# Pigeon never learned to eat by itself! Help!



## otter

My brother found a baby pigeon about 6 years ago and hand fed him and raised him and made him into a pet that rode around on his shoulder and was never caged. The bird never learned to feed himself and was fed a diet of soaked dog chow rolled in ground up pigeon seed. And flourished. And made my brother very happy.

This summer my brother got sick and died suddenly. Before he died I promised to take care of his bird that he loved so much.

I now have a pigeon in my apartment. I got him a parrot cage and he had to learn to perch - as he had never done that before. At first he fell off and I had to lower the perch to the bottom of the cage - then slowly raised it. He's an excellent perch-er now and even sleeps on it usually, not nesting on the floor of the cage as he was used to doing.

I hand feed him dog chow/ground seed (reduced from 10 pellets 3x a day down to 3 pellets 2x a day) plus whole pigeon feed seeds -- all of which I have to open his beak and put it down his throat. I have added various bird supplements - vitamins to his water and ultimate avian formula to the ground seed. But I really want him to learn to eat like a bird. I just read about feeding baby birds thawed and warmed frozen peas. The pigeon loves these and eats them from my hand, but not from a dish. He gets very aggravated if I am late feeding him and makes a fuss. I got him an avian sunlamp and a humidifier and lots of bird toys but it really would be nice not to push food down his throat.

Any thoughts on how to teach a grown pigeon to eat like a grown up bird? Then he could eat all day whenever he was hungry.

I keep a dish of pigeon seed in the cage but he never eats it. He'll stand in the dish, or perch on the edge of it and flap his wings sending seed all over the place.

Any suggestions would be welcome -- His name is Aldo because he was carried home as a baby in an Aldo shoe box.


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## thepigeonguy

if he doesnt eat by himself or doesnt even try to eat its probably a habit make him hungry and maybe he will start trying to eat by himself but if he doesnt then just hand feed him


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## Dima

Don't just make him hungry..that's going to stress him out. Since he can eat from your hands , i am sure he will learn to eat from the plate too.

Regarding the perch. Pigeons do not perch like parrots...they like flat surfaces, not round sticks. Parrot cage may be too small..Can he exercise flapping inside? The feathers may get damaged.

I hope you do now that a pigeon which is a pet has to be released from the cage at least 30 min to 1 hr, the longer the better. Make sure he gets vit Ca & d3 if he has no access to sun.

Since he is such a pet, you can buy him pigeon diapers so he can enjoy the freedom of flying in your house. I am sorry for your brother's loss. It's touchy that you promised to care for his beloved pigeon. How is the pigeon handling so far the new life (except the eating habit)?

I would love to see a video of him. It seems you have an amazing pet.
Put a mirror beside the place he likes to sit, rather than toys. I think you do know that this pigeons should never be released outside;it will get lost and will not survive.


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## Msfreebird

I'm so sorry about your brother Otter. Such a heartwarming task you've taken on  and Welcome to PT.
How big is the parrot cage? Pigeons like more floor space as opposed to height, for a cage. A large dog crate would have been fine. As stated previously, they prefer flat perches.
Pigeons learn to eat by watching their parents peck at seed on the ground. It's harder to teach a hand raised baby to eat seed, unless they have someone to watch. When teaching my babies to eat, I use my thumb and index finger like a 'beak', and peck at the food with him. He was probably very spoiled and became accustom to being hand fed. He doesn't have any disability with his beak does he?


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## otter

*Reply RE Pigeon never learned to feed himself*

Thank you all for your sympathy - the pigeon was my brother's joy in life, he lived alone and I was his only family, so agreeing to take the bird was the only way he would go into the hospital. It has been 6 months and the pigeon has adapted nicely although I was sure he wouldn't last 2 weeks - at first just living on the window sill in the bathroom just looking out through the screen. The parrot cage is just big enough for him to flap his wings and he seems to enjoy climbing up the walls of the cage to let me know he's ready to be fed. Aldo does what I call pigeon calisthenics about 4 times a day - he holds onto the perch and flaps madly while slowly rotating 360 degrees. I have a very large dog who tolerates the bird in the cage (the cage is on a stand at standard poodle eye level) but my dog has let it be known that he would not hold back if the pigeon were free flying around. Regarding feeding - he does NOT eat seed from my hand. I have to pry his beak open and pour pinches of seed down his throat. It is only just this week that he learned to eat thawed green peas and carrots from my hand, which made me hope there was a way to encourage more "self" feeding from him. By the way, hand feeding him is a real production - my husband has to either hold him (wrapped in a dishtowel) or just this week he made a little portable perch attached to a box. The thing is either way feeding is very messy - at best I have to dust buster my husband and the floor in the bathroom (which is where we feed Aldo.) Any suggestion beyond peas and carrots? Soft seed balls or some such? His beak is fine and if he feels I am invading his cage for something other than feeding time he will often try to bite me, and succeed - thanks a lot! Any suggestions gratefully accepted.


