Bonding with your pigeon.

[Pigeon regret]

Sorry, but I think your post is a bit misleading to potential pet bird owners.

Parrots are captive bred to be pets. They are not wild birds, taken from the wild. They come in many colour mutations that are bred for and not found in the wild. Many are hand reared and imprinted on humans, and parrots can make wonderful pets for many people, being very intelligent and affectionate.

Your personal preference for pigeons is fine for you and I, but so is other peoples preference for parrots and parakeets. Scientifically, parrots are far superior in intelligence to pigeons, and for the OP a parrot or parakeet sounds a better fit for their needs, for example, they want to train their pet bird to 'step up', and use a perch like a parrot would. Sorry, but you can not really teach a pigeon tricks like 'stepping up', talking, using tools or playing with toys the same as a parrot.

A pigeon is NOT an ideal house pet. They produce a lot more poop than parrots / parakeets, they also produce a huge amount of feather dust and dander, which, apart from messing up your house, poses a serious threat to human health (pigeon fanciers lung), and for that reason they should never be kept in a bedroom for example. This is why most people keep their pigeons outdoors.

Pigeons are also much happier in pairs. A lone pigeon will get very lonely and frustrated when the human owner has to leave it, to go to work, shopping, etc. They form very close pair bonds and I would never advise anyone to keep a single one as a pet. I single one is also prone to develop behavioural problems out of frustration, like aggression, and trying to constantly mate with the humans in the house.

Hey I'm joining this forum just to tell you I wish I would have found this earlier. I have been misled by several pigeon people that this will be better than having a parrot. I'm so sorry, so all of the pigeon people. But it is not! I'm used to having parents and I moved into a studio apartment, I really wanted a bird companion. I love birds, I think they're so cute and my childhood was dark and hard. The brightest and most purest memory I can think of for my childhood involved my parrots and parakeets. I loved petting them and giving them little kisses on the head. Doing simple tricks and all of that good stuff. I loved knowing exactly what to do with my money, buy them toys. I love the fact that they would come when I called and sometimes they would just sit and cuddle on my shoulder or on the top of my head or just sitting on my back while I watch TV or play video games.

I believed the pigeon folks when they said that pigeons were better than parakeets and parrots.... They told me that pigeons would be cuddlier and that they're better because "parrots are wild animals" and "pigeons are domesticated and therefore tolerate humans better” ” pigeons bond with you faster" and so on and so forth.

I was duped. It's been 2 years since I've had this pigeon. The only reason why I haven't gotten another pet and the pigeons place is because I don't want to treat a living creature like a trading card. I don't want people to ask about the pigeon and then I have to explain that I had to let go and get the bird that I'm most familiar with.

Doesn't play with toys. Doesn't sing. Won't sit on my shoulder and will only sit on my hand for like a maximum of 3 minutes. When the bird does sit on my shoulder I get a swift packing to the eye ball. Won't recognize any other food except for seed, so I don't have any fun introducing different fruits and veggies. Doesn't accept kisses.... So on and so on and so on. It must be a special day if I get to pet the bird on the head.

I'm sorry but if someone is looking for an interactive pet I WOULD NOT recommend a pigeon. I still put on a brave face for my friends and people on the internet and pretend like I'm having a good time with this bird. But I am not. Pet pigeons are boring, and this one is aggressive. I have seen pigeons male and female on Facebook Instagram and YouTube and they do not behave like this bird. But looking back even then I would still think that that's boring. I wish I had not have been hypnotized by this one or two pigeon advocates that I spoke to and listen to their hour-long spiel about how pigeons are just so great.

I are super super mega cute. They just make extremely boring non-interactive pets. Uuughhh 2 years, and it's been nothing like having a cheery, creative, funny, parrot around with them multi-dimensional personality.

I only carry on out of a sense of duty.
My pigeon and I are actually going on a walk in a few hours. Hopefully won't try to peck me in my eyes out in public.

So yeah, I agree with you all of this pigeon praise is misleading.

