# Okay, So We're Moving Because of the Pij :)



## valeri (Sep 6, 2009)

Yep. We really are moving because of the pij. 

*But first, a quick update . . .*

It's been a while since I posted here with my Chauncey and Clive stories. Since nesting cycle #2 (we're now on #5) Clive has given up sitting on the nest -- at all. Chauncey sits on the eggs all three weeks and Clive just hangs out in the room and prances in front of his mirror. I guess that's the tradeoff Chauncey made in being a cougar and picking a pij 8 years her junior.

Clive is super sweet though. And a master nest builder. When it comes to the eggs, he just looks at them, sometimes rolls them a little, then follows Chauncey right off the nest and never takes over the sitting duty.

*We're moving . . . where, we don't know yet*

We don't have a place yet . . . and we've decided we really can't buy for another year . . . so we'll be giving notice when our lease is up in July and looking for a bigger rental (house with garden) where a landlord won't mind us putting a small aviary out back for our birds. We don't know how on earth we will find that person or situation, but we're trying our best to believe it's out there. Once we find that place, it will be SO nice being in a bigger space. As many of you know, we gave up our office/dining room for the pij so we've been living in 3/4 of a one-bedroom apartment. 

We're now looking for a foster home for C+C for several months. Pij aren't in our lease (they were accidental rescues) so we need to put them in foster care after we give notice, while the place is being shown and until we find a new spot. I have one lead on a local foster home which I hope pans out!

That's it from Clive-and-Chaunceyville. *Thank you guys for getting us through these first 8 months with pij!*


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Hi valeri,

It's so nice to hear from you and about the antics of your pigeons. It is wonderful you sacrificed a room for them, they do have a way of taking up not only space in our hearts but in our homes. 

Clive does sound like a young male, and perhaps time will take care of some of his antics-(and he sounds so wonderfully full of himself ), and he will mature a bit and share nest duties.

I pray you find a lovely house with a garden where you and your pigeons can live out your dreams until you find a house to buy. 

Thank you for the update. Have you posted a seperate thread to locate foster parent/s?


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

Good luck! you will not regret it!....


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## c.hert (Jan 15, 2010)

Pigeons have a way of changing peoples lives for the better and I am sure you will find just the nice rental house and you need this as well as your birdies and I will have you in my thoughts as well because moving is just terrible back after it is overwith and you are all settled in--you see--it was the right move in the majority of times..pm Elizabethy--she is so busy right now and see what she can suggest in the way of foster parents for awhile because she has much knowledge in regard to this ....c.hert


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## doveone52 (Aug 3, 2009)

Oh, Valeri, you are such good people! I will pray that all works out for the best!


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## valeri (Sep 6, 2009)

Thanks, everyone. My hope is that there's a compassionate soul out there willing to rent to two well-meaning and responsible people with rescued pij. I should qualify that by saying a kind person with a property that's not a total dump. (lol)  

We could consider a larger place and continue to keep them indoors. But my pij/bird allergies just keep getting worse, and I think the only way we can manage it is to finally have them in an aviary outdoors. I think they'd like that, too.

I'm trying not to get mired in the worries of "how will we find this place?" -- and just focus on a beautiful end result.

Cheers! And thanks for the good wishes, as always! Someday, we'll pay all of this forward by finally owning, having a big aviary, and taking in some more rescues.


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## Seijun (Apr 14, 2010)

Look on the bright side. Once you start keeping pigeons outside, you can also start keeping more of them!


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Seijun said:


> Look on the bright side. Once you start keeping pigeons outside, you can also start keeping more of them!


That's the dangerous part! LOL. They're addictive! Build it and they WILL come!


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## valeri (Sep 6, 2009)

_That's the dangerous part! LOL. They're addictive! Build it and they WILL come!_

I know many people feel that way about pij. I think I haven't had those feelings yet because having the pij in the first place was unexpected -- and then quite an adjustment in our small apartment life. I care about them very much but feel like I haven't had the freedom to feel great about the situation, owing to some of the limitations and stresses. Multiple pij won't happen until we buy and can feel relaxed about adopting . . . even though I know C+C would benefit from other pij. Clive would thrive in an aviary with other pij and sometimes I do feel sad he doesn't have that. I wonder if when we finally get a house, these dormant feelings about pij will arise in both of us.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

I understand what you're saying. My first pigeons were unexpected also. Six of them all at once! Little hectic for a while as they were four 2 week olds, and two 2 day olds. Oy! But at lest eventually we could build the loft. I won't even mention the 10 cages in my house while they built the loft. For a month! Yes, being able to move them out of the house does make a huge difference, only thing is, there is always another one inside for some reason or other. LOL. More room will help greatly, you'll see. Hope all works out well for you. Good luck in finding a nice place with an understanding landlord. They're out there.


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## TerriB (Nov 16, 2003)

Excellent news!!!



valeri said:


> ...Clive has given up sitting on the nest -- at all... When it comes to the eggs, he just looks at them, sometimes rolls them a little, then follows Chauncey right off the nest and never takes over the sitting duty....


Yep, I have one like that. Good thing I'm not trying to raise babies from him.


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## valeri (Sep 6, 2009)

Jay, we really have nothing on you with just the two. That's an amazing amount of responsibility you took on from the start. We keep hoping everything will work out. If we were buying right away, our stress would be zilch. We'd just be worrying about how to build the most easy-to-clean, safe, weather-proof aviary. 

