# Looking to add a new family member but unsure...



## Plumage (May 11, 2016)

Hello! I'm looking to add a new feathery-friend to my small family, but I'm unsure if my lifestyle would be fit for a little pigeon. I am interested in a male fantail dove, and I have a ton of questions. I want to make absolutely sure a fantail is right for me, and I am right for a fantail. I do understand how long they live and can live.

With that being said, I am 26 years old with a rented house (Don't worry, I'm the type that works with my pets. If a place doesn't allow pets, then it's off to find another available place) But I do plan on staying in this home for quite some time. He would be an inside pet. It's a two-bedroom one-bath home, half wood floors and half carpet. I live with my significant other and a cat (who is a sweetheart, but I'm unsure of interactions between the two. I'm sure kitty would warm up to the feathered fluff eventually. He used to take my stuffed animals and put them face-down in his food dish, like he was letting them eat...)

That's one issue.. Another is my work schedule. I work 40 hours a week, mostly 1-9 except for two days in which I work 8-4. My other works 7-whatever time he gets out, normally around 4. I plan on letting the pigeon roam the home while I'm home as well. Would this be acceptable? 

My other half is also a little skeptical of me getting a pigeon/dove. He thinks I should get a finch or a cockatiel, but I'm looking for a buddy that I can hold and pet and be close too. And hooked beaks make me nervous. I would get a chicken, but I've heard pigeons are much more loyal and caring.

Some of his concerns are how loud the pigeon may be. I'm also a little worried as well... I've heard that pigeons pick mates, and can become quite loud when not in the same room as their chosen. Is there any way to mitigate that, without adding another bird to the scenario?

As for a cage, I was planning on getting 2 large dog kennels eventually, and modifying them to fit together with shelves to perch on, and a basket to rest in. What else should be included aside from the food, water and occasional bath? I've heard you could keep litter in the bottom, but that worries me, as I am bothered myself by the dust cat littler makes, and I feel that would be extremely horrible on the bird's lungs! What should I put at the bottom? I was thinking maybe a patch of live sod in the corner...

Anyway... If I've missed anything, please ask. I really would like to bring in a new friend, and convince my other that pigeons aren't that bad.

Thank you!


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## cwebster (Dec 11, 2010)

Having had pigeons and parakeets and canaries, would have to vote for pigeons as the best pets. They have a lot more personality. Would get a large flight cage though and not let them loose in your house. Safety indoors is important...no loose objects to be swallowed and no fans. Plus pigeon dust makes some people allergic, I found out the hard way. You can use newspapers as the cage liner. The more time you spend with the pigeon, the happier he or she will be. They prefer having a mate so if you up have one bird you will be their mate. Suggest you look for a nonreleasable rescued pigeon. Our beloved Phoebe was a special needs rescue feral and as far as we were concerned she was family. We spent hours with her. She loved sitting on our shoulders while we used a desktop. She just loved music and cartoons. If you have a pigeon outdoors it is crucial to protect them from hawks and other predators. Welcome to,the world of pigeons!


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## Plumage (May 11, 2016)

cwebster said:


> Having had pigeons and parakeets and canaries, would have to vote for pigeons as the best pets. They have a lot more personality. Would get a large flight cage though and not let them loose in your house. Safety indoors is important...no loose objects to be swallowed and no fans. Plus pigeon dust makes some people allergic, I found out the hard way. You can use newspapers as the cage liner. The more time you spend with the pigeon, the happier he or she will be. They prefer having a mate so if you up have one bird you will be their mate. Suggest you look for a nonreleasable rescued pigeon. Our beloved Phoebe was a special needs rescue feral and as far as we were concerned she was family. We spent hours with her. She loved sitting on our shoulders while we used a desktop. She just loved music and cartoons. If you have a pigeon outdoors it is crucial to protect them from hawks and other predators. Welcome to,the world of pigeons!


Thank you for the kind words!

I plan on keeping him inside. Luckily, our home doesn't have any ceiling fans. I plan on keeping an eye on him as he stretches his legs outside of the cage. We occasionally have a screw on the floor from computer building, but I can pay more attention to that... Also possibly the cat food would be a hazard I would need to watch out for. I can only hope that the pidge that I bring in would enjoy watching cartoons and such with me! That's super adorable.