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## spirit wings

you could always get another pigeon and slowly introduce them and he could learn from her by watching.


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## otter

*2nd pigeon not practical in NYC apartment*

A female friend is a lovely thought but as it is one bird is taking the maximum space we can afford in a New York City/Manhattan apartment. And she would probably expect to be allowed to fly, while our guy doesn't fret too much about that because even when he was taken out by my brother to walk on the beach he only flew very low to the ground for maybe 10 or 20 feet and then landed. He really expected to ride on my brothers shoulder, or when it was cold he would climb inside my brothers coat and ride in the armpit of the coat!! He went everywhere with my brother, including the gambling casinos in Atlantic City where he would perch on the slot machines while my brother played!! Yes - a totally spoiled and unnatural pigeon.


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## Larry_Cologne

If a second pigeon is not practical in your apartment, which I completely understand, having been in that situation myself, I would suggest taking him out to watch local pigeon flocks feeding, while keeping strict control over him so that he did not and could not fly off. That's what I did with my rescued-as-a-baby-and-hand-raised pigeons, until they were ready for soft release. The first one rode everywhere on my shoulder, also. Also pecking at the seeds with my fingers helped them get the idea.

I (personally) would not stop feeding him while trying to train him. I would present the seed-pecking as an alternate activity. I would not want to make him feel under threat of being abandoned. Your brother has left his life, and he probably wants as much reassurance as possible by maintaining routines.

Does he have any trouble preening himself, picking at his feathers with his beak? I assume not, since you haven't mentioned it. He doesn't have any trouble using his beak to hold objects? 

Does he feel he has to compete with your dog for attention?


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## otter

*Taking pigeon outside too scary*

While there are pigeons around outside there are also lots of people (with dogs) and cars going by, sudden noise - this is Manhattan and the outside here is more scary to a self contained hand raised pigeon than being inside. I can see where he would get frightened and get loose and fly into lots of trouble. He is at least 6 years old - how old can he get to be? I have read that they can live to 12 in captivity. The dog gets jealous if I open the cage to reach inside while he is around. He has rushed over and stuck his whole head inside the cage. Being a standard poodle he is very smart and I tell him that he is the big dog in the house and Aldo is the bird, and Jackie (the poodle) is the guy in charge. So now we make sure he's in another room when I change the cage liner etc for the bird and Jackie stops and looks in at the bird, sniffs, then proceeds on to more interesting activities -- napping, etc. Aldo's beak is fine, he plucks at his feathers when he is moulting and I give him a bath once a week, but he doesn't seem to enjoy it. But he looks good afterwards. Everything has worked out except getting him to eat seed. He actually did it ( a few pecks anyway) for a day or 2 several months ago, but then seemed to decide it was too much work and he preferred to just have his food delivered rather than peck one seed at a time. Since then he won't touch seed or even green peas in a dish in his cage. No pecking at hanging seed treats. Pecking at toys - yes, sometimes for hours. Thanks for commenting.


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## Jay3

I don't know why your brother never taught him to eat. Guess he never got tired of feeding him. The longer you hand feed, the longer it takes to get them to eat on their own.
It would be great, by the way, if your dog could be confined to another room for a while each day, for the bird to get out of the cage and get some exercise and interaction. He must be very lonely being in a cage all the time. Really not much of a life for a pet pigeon. 

As far as feeding, you probably are going to have to wait to feed him in the morning. Let him get a bit hungry, and leave warmed defrosted peas with him. See if he will make an effort. Wait til noon to feed him. He isn't going to starve in this time, and it may give him the incentive to learn. Most people don't want to have to hand feed a pigeon forever, but without the incentive of being hungry, then why should he learn? Picking it up on his own is foreign to him, and although it isn't his fault, it is kind of necessary for him to feed himself. Makes it kind of hard to go anywhere, if you have to be there to feed him. That or he would have to miss some meals. I would let him go hungry in the morning til noonish. Leaving him seed and defrosted peas in his cage. Measure or count them so that you will know if he actually ate any. Please let us know how it goes with him.


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## Jay3

otter said:


> While there are pigeons around outside there are also lots of people (with dogs) and cars going by,* sudden noise - this is Manhattan and the outside here is more scary to a self contained hand raised pigeon than being inside. I can see where he would get frightened and get loose and fly into lots of trouble. *He is at least 6 years old - how old can he get to be? I have read that they can live to 12 in captivity. The dog gets jealous if I open the cage to reach inside while he is around. He has rushed over and stuck his whole head inside the cage. Being a standard poodle he is very smart and I tell him that he is the big dog in the house and Aldo is the bird, and Jackie (the poodle) is the guy in charge. So now we make sure he's in another room when I change the cage liner etc for the bird and Jackie stops and looks in at the bird, sniffs, then proceeds on to more interesting activities -- napping, etc. Aldo's beak is fine, he plucks at his feathers when he is moulting and I give him a bath once a week, but he doesn't seem to enjoy it. But he looks good afterwards. Everything has worked out except getting him to eat seed. He actually did it ( a few pecks anyway) for a day or 2 several months ago, but then seemed to decide it was too much work and he preferred to just have his food delivered rather than peck one seed at a time. Since then he won't touch seed or even green peas in a dish in his cage. No pecking at hanging seed treats. Pecking at toys - yes, sometimes for hours. Thanks for commenting.



