# Sassy Or Just Being A Pigeon?!



## Jumpin Bean (Oct 31, 2011)

A couple of months ago, my husband dragged home a sickly baby pigeon. I took it to the vet & it had chlamydia in 1 eye. After antibiotics, de-parasiting & my 13 yr. old teaching him how to eat, he is doing very well. We've decided "Bob" is a male...mainly because he is rude. (Sorry guys!!) If I want to pick him up, he gets all puffy & makes the "TURTLE GIRDLE!! TURTLE GIRDLE!!" cooing noise & spins in a circle. (Ya...we are lucky to realize he is a bird...we don't know anything about creatures with feathers yet! Fur, scales & hooves we are familiar with...so we are a work in progress!!) If "he" is on top of his cage, or basically anything high...he acts like it is HIS & he will hammer you mercilessly with his beak if you come near to pet or remove him. He knocks it off momentarily if we ask "Do you want to go into your cage?!" as we have tried the typical child rearing on "Bob"...if you are naughty...you get a time out in the cage. Often, when he sees me, he will sprawl his feathers & strut around & shake his fanned tail @ me when I tell him "Wooohooo...Mr. Fancy Pants!" --so I am assuming he is courting me? Very often he will follow us room to room & loves to land on our heads or the chair we are sitting on so he can be social....but on his terms. He isn't very cuddly like he was when he was a fledgling. My husband & daughter can pet him, but unless I want to be practically pecked to death before I get him held close to me, petting him is off the menu for me. What's the deal?! I'm the one who feeds him & spends the most time with him. Is he just bossy/sassy or is this normal maturing bird behavior? (I'm also wondering if he needs a girl friend to relieve some pent up frustration...of which he's out of luck...because 1 almost constant pooping bird is more than enough for me.) ~LOL!


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## horseart4u (Jun 16, 2011)

yup sounds like amale coming into adult hood, he sees you as his mate being you are the one with him most, the cooing, dancing and pecking is his way of showing you affection, the pecks only mean he is trying to drive you to his nest( cage) his territory, so yes he will be agressive to protect that space. he follows you all because they are social and flock birds he sees you guys as his flock ( family ) he will be this way the rest of his life unless you get him a mate he will follow you and court you. if you do get him a mate get fake pigeon sized eggs so you don't have any babies you don't want, just replace their eggs with fake ones for the 17 to 20 days. do put her in a cage by herself so he can't get to her and peck her to death, this will take a week or two for them to get used to each other, also they make pigeon diapers  so no mess around house.. others will be on also to advise you also.


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## Jumpin Bean (Oct 31, 2011)

*Pigeon Diaper--*

Funny you mentioned the pigeon diaper!! We ordered the pigeon size & he is WAAAAY too big--even unfluffed! (He was not impressed with us trying to stuff him into it!!) We will have to try a bigger size--maybe something to match his "I'm really a FALCON" ego! LOL!!!


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## Jumpin Bean (Oct 31, 2011)

What do you suggest for a comfy home for Bob? We bought a BIG outdoor dog kennel & took 1 section out of each side so it will fit in our living room...approx. 5 ft tall, 4 ft wide & 3 ft deep. I was also thinking of easy cleanability since Mr. Poopy Pants is leaving deposits what seems like almost constantly...like every 5-7 minutes!!! (I THINK HE NEEDS A NEW HOBBY!!) Anyway, it looks pretty stupid there...but I wanted him in the house where it is warm & he is around people. Also wanted it big enough he can stretch & flap if he so chooses. There is a metal perch that goes all the way across the inside of the cage to sit/roost on. I bought a soft hemp rope looking outdoor hanging flower basket & we secured it to the inside (non-moving) ...thinking "Wow...what a nice big NEST!!" He perches on the rim of it, but won't sit inside of it....even with "nest fluff" inside of it. Is there other options we should be using instead of what we guessed & started with? I have noticed on youtube & other sites, most people have their "house pigeons" on the floor in much smaller enclosures. He is "free range" in the house most of the time. I just want him to be comfy & happy. Please add suggestions & post photos of your pigeon "digs".

Thanks in advance, everyone!!

