# Some questions on pigeon owning!



## cirice (Apr 24, 2016)

Hi all! I'm just about ready to look to adopt a pigeon. However, I have some questions. I'm not the most "bird savvy" person, I like them but don't know much about them. I owned a couple budgies and cockateils when I was younger, but that's about it.

So, I bought two cages for the pigeon(s) I would like to adopt. They're both 4 squared feet. Two feet high, two deep, two wide. Would one be enough room for one pigeon? The only way I could make it bigger is by stacking one on the other (which I can do because in my spare time I do a bit of metal working) but I read that pigeons like wide cages, so would a tall one be bad? Should I stack them to have one 4ft x 2ft x 2ft cage, or just leave it?

Also, do I need two pigeons, or can I just own one? I do school and work from home, in my bedroom, and I'm in my room most of the time. There's about an hour or two each day I'm not in my room, so the pigeon would be allowed to free-roam (after I pigeon-proof my room) for quite a few hours each day.

Do pigeons need toys, like other birds? Nobody else I've really seen has toys in their cages, like mirrors, ropes, etc. apart from chew toys. I'd love to deck the cage out with hammocks and ladders and rope toys and such, but I don't know if that would be stimulating for a bird like a pigeon.

What types of things are pigeon safe? As far as cloth, wood, etc. goes? I'm asking because I also have rats and I know that some types of wood are fine, but others can be fatal. 

Is there anything else I need to know about pigeons?

Thanks in advance!


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## wiggles and puddles (Sep 3, 2015)

I have a large parrot cage, but the one cage you have would be fine, though I would double it if you have two pigeons, which would be best, as a mated pair is generally happier. My two like toys, but it was a trial and error sort of thing to find out what ones they liked. Puddles likes bells while Wiggles likes multicolored multi textured toys. No strings or rope toys, if they unravel it, and they do like to try, it could really make them sick. I know some pigeons like mirrors, so it could be one to try out and see if they like it. You just have to keep trying and see what they go for. They need a special diet, made for pigeons and doves. I feed F.M. Brown's Bird Lover's Blend Dove Food, but you can choose any seed that is made for doves and pigeons. They need grit, and if they are inside, they will need calcium and vitamin D3 supplements. Females will lay eggs even without a male, but if you get a mated pair, you will need to get fake eggs, (I got mine from Amazon) and swap the real eggs with the fake ones to prevent babies. In time they will realize those eggs are not going to hatch, so you take them out and she will lay new eggs. (I can count on Puddles laying hers between the 1st and 3rd of every month) and you start that process over again. They need lots of around the house time. They bond strongly with people, are very intelligent and very loving.* NEVER let them around your rats*. Rats kill pigeons. You will need a nice nesting bowl for them. I don't think they will like a hammock or things like that. My two don't like to much clutter, so they only have a few toys that I know they like. A tip I learned that my two really like, and makes my life easier for cleaning, I use puppy potty pads on the bottom of their cage. They didn't like the feel of the bars so I put that down, and I change the pad a few times a day, while spot cleaning. I also ended up using that as padding for a nesting bowl. I tried a bunch of different things for them, and I ended up getting them a shatter proof china soup bowl that I lined with the pads, and then change out the padding, and spot clean. They ended up liking that. (Mine are really fussy, lol). It is not unusual for them to get aggressive, even bite your hand, once they claim their cage as their territory, especially if they are sitting on eggs. Wiggles is the most loving bird ever, but he will bite if you have your hand in his cage when there are eggs in the nest. The second he is out of the cage, and away from his territory, regardless if there are eggs back in the nest, he is back to sitting on my head and wanting to preen my hair. Not all pigeons get nest aggressive or territorial, but some do. For me, it is for a limited time, and it is only when I have my hand in his 'house' and when there are eggs. Pigeons usually like lettuce as treats, and on rare occasions, chopped unsalted peanuts. Remember that if you have them indoors and they are tame, you can't release them, they would not survive. There are suits, or diapers, whatever you want to call them, that I love, because they keep the house clean. They are made for all kinds of different birds, parrots, finches, ect, but the one I ordered from makes sizes specifically for pigeons and doves, in addition to the others. Neat freak that I am, finds this to be a life saver. I got mine on _avianfashions.com_ but I am sure there are others closer to you, and if not you can always order them off the internet. If you are adopting them, or purchasing them from a breeder, I would recommend that you give them a good spray down with a bird lice/ mite spray just to be on the safe side. Healthy pigeons in captivity have been known to live up to 20 years. Even though they will be inside they should still like to have a bath (usually, Wiggles' loves it - Puddles not so much) it is good for their skin and feathers. A large shallow bowl with some water in it, and usually they will bathe on their own. Sometimes if they are not so keen on the whole bath idea you can spray them a bit with a leave in bird bath spray. Hope this helps. Enjoy your soon to be new pets!


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## Hatoful (Apr 12, 2016)

wiggles and puddles said:


> A tip I learned that my two really like, and makes my life easier for cleaning, I use puppy potty pads on the bottom of their cage.


That's pretty smart!


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

*Also, read the "sticky" thread in the same forum on pet pigeon care, if you haven't.

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/f24/*


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## cirice (Apr 24, 2016)

Thanks for the help! Also, yeah, I read that rats attack pigeons. 

I'm planning on making some pigeon pants. And yeah, I realise that you can't release tame pets. 