If he was taken to a place where other pigeons feed, so that he could watch, this could help. He wouldn't be loose, but you would bring him in a small travel type cage that would be easy to transport, and you wouldn't let him out of it. Just place it near where the other birds feed.


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## John_D

We have two blind pigeons, and one of them had to be fed by pecking at seeds through a slit in a piece of cloth covering the end of a tube full of seeds, even as an adult. Then, one day, after I had put her in a box of pigeon food and she started pecking at it, she decided she did not like her feeding tube. So now, to make sure she does eat (though both have seed in pots) I put Lily 'in the bucket' for twenty minutes or so, then get her to drink a good few swallows of water afterwards. It makes life much easier for her and for me.


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## otter

*Outdoor learning from other pigeons*



Jay3 said:


> If he was taken to a place where other pigeons feed, so that he could watch, this could help. He wouldn't be loose, but you would bring him in a small travel type cage that would be easy to transport, and you wouldn't let him out of it. Just place it near where the other birds feed.


Sounds like a good idea - he does have a travel case. Right now the temperature in NYC is well below freezing with heavy winds. So ... if Aldo hasn't made significant improvement in his learning to eat when Spring comes we will definitely take him on an outdoor learning experience. Thanks.


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## altgirl35

Oh boy, what a little spoiled guy
I would try to make a dish of the things he will eat out of your hand and put my hand on top of it slowly separating my fingers till he is pecking in the dish itself 
May take a while (obviously)
John D idea with the tube is something I use to help wean youngsters too
I use a larger perscription bottle and put a piece of vet wrap on the top and make it tight with a rubber band
Cut a small slit into the top
Put his beak into the slit and wiggle it upside down
Worth a try


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## minimonkey

I'm so sorry about your brother, Otter! Thank you so much for caring for the pigeon. 

Don't worry about the biting -- males, in particular, do that, even the very tame ones. Males often enjoy a bit of a wrestle with your hand (you may or may not enjoy that -- I love it!) 

If he will eat defrosted peas from your hand, I'd stick with that -- have him eat them on his own, and then try putting some seeds in your hand along with the peas, and see if he will try those -- or do as Altgirl suggested, which also sounds like a good idea.

Will he perch on you when he's in the bathroom? If so, I'd suggest some bonding and cuddle time, along with the feeding time -- he's used to having a lot of human attention, and I'm sure he'd love to have some from you. 

Thank you again, and your husband, for caring for this bird.


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## otter

*Pigeon is eating peas from a dish!!!!!*

Well who would have thought it? I know Aldo really likes the peas from my hand, but last night while we were having supper he was cooing and generally making a fuss. There was seed thrown all over the floor of the cage and he was staring into the dish that has grit - looking like he was thinking of eating some. So I got up and heated some peas and carrots - 6 carrots 12 peas - and put a little dish in the cage and went back to having my supper. Later - I looked in - still 6 carrots but there were only 5 peas! That was interesting. So this morning - taking advice that has been given on Pigeon Talk - I decided not to feed him til 11:30am. But I cleaned his cage liner and set in a dish of 20 peas. Usually if we are late feeding him he makes quite a fuss. Climbing the front of the cage and flapping madly. MY husband came to me to tell me the bird was being strangely calm. I went in and took a look -- only 7 peas left in the dish - no wonder he was calm. He had a belly full of peas. I fed him the rest of his food by hand and then decided that I could keep a dish of 10 peas in his cage for snacks. Right now there are only 3 peas in the dish. Now to figure out how to get him to eat seeds! There has been a seed dish in his cage all the time but all he does his stand in it and flap seeds everywhere. Maybe I'll try seed in with the peas. Thanks to you all - your advice has been very helpful and your love of pigeons is heartwarming.


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## sally&morgan

what a lovely pigeon, he will soon become your best friend, fair play for taking the little dude on. good luck


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## Msfreebird

Thats great news! Try putting some of their favorites in with the peas.......safflower seed and peanut hearts. Mine go crazy over these 2.


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## DeeDee's Mom

Aldo really is a lovely bird. He was certainly fortunate to have your brother (and your brother sounds as if HE certainly felt fortunate to have Aldo). I'm so glad you have been able to do this for your brother...it was a wonderful thing to do.


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## Jay3

That great! I told you a hungry pigeon is more likely to learn! LOL. Now for the seed. Let him continue with the peas for a while. They are easier to pick up than seed, as they are soft and squishy. One he gets good at that, he will move on to seed. If he were with me, I would leave him with his peas, and mix some medium sized seeds in with them. Like safflower, and maybe some milo, some dried lentils and split peas. These things would be easier to pick up and eat than either the tiny seeds or the really large ones. A bird his size can eat 50 or 60 peas in one sitting, so if you were to leave maybe 40, plus the seed, he may still be hungry after the peas, and start pecking around at the seeds. Pigeons like to peck at things, and they are curious. Let us know how it goes. This may take a while, but the transition to seed will happen in time. Just be patient with him. He is not so much spoiled, as he was just never taught. Not his fault.
Good job!