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

Hey I'm joining this forum just to tell you I wish I would have found this earlier. I have been misled by several pigeon people that this will be better than having a parrot. I'm so sorry, so all of the pigeon people. But it is not! I'm used to having parents and I moved into a studio apartment, I really wanted a bird companion. I love birds, I think they're so cute and my childhood was dark and hard. The brightest and most purest memory I can think of for my childhood involved my parrots and parakeets. I loved petting them and giving them little kisses on the head. Doing simple tricks and all of that good stuff. I loved knowing exactly what to do with my money, buy them toys. I love the fact that they would come when I called and sometimes they would just sit and cuddle on my shoulder or on the top of my head or just sitting on my back while I watch TV or play video games.

I believed the pigeon folks when they said that pigeons were better than parakeets and parrots.... They told me that pigeons would be cuddlier and that they're better because "parrots are wild animals" and "pigeons are domesticated and therefore tolerate humans better” ” pigeons bond with you faster" and so on and so forth.

I was duped. It's been 2 years since I've had this pigeon. The only reason why I haven't gotten another pet and the pigeons place is because I don't want to treat a living creature like a trading card. I don't want people to ask about the pigeon and then I have to explain that I had to let go and get the bird that I'm most familiar with.

Doesn't play with toys. Doesn't sing. Won't sit on my shoulder and will only sit on my hand for like a maximum of 3 minutes. When the bird does sit on my shoulder I get a swift packing to the eye ball. Won't recognize any other food except for seed, so I don't have any fun introducing different fruits and veggies. Doesn't accept kisses.... So on and so on and so on. It must be a special day if I get to pet the bird on the head.

I'm sorry but if someone is looking for an interactive pet I WOULD NOT recommend a pigeon. I still put on a brave face for my friends and people on the internet and pretend like I'm having a good time with this bird. But I am not. Pet pigeons are boring, and this one is aggressive. I have seen pigeons male and female on Facebook Instagram and YouTube and they do not behave like this bird. But looking back even then I would still think that that's boring. I wish I had not have been hypnotized by this one or two pigeon advocates that I spoke to and listen to their hour-long spiel about how pigeons are just so great.

I are super super mega cute. They just make extremely boring non-interactive pets. Uuughhh 2 years, and it's been nothing like having a cheery, creative, funny, parrot around with them multi-dimensional personality.

I only carry on out of a sense of duty.
My pigeon and I are actually going on a walk in a few hours. Hopefully won't try to peck me in my eyes out in public.

So yeah, I agree with you all of this pigeon praise is misleading.

I have 8 pet pigeons and I agree that some are much better suited to aviary life. It sounds like your pigeon is frustrated because it doesn’t have a flock. There are ways you can try to help the pigeon feel less frustrated, but I don’t know if they would work in your situation.

My most bonded pigeon (the one I’ve had for the longest time) also pecks me if I put my face near his. He also tends to bite my ears while he’s on my shoulder! However, he will perch on me and enjoys being pet. I don’t think pecking is always an act of aggression in pigeons. Male pigeons will peck/“drive” their mate when they feel frustrated, but they don’t want to kill their mate.

 

[Pigeon regret]

I have 8 pet pigeons and I agree that some are much better suited to aviary life. It sounds like your pigeon is frustrated because it doesn’t have a flock. There are ways you can try to help the pigeon feel less frustrated, but I don’t know if they would work in your situation.

My most bonded pigeon (the one I’ve had for the longest time) also pecks me if I put my face near his. He also tends to bite my ears while he’s on my shoulder! However, he will perch on me and enjoys being pet. I don’t think pecking is always an act of aggression in pigeons. Male pigeons will peck/“drive” their mate when they feel frustrated, but they don’t want to kill their mate.

 

[Pigeon regret]

Its funny, because he started to calm down a lot the day after I made this post (he is suddenly much more cuddly) . Even so, I would take your suggestions to heart if you would like to share. I may still get a Indian ring neck as a second pet also.

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

Its funny, because he started to calm down a lot the day after I made this post (he is suddenly much more cuddly) . Even so, I would take your suggestions to heart if you would like to share. I may still get a Indian ring neck as a second pet also.

He lets you pet him? That’s good!

Pigeons, especially males, can get frustrated without a flock. Even if they have a pigeon/human mate. Inside pigeons also get territorial about their cage, and sometimes even the whole room the cage is in. Generally a pigeon does not like being picked up from its cage, it likes to come out by itself. You may have noticed that pigeons tend to be aggressive towards feet and hands. My pigeon also courts feet/hands. Some pigeons are more afraid of hands than the person who has them.