Thanks!


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## RamseyRingnecks (Jun 18, 2013)

cirice said:


> Hi all! I'm just about ready to look to adopt a pigeon. However, I have some questions. I'm not the most "bird savvy" person, I like them but don't know much about them. I owned a couple budgies and cockateils when I was younger, but that's about it.
> 
> So, I bought two cages for the pigeon(s) I would like to adopt. They're both 4 squared feet. Two feet high, two deep, two wide. Would one be enough room for one pigeon? The only way I could make it bigger is by stacking one on the other (which I can do because in my spare time I do a bit of metal working) but I read that pigeons like wide cages, so would a tall one be bad? Should I stack them to have one 4ft x 2ft x 2ft cage, or just leave it?
> 
> ...


2x2x2 foot enclosures are barely big enough to comfortably house a single pigeon. It would basically be the equivalent of keeping a dog in a 6x6x6 kennel. Room to move around, and great to sleep in, but it'll onlt work with lots of out time.

Attaching the second cage on top does exactly 0 good. Pigeons cannot fly straight up from the ground, and 2 feet is not enough space to do anything that even resembles flying.

4 feet of floor space would be worlds more beneficial than 4 feet of height, with all the other measures being 2 feet. Columbidae spend a lot more time on the ground than in the air and they do not perch upright like parrots. They perch, depending on the breed, anywhere between horizontally and half upright at rest, with an average stance describing a 45 degree angle between crown and tail tip.

Hammocks, ladders, and rope toys are wasted on a pigeon. They cannot climb, do not chew, and will not stand on anything that gives under their feet. Pigeons like solid, flat perches, and would be terrified when a hammock gave under their weight.

Pigeon play centers entirely around nesting, though some like jingle bells and will play with wicker ball cat toys. Some will also fight with a brightly colored ball or plush toy. 
Any stick shaped thing small enough to lift will be carried around and fiddled with. 
What ever wood your rats can be around will be safe for your pigeon. 

Males will need a sex toy to vent frustration out on, or that aggression will have no viable target but you.

Pigeons are one of very few animals intelligent enough to recognize their own reflection, and most like to admire their own displays, so mirrors are a great addition to a pigeon's enclosure.

A pigeon will not talk back or solve puzzles, but they are every bit as intelligent as a parrot, being compared mentally to a healthy human 5 year old.
Their pattern recognition and abstract thought have been the topic of study for years. They have been taught to read the english alphabet in three different studies, BF Skinner discovered that they think abstractly enough to develop superstitious ritual, and the brain of elderly homers deteriorates so similarly to an elderly human that they are an integral part of Alzheimers studies.

Imagine the task of training a willful 5 year old human to obey your house rules. Loop holes, feigned ignorance, genuine misunderstandings, forgetfulness and all.
Now imagine that child has wings and knows exactly how much faster and more maneuverable it is than you.
That will give you the basic idea of what it takes to train a pigeon.

It sounds like a pain and it is, but if you are consistent with what it is and is not allowed to do and where it can and cannot go, the pigeon will learn to follow your house rules reliably.


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## cirice (Apr 24, 2016)

RamseyRingnecks said:


> 2x2x2 foot enclosures are barely big enough to comfortably house a single pigeon. It would basically be the equivalent of keeping a dog in a 6x6x6 kennel. Room to move around, and great to sleep in, but it'll onlt work with lots of out time.
> 
> Attaching the second cage on top does exactly 0 good. Pigeons cannot fly straight up from the ground, and 2 feet is not enough space to do anything that even resembles flying.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the input. As I'm home basically every day, the pigeon will be outside (in my room able to fly and walk around) around 12 hours a day, with the cage still open if it wants to return. 

I ended up stacking them on top of each other, but the second cage has a large platform, whilst both cages have multiple flat perches so the pigeon will be able to reach it. 

I also have a mirror (about 6x6 inches) , a "sex toy" of sorts (I'm planning on a male because I don't want to deal with egg binding) and I have an unused dog bowl down the bottom (about 6" diameter and 2 inches high) for a bath. I also have a water dish, that's just a crockery type pot that's too heavy to tip. 

I have one nest down the bottom, and a nesting box up the top, with flat wooden perches leading to each. 

Is this sufficient, considering the pigeon will be in my room most of the time anyway?


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Usually single pigeons don't use nests. They like to perch somewhere. The nest is for when they are paired and have eggs or babies. So flat perches are best. Can you post a pic of the set up?


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## cirice (Apr 24, 2016)

Jay3 said:


> Usually single pigeons don't use nests. They like to perch somewhere. The nest is for when they are paired and have eggs or babies. So flat perches are best. Can you post a pic of the set up?


Unfortunately I can't as I'm on mobile and not really sure how. I have a couple flat perches, and a couple that are in an upside down V shape, most near the top of the cage but one down near the bottom and one in the middle.


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## RamseyRingnecks (Jun 18, 2013)

cirice said:


> Thanks for the input. As I'm home basically every day, the pigeon will be outside (in my room able to fly and walk around) around 12 hours a day, with the cage still open if it wants to return.
> 
> I ended up stacking them on top of each other, but the second cage has a large platform, whilst both cages have multiple flat perches so the pigeon will be able to reach it.
> 
> ...


Sounds like you have a great double decker kennel set up for your lucky little man, considering the amount of time he's going to be spending out in free flight.

Good luck!


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