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## altgirl35

Yay!!! Progress!


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## nancybird

Welcome to PT.It is nice that you want to care for this pigeon.


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## altgirl35

How's aldo doing with his way overdo weaning?


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## otter

*No news to report - pigeon is stubborn*

Aldo eats green peas -- no corn, no carrots and NO SEEDS!! Stubborn little devil will allow seeds to be poured down his throat if I hold his beak open, but is not interested in pecking at seeds. I have tried holding various seeds in my hand and offering them -- no interest. The longer I hold the seeds the more insistent he gets. First gently pecking at my finger tips, them finally biting fiercely at my finger tips with a wide open beak. Today I did get him to try pecking at various sized seeds but as soon as he picked one up and tested it in his beak and felt they were not soft and squishy like peas he threw them away. At least 6 or 7 times, all different sized seeds. I will continue to try and convince him to eat seeds but ... as of now the first thing he gets at least an hour before feeding (2x a day) is a dish with about 30 peas and some seeds mixed in. He eats at least 15 or 20 peas and then waits for the meal. Later he may eat some more peas. Can't tell if he touches any seeds - doesn't look like it. Other than peas he doesn't have a favorite food. I will continue trying to hand feed seeds but if anyone has a better idea I will try it. Thanks to everyone for being interested.


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## altgirl35

Lol, birds r soo stubborn! 
Sounds like you will get there
I would try just putting a pinch of small seeds in with the peas
Mbe he will get some by accident and realize how awesome they are


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## nancybird

altgirl35 has a great idea .


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## altgirl35

Aldo doing any better feeding himself?


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## otter

*Fussy, fussy pigeon!!*

Thanks so much for thinking of us.No, he won't touch the seeds. He'll eat peas from my hand if they're freshly warmed, if they have gotten cold he picks them up and throws them away. He won't touch peas in his seed cup if they are also seeds in the cup! He won't take seeds from my hand -- and I have tried. If I keep at it too long he pecks my finger tips telling me to take the seed away. If that doesn't work he bites my fingers with a big wide open mouth. And if I still keep it up he turns around and gives me his tail! What a bird... He'll accept tiny cut up pieces of string beans - obviously he likes green food. any more thoughts? I tried honey coated seeds - no luck. Should I try something like raisins or banana? Or is fruit bad for pigeons?

Question- as someone very new to pet pigeon keeping - Am I supposed to trim his nails if I have the sandpaper cover on his perch? He's never had his nails trimmed and they don't look bad at all but they are not exactly short either.

Hope you're all having a good start to the New Year - best wishes from NYC.


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## altgirl35

Purina makes a pigeon pellet that's green mmmm I wonder if he would try them 
If you want to email me your address and Paypal like 5 bucks I can send a little bag of them to you to try
[email protected]


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## Quazar

LOL
They are proper little characters arent they 

This may be a silly question, but have you tried eating seeds with him ??

By that I dont mean literally, but try scattering some seeds on the floor of his cage then peck at them with your finger. Dont give him any peas at that point, but let him be inquisitive as to what youre doing. leave him for a few minutes then go peck at them again. Hopefullyhe will play with them a bit, then may start actually eating them.

As regards nails, normally they will not need trimmed, A brick or other rough surface for him to perch on will normally keep them ok.
Once you start trimming, they seem to grow faster & will need trimmed regularly.


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## Jay3

You could warm some defrosted corn with the peas. That would at least give him variety. He may like them. I think he just needs that companionship he always got from your brother at feeding time. What he's used to. I think he's a very cute little guy. If he gets hungry enough, I still think he will eat before he will let himself starve...............I think.


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## otter

*Already turned down corn ...*

I tried corn early on - about the same time as peas ... he has totally turned them down. As for seeds on floor of his cage -- he doesn't touch anything on the floor. Early on I bought an artificial grass dish and sprinkled seeds on it .. total disinterest on his part. He wants his little beak pried open and seeds poured in .. less work, more food. Spoiled bird.


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## altgirl35

He is, lol
Well just keep at it, sooner or later it will click


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## Siobhan

It's not necessarily true that every pigeon prefers a flat surface. Maggie prefers her perch, too. She sleeps on a large perch and refused to make use of the various flat things I offered her, and I tried a lot of different things. If Aldo likes the perch, don't worry about it.

I hand raised a starling who had to be fed by tossing food into her mouth and while she weaned herself and eats on her own now, the reason she did was because I wasn't very good at aiming and feeding her, and she got frustrated with my poor aim. I'd try to get the food in her mouth, but baby starlings are very bouncy and she finally started taking the food out of my other hand and eating it herself instead of waiting for me to be able to get pieces into her busy little beak.