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

*Cats and pigeons do not mix, cats are one of their predators. You think the cat may get used to the pigeon but they have a very strong instinct to go after birds. So, if you decide to get a pigeon please don't ever leave them alone together, keep cat away from pigeon, in separate rooms. You can place the pigeon in a cage when you are gone, but still keep cat separate, they go to great lengths to get to the birds. Cat saliva and claws are lethal to birds.*


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## Plumage (May 11, 2016)

Skyeking said:


> Cats and pigeons do not mix, cats are one of their predators. You think the cat may get used to the pigeon but they have a very strong instinct to go after birds. So, if you decide to get a pigeon please don't ever leave them alone together, keep cat away from pigeon, in separate rooms. You can place the pigeon in a cage when you are gone, but still keep cat separate, they go to great lengths to get to the birds. Cat saliva and claws are lethal to birds.


Eeeek, I didn't know that about saliva :c I'll keep that in mind and also make sure no cat paws can get into the cage. I would never leave the bird alone with my cat. While I trust him to an extent, with my worrisome attitude, I think I would go into a panic if I had to leave the two together out of their cage unattended. 

Thank you for the info!


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## cwebster (Dec 11, 2010)

Strongly agree about protecting the birds from cats. We never let our cats and birds out together when we had them in the house.


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## pigeonflier (May 4, 2014)

I have had my cats and pigeons together for as long as I have had both. Never has there been even a hint of problems between the 2. And over the years I have had 8 different cats and none have ever killed a pigeon. One time I had a female cat share a nest box with the pigeon. Kittens in one corner of the box and squabs in the other of a 18" box. My cats keep all other strays out of my yard so they can be considered watch cats. So in short all that are telling you to keep cats away have clearly never had cats mixed with pigeons cause when they live together they are neighbors.


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## wiggles and puddles (Sep 3, 2015)

I have two pet pigeons that are "house birds" and I also have house cats. I let my guys come out for daily play time around the house, but I always lock up the cats in my bedroom first, better not to take a chance with trouble. I rescued my two as babies, and are now a mated pair. I would recommend getting a male and female, as generally they are happier, and less noisy if you have mates, but females are less noisy then males in a single bird situation. You would need to dedicate more love and attention to her, as she will bond to you strongly since she has no mate, if there is no fear of humans. Pigeons are very loving if you can get them young, or if they grow to trust you. Wiggles and Puddles love to sit on my head, preen my hair, get belly rubs, and will run to me like little road runners, since they don't care to fly all that much. Pigeons really are very affectionate. You would need to let them have play time for a few hours every day. I have a large parrot cage, but your idea could work. I use puppy potty pads as a liner. I change them out daily, and spot clean between replacements. If you get a female, they will lay eggs (even if they are alone) so you will need to have a nesting bowl, and remember dove seed, calcium supplement, vitamin D3 supplement and grit. I love these stupid bird diapers that I got at avianfashions.com that I put on my two when they come out for play time, it keeps my carpet nice and white- you might see if you like them since you would also have house birds. They have sizes made for pigeons and doves.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

pigeonflier said:


> I have had my cats and pigeons together for as long as I have had both. Never has there been even a hint of problems between the 2. And over the years I have had 8 different cats and none have ever killed a pigeon. One time I had a female cat share a nest box with the pigeon. Kittens in one corner of the box and squabs in the other of a 18" box. My cats keep all other strays out of my yard so they can be considered watch cats. *So in short all that are telling you to keep cats away have clearly never had cats mixed with pigeons cause when they live together they are neighbors.*



That seems like a very dangerous statement to me. Sky is right, in that all it takes is the cat saliva or claw going into a bird in play, to infect the bird and it can easily die. You cannot read the mind of an animal, even if some like to think that they can. It is a cats natural instinct to want to chase a bird, and grab onto it. That can be all it takes to infect a pigeon. Few people's cats are so comatose, as to sit there and not want to play or grab a feathery little thing that runs by, or to not reach into a cage and grab a fluttering bird who is exercising his wings and flapping. For someone to not see the danger of letting birds mix with most cats is faulty thinking. Many have come on here who have believed that way, until their cat jumps on the bird and bites or claws or kills him. I'm not saying that some cats will not bother with anything, or that people cannot have both, and if very careful, make it work. But I wouldn't. The cat would have to be locked up when the bird is out, and the birds cage would have to be kept in a room where the cat can be kept out of. Not all that easy really. I would rather have pets that are more compatible. I did have a handicapped bird in the house for several years, and a dog that was very trustworthy. I would however never leave them alone together. That is only going against nature, and tempting disaster. 
It only takes a second for the cat to grab a bird, and then it is often too late. He doesn't have to kill it, the infection will.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