Once we find a rental that will allow us that privilege (fingers crossed big time) I think I'll feel a huge weight lifted. We both feel like we're keeping fugitives (lol) because they're not specified in our lease. And the loss of the dining room has been significant in this tiny place. We haven't had anyone over for 8 months and I don't answer the doorbell. It's no way to live. 

We still hold to the idea that someone with an existing, beautiful aviary might be able to step in for a year or so to help us out with a long-term foster -- until we can buy. But somehow, given how many people we've asked, we just don't think that's going to happen. So, we'll hope for the next best thing which is a great, bird-loving landlord who just happens to have a spectacular place to rent us.


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## valeri (Sep 6, 2009)

Terri -- So, those types don't get better, eh? If Clive were exposed to other pij vying for Chauncey's affections, would that make him more protective? Or would he still be the Peter Pan of pigeons? 

Do the females care? Chauncey still seems to love him no matter what. I wonder if an attentive male came along, if she'd dump this dude. Sometimes I feel bad that I didn't bring her a more mature male. We didn't really have a choice at the time. Clive was a quick rescue from a shelter.

Love him, but he's a no-good house husband.


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## TerriB (Nov 16, 2003)

valeri said:


> Terri -- So, those types don't get better, eh? If Clive were exposed to other pij vying for Chauncey's affections, would that make him more protective? Or would he still be the Peter Pan of pigeons?
> 
> Do the females care? Chauncey still seems to love him no matter what. I wonder if an attentive male came along, if she'd dump this dude. Sometimes I feel bad that I didn't bring her a more mature male. We didn't really have a choice at the time. Clive was a quick rescue from a shelter.
> 
> Love him, but he's a no-good house husband.


Based on my few birds, they are who they are with not much change. Once hens bond with a mate, they seem to adjust to the situation although I've read that birds will occasionally try to upgrade to a higher ranking mate if possible.

I have a similar June-December pairing with Charlie and KD (she's about 7 years older than he is). In addition to being bonded to their mates, hens are territorial regarding their nestbox and will chase out another female. 

I think your birds are fine with the current situation. They have a home, mate, and routine with which they are familiar. You have made many adaptations to create a good life for them. Good luck with the house search!


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Valerie, birds do grow up and mature, often into calmer more responsible mates. I've seen that more than once. Often a young bird is so full of himself. As they grow up they usually get better. I have had a few that were total terrors, and as they grew up, they settled down quite nicely. Actually, my worse young males, often turn out to be great adults. I think he just needs a little maturing. I really believe that he'll turn out great. You'll see.


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## Seijun (Apr 14, 2010)

My last hand-raised pij male would court a female with the traditional tail dragging and cooing but if she failed to respond immediately he would peck the back of her head (hard) and hit her with his wings. Needless to say, he was still single last I checked.


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## StanelyPidge09 (May 22, 2009)

Good Luck Valeri!! I am so excited for you! I am positive that you will find something out there that will make your lives better and more comfortable for you and the pigeons! You will be in our thoughts.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Seijun said:


> My last hand-raised pij male would court a female with the traditional tail dragging and cooing but if she failed to respond immediately he would peck the back of her head (hard) and hit her with his wings. Needless to say, he was still single last I checked.


That's funny!


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## valeri (Sep 6, 2009)

Thanks, you guys! Great stories! I re-read my last comment and realized it came off a bit curmudgeonly. The truth is -- we adore Clive. Sure, he's a wild thing, he's messy (lots of projectile poop), he's loud (coos and coos super loud when he wants our attention). But he's a character. He does silly, childlike things which Chauncey doesn't. I'll go in his room sometimes, and find him attacking a picture frame or some other reflective item -- or perched in the silliest of places -- or talking to his mirror when he's upset with us (as in, we've tried to pick him up). He cracks us both up.

So the things he lacks as a husband, he makes up for in character. Chauncey, on the other hand, is a Zen Master. We cherish her for that! We were used to that before Clive came along, so, naturally, he was more of an adjustment. They are so different and yet, as you all say, it seems to work for them. And Clive is not mean to Chauncey. He's never pecked her or anything I've heard some other males do.

There are times I've wondered if Chauncey feels burdened by being the only bird on the nest. She seems to be putting on a bit of weight, I need to check that. We don't have a scale, we should. 

But when I look in on them, and they're tucked in together in the nest box, with her preening Clive, it's hard not to feel a little emotional. Same thing when they bathe together and look after each other. 

It's kind of funny, Clive gets spooked, whereas nothing seems to affect Chauncey. Clive will freak if he sees shadows of birds outside the blinds, like crows. He was probably raptor-struck (his wing/abdoment injury) so I don't blame him for being spooked. He lets out a super-loud grunt and goes running in the cage to Chauncey who takes him, literally, under her wing.

We think Chauncey was out on her own for a while before she came to us. She's 10+ years old and when we contacted her racing club, it had long ago been disbanded. That doesn't mean that she, herself, wasn't living in the same loft for a long time. But it's also possible she was surviving on her own and is just so happy to be "settled." And she's probably seen it all. She's very calm and seems to understand she's safe inside, where Clive doesn't.


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## valeri (Sep 6, 2009)

p.s. Thanks, too, for all the good wishes. We'll post pictures once we find that perfect place for us, our cat and our pij! Hopefully, sometime in the early fall.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

It's amazing how how different each birds personality is. Each one of mine is totally different. How boring if they were all alike! LOL. He sounds like a character.


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