Maybe you could try feeding him peas from your hand, one or two, and when he wants the next one, set it down and see if he'll eat it on his own. You might have to do this several meal times before he'll get frustrated enough to pick it up and eat it himself. You don't have to let him get hungry. Do it while you're feeding him anyway.


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## Msfreebird

Quazar said:


> LOL
> They are proper little characters arent they
> 
> This may be a silly question, but have you tried eating seeds with him ??
> 
> *By that I dont mean literally, but try scattering some seeds on the floor of his cage then peck at them with your finger. Dont give him any peas at that point, but let him be inquisitive as to what youre doing. leave him for a few minutes then go peck at them again. Hopefullyhe will play with them a bit, then may start actually eating them.*
> As regards nails, normally they will not need trimmed, A brick or other rough surface for him to perch on will normally keep them ok.
> Once you start trimming, they seem to grow faster & will need trimmed regularly.


LOL! I mentioned this earlier in the thread.......This is how I train my hand raised babies to eat. works everytime


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## otter

*Perch or cage floor - Aldo sleeps where he likes*

When Aldo first came to me he slept on the floor of his cage (dog carrier really, until I got him a cage). After he learned to perch (he had never done it before!) he learned to sleep on his perch. NOw he seems to be back sleeping on the floor of his cage.

As for hand feeding - he seems to have moods. He will eat peas from my hand if they are warmed (and he is in the mood). Yesterday I tried warmed corn again and after feeding him some he helped himself to what I offered in my hand and finished it all. Today only one kernel of corn and no peas. I am keeping seeds with the uneaten corn and peas in his feed cup -- but no interest on his part since he is filled up with pigeon seed poured down his beak. Refuses all seed hand offered to him.

My husband wants to know how many pigeons have their peas and corn warmed and hand served at exactly the right temperature.

Thanks for the thoughts.





Siobhan said:


> It's not necessarily true that every pigeon prefers a flat surface. Maggie prefers her perch, too. She sleeps on a large perch and refused to make use of the various flat things I offered her, and I tried a lot of different things. If Aldo likes the perch, don't worry about it.
> 
> I hand raised a starling who had to be fed by tossing food into her mouth and while she weaned herself and eats on her own now, the reason she did was because I wasn't very good at aiming and feeding her, and she got frustrated with my poor aim. I'd try to get the food in her mouth, but baby starlings are very bouncy and she finally started taking the food out of my other hand and eating it herself instead of waiting for me to be able to get pieces into her busy little beak.
> 
> Maybe you could try feeding him peas from your hand, one or two, and when he wants the next one, set it down and see if he'll eat it on his own. You might have to do this several meal times before he'll get frustrated enough to pick it up and eat it himself. You don't have to let him get hungry. Do it while you're feeding him anyway.


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## altgirl35

Um none as long as him!!
Btw, piji pellets on the way, prob get them on Tuesday


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## otter

*Still wants to be hand fed!*

Thank you for the pigeon pellets -- nice small size, but as of yet he is turning them down. I will keep on trying. He now eats corn kernels from my hand, preferring them to the peas but will eat peas. One of his main problems seems to be that when I put the corn and peas in his seed dish he doesn't realize that he needs to lift his head up in order to swallow them. I watched him peck and peck at the peas and corn today, but he dropped 9 out of 10. Only when he "accidentally" lifted his head a bit did he swallow the peas. When I hand feed him his head is at the right height. So he prefers to be hand fed, less work = more food. Many thanks for the pellets.


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## altgirl35

Hey 1 is better than none!!!
Sounds like you may need to start letting him get hungry 
How often are you hand feeding him again, I don't remember


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## spirit wings

the problem may not be the bird but the human...lol..  he just needs practice and to be hungry and not spoiled anylonger.


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## altgirl35

I was thinking dont feed him until the afternoon 
Let him get hungry all day 
Don't think he will let himself starve


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## altgirl35

But leave plenty of food for him


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## otter

*Hand feeding = human contact. How old is your pigeon?*

I think I understand one reason why Aldo is holding out for hand feeding. For one - for the entire first 6 years of his life he was totally hand fed and even given water by eye dropper. Also he had close human contact 24/7, Now his life has totally changed and he has adapted pretty well to life in a cage. But the only real close human contact he gets is when he is fed twice a day and once a week when I give him a bath. We go to his cage and talk to him frequently during the day, even the dog goes over to take a close look at least twice a day -- but when it comes to being held and petted and being the center of attention, that's feeding time. I am thrilled that he eats the peas and corn from my hand (when he is hungry) and even pecks at the peas and corn in the seed dish (no seed in the dish please) but only if he is very hungry, but even then it is the hand feeding he waits for. In fact he hangs out in the front corner of his cage on a crunchy "perch" to let us know he is ready to be fed, even if he has to wait an hour or two. So, considering his upbringing I think he is doing well and if we have to hand feed him (it only takes 5 or ten minutes, including clean up) then that's ok. He needs the attention. And although letting him fly around the house sounds like a nice idea, we have way too many breakables on shelves (we have 9 1/2 foot high ceilings) and too many places he could decide to land and stay, to even be considered. So I pet him and talk to him while he is fed and when he goes back to his cage he has toys that seem to fascinate him for hours. A shiny metal bell hanging from a little mirror is currently his favorite. SO.... I appreciate everyone's help, concern and suggestions. I won't stop trying to teach him more about self-feeding, but if this is it, we can live with it. My only distress is that I read somewhere that pigeons can live to be 25 years old !!! Is that true? -- we're getting on in years (I'm 72 and my husband is 79) the pigeon may outlive us. I hate to think of having to provide for the pigeon's care in our wills. Anybody have a really old pigeon?