I should have added that pigeons are much happier with other pigeons, or at least a mate. Also nature. They live to pair up and nest together. When someone keeps a rescue who can't, for some reason, be with other birds, than that is one thing. But to take a perfectly healthy pigeon who deserves to have a mate for company, rather than the company of a human for a couple of hours a day or whatever, doesn't really seem fair to the bird. It would be in solitaire for the rest of the time. And they are very intelligent birds. They need more than that. And, you need to remember that they all have different personalities, and some may be affectionate, but others are not. And even if a female, they can be too over the top with their affection to where they will not leave you alone. They can be constant about needing to be with you, on you, and call constantly for you if you are not there. They will eventually lay eggs, which they will not want to leave to come out and play with you. You will feel bad watching her sitting on eggs for 3 weeks, and barely getting off the nest, for eggs that will never hatch. Remember that she will not have a mate to share nesting responsibilities. In nature, he will usually sit them for the afternoon or there abouts, and she will sit them during the night and morning. But if alone, she will have to maintain them by herself. All of a sudden, she isn't so much fun. When they don't hatch, she will then have more and start the whole thing over again. So if you are looking for a buddy to be with you when you want, good luck. They are also messy in the house, as they like to throw seed when they eat, and they molt and replace all their feathers, so feathers fly all over. It is a lot more cleaning for you, and can be dusty in the house. Not saying that they can't be nice to have, but in the right circumstances. And you really need to look at everything in order to make a decision.


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## cwebster (Dec 11, 2010)

If you are going to have your bird...or any bird...in the house would recommend getting an air cleaner if cat litter dust bothers you because pigeons put off white powder too. We had to move ours to an outdoor shed because I have a hypersensitivity to that. Using a hepa vac will help though indoors. We had one girl bird at first, Phoebe, and spent a couple of hours per day with her out of the cage. She was wonderful. Yes they scatter seed. Yes they are happier with a friend. But they still are a fantastic pet. The females do sit on eggs. Phoebe had a special hormone implant so she didn't lay eggs. We had to get that because she was a rescue who had reproductive problems. You may want to consider a male if you dont want to deal with broody pigeon behavior. Or get two,pigeons and just swap fake eggs for real eggs.


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## Plumage (May 11, 2016)

Thank you everyone for your advise and input. I'm going to wait a little until I'm sure I can support two pigeons just in case, although I think I would like to start off with just one. And it's like you said, CW, I would prefer a male instead. I would feel really guilty doing the whole egg switch thing, and broody pigeon behavior is probably inevitable whether I get a male or female, but it sounds moreso with females...

I wish I could foster one, but it only seems like in the area I'm in, people only have rescue shelters for Parrots and the like. If anyone knows of any that are in the Central Florida-Northwest Florida area, please let me know, so I can keep that in mind. c:


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Males aren't broody. They don't have eggs, so nothing to be sitting on all day and not wanting to leave the nest.But they aren't a cuddly pet either. Most don't want to be picked up and petted. They like to come to you when they want to.


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

*Here is a link to plants that are poisonous to pigeons. Scroll down to household items that are toxic (bird proofing your home): http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/f105/plants-foods-that-are-toxic-poison-to-pigeons-5047.html *


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## Plumage (May 11, 2016)

Skyeking said:


> *Here is a link to plants that are poisonous to pigeons. Scroll down to household items that are toxic (bird proofing your home): http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/f105/plants-foods-that-are-toxic-poison-to-pigeons-5047.html *


Thank you!
I dont have any indoor plants, sadly, but if I think about getting some, I'll make sure to check that list a couple times to make sure. It's weird avocados are poisonous...

I've heard you can give them fruit. Are there any fruit that are beneficial to them?


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

They really don't need fruit, but leafy greens like kale would be good. Chop it up small so he can pick it up and eat it. Finely chopped carrots, a little broccoli.


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