Also, we have his food up near the perch. I know they are usually naturally ground feeders, but he kept dumping everything over & purposely flinging his food everywhere...even with heavy dishes. With his dishes secured to the wire sides of the cage, he can't dump them anymore, but the flinging is still ridiculous!! Why is he doing that?

How often should I be offering his "tub" for a bath? He usually lets me know I am too late when he parks himself in the big bowl of cat water on the floor! Our cats sit there watching with very disgusted looks on their faces!! LOL!


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## Cyreen (Jun 6, 2010)

Jumpin Bean said:


> He usually lets me know I am too late when he parks himself in the big bowl of cat water on the floor! Our cats sit there watching with very disgusted looks on their faces!! LOL!


LOL - that's hilarious! And bathing is pretty much his personal choice, I have no doubt he'll train you (or the cat) in no time. As for cages, the norm is longer and wider rather than tall and they will tell you to keep food on the bottom. However, I had Ollie for over a year before anyone told me any of that and she adapted quite well to a very large parrot cage and uses every square inch and the rest of the house too. As for food flinging, that's a pigeon thing - just looking for the best.

Pigeon poops are... generous and flight suits suck - I recommend Boni's PGWear designed specifically for pigeons. You provide her with his measurements (her site tells you how to measure). She's on vacation at the moment, but here's her site: 

http://www.birdwearonline.org/index.html


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## Jumpin Bean (Oct 31, 2011)

He doesn't appear smart enough to take himself back into his cage to eat when he gets hungry while he is out "free ranging" it. Should I have another bowl of food up on top of his cage where he likes to sit as head centurion?! When I put him in his cage for a while, he GOBBLES his whole field peas (because he REFUSES split peas & leagumes!) & cracked corn. Should I be worried if he won't eat fruit/veggies as the vet suggested? He is mighty picky!!! Never realized raising a bird would be so much harder than KIDS!! LOL!


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## Cyreen (Jun 6, 2010)

He's not dumb. He doesn't require as much food as he's no doubt scarfing down. Most of the racers on this site get fed twice a day and that's it (and a lot more exercise). You might try defrosting some frozen peas and corn - it's pretty much the only veggies mine will eat.


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## Quazar (Jul 27, 2010)

Jumpin Bean said:


> He doesn't appear smart enough to take himself back into his cage to eat when he gets hungry while he is out "free ranging" it. Should I have another bowl of food up on top of his cage where he likes to sit as head centurion?! When I put him in his cage for a while, he GOBBLES his whole field peas (because he REFUSES split peas & leagumes!) & cracked corn. *Should I be worried if he won't eat fruit/veggies as the vet suggested? * He is mighty picky!!! Never realized raising a bird would be so much harder than KIDS!! LOL!


They do have their little traits with things, but if you keep the food in the one place, he will get used to it, and will save you having to clean up all his throwaways in different places lol. Whether he is hungry when out or not, he will peck around at any tiny thing he sees, call it pigeon inquisition lol, they all do it.
Although some pigeons do eat some veggies, very few eat fruit so I would question how much your vet actually knows about pigeons, as they are different from most birds, and most vets, even avian ones, rarely have to treat pigeons.
You could try him enticing him into his cage with some sunflower seeds or raw unsalted peanuts, most will do anything for peanuts lol.
I would also keep a close eye on him around the cat or dog.
Both cats & dogs saliva contain bacteria which is lethal to pigeons so try not to let him get access to their water or food bowls.


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## Jumpin Bean (Oct 31, 2011)

What does the "hoot hoot" noise mean? It always makes me think he is calling his people. He also makes a quiet little purring noise...is he happy?


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## Siobhan (Dec 21, 2010)

I've had Maggie for close to a year now, and she is most definitely a girl because she's presented me with some eggs. She does many of the behaviors you describe, the fan tail, the following around, the landing on the head. The "woo woo" sound means Bob is feeling affectionate and happy. The sort of purring means "HEY! Notice me!" And trust me, he's totally smart enough to go back to his cage for food, but he doesn't want you shutting the door behind him. LOL So if he can con you into putting food somewhere so he doesn't have to go in the cage to get a snack, he's going to do it. I have treat cups here and there in the bird room so Maggie and the parrots can get snacks while they're out, and Maggie drinks from every water dish except her own.


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