding him a mate of his own species - and I was lucky for somebody to find another fallen baby in the middle of the winter that would have not survived outside (this one wasn't even eating on her own), and 2nd time lucky for that one to be a female. They are now more and more bonding to each other, and while I somehow miss his attention, it was not something I could handle long term in a satisfactory way for him. I'm saying somehow, because he's still bowing to me and demanding cuddles, but I try to let the pair grow their own relationship, without interference. 

Regarding my stances with my pigeon:
I can't stand caged birds, so I never caged my pigeon. I accepted the mess in the house. This might not be a good start, as you might want some discipline in their life - and some space in yours. When I brought him back injured from the release attempt, he was confined to a glass enclosed balcony, but only to avoid him hurting himself. Restricting one to a smaller space will work better if they have a mate, as they don't seem to mind it if they have somebody around. They seem to need company. My pigeon spends most of his day now with his mate in one part of the room, but before that, he would never do more than maybe take a nap on his own. He wouldn't even go to sleep without me, and that was way past midnight. 

I enjoy touching their feathers, but touching them a lot will encourage the whole mating business. I've read that anything bellow the neck is considered sexual by them. I pet my pigeon, but mostly on the head. I don't hold him to pet him, he will ask it if he wants it. Kinda like : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9y4QyrLhIJI
There are, however, other ways to get them into physical contact with you: they seem to love sitting on people - shoulders, heads, hands too. You can get them used to your touch without restricting them. I don't know if some of them ever lose the biting hands habit, mine still bites me, but he seems to see it as great sport. Does it more with my husband, who's always "played" with him like that (they have a more "guys" relationship).

I don't know if it matters, but I talk to my pigeon and generally treat him affectionately. He came back from the release attempt with more than a limp leg, and we even had to give him shots in the chest - but he never hated us for it and the 2nd person he flew to outside me and my husband was my mother - who gave him the shots. 

Sorry for the long post and possible weird language stuff (english is not my natural language). This has been my very unexpected experience with a pigeon so far. I'm sure more experienced people here will give you better advise, but this is what a person inexperienced in properly educating a pigeon ended up to ).


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