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## spirit wings

I would prepair and have something to rely on in the event something would happen to you, you really never know how long the pigeon will live. It is a shame he has been handicapped this way and never taught to do the basic things that sustains life....


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## altgirl35

Listen if everything works out here with the house I would take him in a minute! 
He sounds soooo lovable


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## otter

*Thanks -but not yet I hope*

Thanks - it's really good to know you're there if we need to find Aldo a home. Right now my husband and I are in (knock wood) tip top shape and should have a few more good years to go. We live in a 3rd floor walk up and have no trouble with the stairs. We also have a 70 lb Standard Poodle who is 8 years old but thinks he's 2. And he can be a handful but we can still handle him. So, so far so good. I was just wondering how long anyone has owned a pigeon.


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## altgirl35

I had a pigeon named Mamacita she almost 14, she lives with my friend sheena


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## SheenaNIN

Yup. Mamacita is a snuggle bug who recently got a "friend"... not really a friend though cause she dislikes all other animals other than us humans. =p Hope Aldo does better. Spoiled lil guy!


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## Msfreebird

I know they say they can live to be 25, but the oldest I think I've heard of was 18.
I still have a rescued squirrel that I took in 14 years ago. She was an adult when brought into the hospital, hit by a car, she is blind in one eye with the side of her head caved in. I raised a Robin from 1 day old, and he lived to be 14.
So you never really know. Animals in captivity live longer.


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## otter

*Looking for more things to feed Aldo*



Msfreebird said:


> Thats great news! Try putting some of their favorites in with the peas.......safflower seed and peanut hearts. Mine go crazy over these 2.


So far he won't eat seeds --I have to open his beak and pour in seeds a pinch at a time. He will eat nicely warmed corn and peas from my hand (and I also put them in his cup in the cage first thing in the morning and I have seen him eating them from the cup, but not if there are seeds in with them.) I'm wondering what else might tempt him. What are peanut hearts? I haven't seen anything called that anywhere. Anybody else have any non-seed suggestions?


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## spirit wings

otter said:


> So far he won't eat seeds --I have to open his beak and pour in seeds a pinch at a time. He will eat nicely warmed corn and peas from my hand (and I also put them in his cup in the cage first thing in the morning and I have seen him eating them from the cup, but not if there are seeds in with them.) I'm wondering what else might tempt him. What are peanut hearts? I haven't seen anything called that anywhere. Anybody else have any non-seed suggestions?


Hunger would temp him.


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## Jay3

As long as you feed him warmed peas and corn, and you don't let him get hungry, he isn't going to change. Being hand fed is what he is used to. But if hungry enough, he would learn.


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## otter

*He is learning*

For all of you who suggest just letting him get hungry or thinking he is just spoiled -- just remember he is doing what he was taught to do his whole life (6-7 years.) His previous owner made no attempt to wean him. I have only had him 6 months and have only been changing his feeding for the last few months. He was previously fed 3 times a day by hand all of his food. I have changed him to 2 times and feed him only part of his food -- he has learned for the first time in his life to eat (yes peas and corn) by himself. I don't think causing him stress by not feeding is a good idea. He has already had to adjust from living a totally non-caged life to living all the time in a cage and only coming out twice a day for his feeding. Considering it all he has adapted well. I will continue working with him and we'll see how it goes. Thanks to all who suggesting being patient and working with him over time.


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## spirit wings

otter said:


> For all of you who suggest just letting him get hungry or thinking he is just spoiled -- just remember he is doing what he was taught to do his whole life (6-7 years.) His previous owner made no attempt to wean him. I have only had him 6 months and have only been changing his feeding for the last few months. He was previously fed 3 times a day by hand all of his food. I have changed him to 2 times and feed him only part of his food -- he has learned for the first time in his life to eat (yes peas and corn) by himself. I don't think causing him stress by not feeding is a good idea. He has already had to adjust from living a totally non-caged life to living all the time in a cage and only coming out twice a day for his feeding. Considering it all he has adapted well. I will continue working with him and we'll see how it goes. Thanks to all who suggesting being patient and working with him over time.


It seems you only want the advice you want to hear, so Im not sure why you are asking because you are going to treat him with kitt gloves anyway. Iam not suggesting let him starve, The point that needs to be sunk in and relized he needs to get hungry for motivation. he has been seen eating out of a dish...he is cured! a good example of dealing with the picky eating is for an example is my loft of pigeons..yes same species of bird you have there. they are fed pellet feed mixed with grain feed. they eat the grains out of the feeders first, then when I leave the pellet that is left behind long enough they eat it all ..because they are hungry enough to do so. if I kept giving the the grains they would not eat the pellets which they need for calcium and extra vitamins. so you see, you're pigeon can do the same thing, he should be eating like a normal pigeon after a few months time.


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## altgirl35

How's are little buddy?


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## otter

*Good little bird*

I'm actually pretty pleased with Aldo. Considering he has a bird's lifetime of "bad habits" to overcome, he's dealing very well. Not eating seed from a dish yet, but I believe that will come, since he eats "breakfast" of peas and corn from his dish. He really wants human attention, as he was brought up with total all day attention from his owner (my brother.) He considers his cage his territory now, but behaves very well when I take him out to feed him his "meals." He gets easier and easier to take care of and my husband claims his cooing sounds exactly like "glad to see ya', glad to see ya'", and he does seem to want attention. I'm looking for other "treats" to tempt hm with besides corn & peas. Any suggestions?


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## altgirl35

Could try some pellets, lumpy likes the green ones and Mamacita likes the gold ones
Could try chopping up greens, or chopped peanuts or shelled sunflower seeds unsalted of course


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## altgirl35

Any more progress?


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## otter

*Progress? Yes and No.*

For a while there I had him eating green peas from my hand and trying to eat seed from my hand. Trying meaning that he would pick up a seed and rattle it around in his beak and then throw it out. He would do this over and over while I encouraged him, but never actually swallowing a seed. Then suddenly he decided that he would not eat anything from my hand. But after I feed him by putting the seed down his beak, I put him back in his cage and give him a dish of slightly warmed peas. His routine now is that after the seed he goes to the dish and eats peas. Not a whole lot of peas, but he stays there eating for a couple of minutes. It's sort of like green peas are desert after dinner. And in the morning he eats a few peas while he's waiting for the noontime when I feed him seed. He always has a dish of seed and pellets in his cage, so I'm hoping one day he will decide to start eating the seed by himself the way he does peas. But the 2 times a day I take him out to feed him are the only times he gets to be out and gets to be petted and he has shown that he really would like to climb up on my shoulder the way he did with my brother. But I can't do that. So there we are -- peas yes, seed no -- so far. Thanks for thinking of us. Aldo sends his best wishes,


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## Jay3

It's sad that he doesn't get out for exercise. He is used to having a friend in your brother. It bothers you for him to just sit on your shoulder?


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## altgirl35

Right? Why not give him some lovins?
He's probably lonely and needs some affection


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## otter

*Pigeon might be sick??*

Aldo is dropping much more urine than usual- whole puddles of it. And he has been doing this for several days. Don't know what I am doing wrong , if anything. Anybody have any thoughts?


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## Jay3

Have you checked his throat for canker? Although canker does not always show in the throat. Or have you ever treated for cocci?


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## otter

*I have never treated for anything ...*

This is my first (and surely my only ever pigeon) ... his throat looks nice and pink - same as always. Have no idea of what to look for or how to treat any pigeon diseases. I am assuming I may have caused the problem by giving a bit too much grit/oyster shell. This is the bird that never learned to feed himself so I have to hand feed him (open his beak and drop in seed and a tiny bit of grit) twice a day (only once a day with the grit). I have been giving him bird vitamins in the water I drop in his beak (I have stopped the grit and the vitamins for a couple of days now to some slight improvement.) I am continuing the Acidophilus+ drops I put in his water dish in the cage. Do pigeons catch cold? It's gotten a bit cooler at night - low 60's? Best guess is he's 8 years old. He looks ok, perhaps a little quiet but not miserable or anything. Hoping he'll recover, but he might be getting ready to molt. Been dropping small fluffy feathers for a while now, with an occasional larger feather. I'm still an amateur pigeon keeper. Thanks for keeping an eye on my posts.


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## Jay3

I would insist that he learn to eat. I do remember your story about him. But I do believe with persistance you could get him to feed himself. I would not hand feed him oyster shell or grit. He doesn't need much, and should be taking jus what he needs when he needs it. You are probably giving too much of that. It stays in his gizzard for a while, and he doesn't require it being given to him every day. That would make him drink more, and his droppings would be wet. Just leave it out for him to pick or not.


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## otter

*.The pigeon who doesn't peck*

I have tried teaching him to feed himself -- to eat grit -- there is always a dish of seed in his cage but he NEVER pecks at it no matter how long I wait to feed him. I have been feeding him at 7pm and then not feeding again until 2pm the next day and still he doesn't peck at seed or grit. He just sits on his front perch and waits. If he waits too long he starts to go a little crazy flying and climbing the cage walls, a little like an old James Cagney jail film where the inmate are having a rebellion. This bird doesn't peck at anything. He has never been with or even seen other pigeons so he has no idea what he is to do. He is so sure that his owner will care for him that he just waits and waits. It's sad to see him waiting. I have once again added a dish of grit/oyster shells to his cage but the most he does with either his seed dish or any other dish, is to use it as a perch and sit on it, poop in it or totally tip it over or just throw the contents all over the room despite the seed catcher around the cage. At one point he would peck at seeds in my hand but he now refuses to do that -- peck, mind you, not actually eat any. So I finally went back to hand feeding him. I will not hand feed any more grit for a while and see how he does - thanks for the tip.


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## Jay3

He would drive me crazy. You are a very patient person.
What if you just give a very small amount of grit a couple of times a week. Not much. Try that. It does stay in his system for a while. Please let us know how the brat does with that. LOL. That is really something.


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## otter

*good advice ...*

Thanks, that's what I'm trying now. It also seems like he's at the beginning of his Fall molt. Lots of little feathers being dropped. And he's seeming perky enough to be territorial about his cage. So we'll see.


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## Jay3

Sounds like a little character. Cute. Let us know if cutting back on the grit helps.


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## Dima

What kind of grit you give?
The one that is almost powder from oyster shells with little black dots ( charcoal) gives to some of my pigeons watery poop too. The best is to give the red minerals. 

Is he eating regular seeds or still defrosted peas?


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## Jay3

Dima said:


> What kind of grit you give?
> The one that is almost powder from oyster shells with little black dots ( charcoal) gives to some of my pigeons watery poop too. The best is to give the red minerals.
> 
> Is he eating regular seeds or still defrosted peas?


If it's almost powder than it isn't grit. Maybe added to grit............


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## otter

*What kind of grit ---*

First of all, he stopped eating peas months ago -- why I don't know. But it was part of his decision to not feed himself at all, because he used to eat peas from my hand as well as eating them from a dish in his cage. He seemed to like them. I had been hand feeding him a tiny pinch of grit once a day - a mix of oyster shell and regular grit -- but not much at all. So this is the third day without grit but he has a dish of the mixed grit in the cage - not that I expect him to help himself. He is definitely starting to molt - tiny feathers, medium and even the largest feathers are beginning to drop. Should I be feeding him anything special during molting? Maybe I should try putting some peas out for him?.....well, I just took a short break and made some peas for him and put the dish in his cage. He immediately ate 2 while I was watching and then I walked away so as not to distract him! So... I guess we'll wait and see how it goes in another day or so. Thanks to all.


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## kunju

Perhaps it would be a good idea to bring him a mate, so he can observe the other pigeon and learn to eat?
Just had a thought - is his beak fine? If he hasn't used it much, it could have become hooked. Recently, I took my post-PMV pigeon (who is hand-fed) to our vet, and he had to trim the beak. He told me that the upper beak has overgrown due to non-use. 
If it is a hooked beak, he might not be able to hold the small seeds with it.


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## otter

*One pigeon is probably as much as I can handle ...*

One pigeon is probably as much as I can handle ... keeping in mind this is indoors in a Manhattan apartment. Nice thought to get him a mate but he'll have to remain single. When I first got him I noticed his beak was too long and sharp, so from time to time I file his beak with an emery board nail file, but I haven't had to do it for a while since he keeps pecking at the bells hanging from the bird toys in his cage. And that seems to keep his beak trim. Meanwhile, since he ate his peas and then I hand fed him his seeds he seems perky -- feathers still dropping. Watery urine may be a bit less. Will wait and see how he does. But going right at the peas was a real surprise since he had turned them down consistently until I gave up on giving him any. He ate most of them (throwing a few around of course) it wasn't a large amount of peas but he stayed there and went at it. I was very pleased. His problem with seeds doesn't seem to be picking them up so much as then getting them back into his throat. The squishy peas seem to go right down with no problem and that may be what he expects with the seeds except they don't behave that way.


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## Jay3

You could try some frozen corn, defrosted and warmed, along with the peas, for variety.
Good that he ate them. Maybe the seeds are too small that you give him. What seeds are you feeding him? They normally like some safflower, and lentils, and maybe some split peas.


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## otter

*seeds ...*

In the past I tried corn but he didn't seem to really care for it, but I could try again. Tonight, about 5pm, he started looking around the area where the dish with the peas had been, so I took the hint and made up a small batch of peas. I showed it to him and put them down. He practically dived at them. Didn't leave until they were all gone. As for the seeds, I use Vita Dove & Pigeon formula. It has everything from split peas on down to millet, includes oat groats, corn, canary grass seed, safflower seed, dehulled soybean meal, and seemingly lots and lots of other stuff. None of which is he willing to feed himself, since I always keep some in his seed cup. But he seems to be improving -- will let all you "guys" know how he progresses. Thanks.


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## Jay3

Dove seed usually has a lot of the smaller seed like millet. Try adding more safflower and lentils and split peas.


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