Does your pigeon act afraid of you? Like, he flies away if you get close?

Some pigeons are motivated by food. Safflower seeds are most pigeons’ favorites, though there are others (like de-shelled sunflower seeds) that they also like. Some pigeons like vegetables as a snack, though I haven’t tried that yet. Some people feed their pigeons treats by hand or place the treats near them so their pigeon starts to associate them with that. However, that has never worked with my bird (the tamest one— Neet Neet). Neet Neet would much rather court or attack my hands than take treats from them. Only very recently (after 2 1/2 years of having him) has he started to take treats from my hand, so this might not work for you, or it might take a while.

To interact with your pigeon or at least get his frustrations out, many people let their pigeon play-fight with their hand (if you have a long-sleeved shirt you can let the pigeon attack the sleeve) or they hold a small stuffed animal for the bird to attack. It’s also beneficial for a single pigeon to have a stuffed animal in their cage. Any roughly pigeon-sized one will work, I used a small plush pigeon. Neet Neet (when he lived alone) would mate, attack, preen, and do all sort of courting rituals to the stuffed animal. He would bring it to different spots in his pen and even nest with it. Another thing you can do for a single (male) pigeon is to give him a pair of fake eggs. He may ignore them, or he may go broody and try to hatch them for a month. Though this may not sound fun for the pigeon, many males get frustrated if they don’t have eggs. Keep in mind that this will probably make your pigeon more territorial because he’ll want to defend his nest. You could offer your pigeon some pieces of straw or something similar to see if he will start making a nest. (You can offer fake eggs with or without a nest, though they’re more likely to ignore them without a nest.)

Personally, I like to compare pigeons to cats— they will hang out near you, seemingly ignoring you, but will actually be enjoying your presence. They’re usually selective about when and where you pet them (my pigeon only lets me pet him on the back of the neck, though he now lets me stroke him on the back, like a cat). They can bite, but it’s usually due to playfulness, overstimulation, or they don’t like the way you’re touching them, rather than aggression.

I let my pigeon peck me (or something I’m holding) a lot. Thankfully, it doesn’t hurt, but some pigeons have larger beaks or bite harder. He’ll usually peck me a few times while I’m trying to pet him, then close his eyes and accept it. To stop him from biting my ears, I try to encourage him to perch on my arm or leg instead of my shoulder, but that doesn’t always work. You could also encourage him to perch on your head, though they have sharp little claws, so I would recommend wearing a hat so they don’t accidentally scratch your head.

Does your pigeon ever coo to you at all?

Finally, here’s an article that talks about male house pigeons and ways to make them less frustrated: https://www.pigeonrescue.org/2022/02/15/emma-ezra-underemployed-male-pigeon-syndrome/.

 

[Alaurawebb1]

He lets you pet him? That’s good!

Pigeons, especially males, can get frustrated without a flock. Even if they have a pigeon/human mate. Inside pigeons also get territorial about their cage, and sometimes even the whole room the cage is in. Generally a pigeon does not like being picked up from its cage, it likes to come out by itself. You may have noticed that pigeons tend to be aggressive towards feet and hands. My pigeon also courts feet/hands. Some pigeons are more afraid of hands than the person who has them.

Does your pigeon act afraid of you? Like, he flies away if you get close?

Some pigeons are motivated by food. Safflower seeds are most pigeons’ favorites, though there are others (like de-shelled sunflower seeds) that they also like. Some pigeons like vegetables as a snack, though I haven’t tried that yet. Some people feed their pigeons treats by hand or place the treats near them so their pigeon starts to associate them with that. However, that has never worked with my bird (the tamest one— Neet Neet). Neet Neet would much rather court or attack my hands than take treats from them. Only very recently (after 2 1/2 years of having him) has he started to take treats from my hand, so this might not work for you, or it might take a while.

To interact with your pigeon or at least get his frustrations out, many people let their pigeon play-fight with their hand (if you have a long-sleeved shirt you can let the pigeon attack the sleeve) or they hold a small stuffed animal for the bird to attack. It’s also beneficial for a single pigeon to have a stuffed animal in their cage. Any roughly pigeon-sized one will work, I used a small plush pigeon. Neet Neet (when he lived alone) would mate, attack, preen, and do all sort of courting rituals to the stuffed animal. He would bring it to different spots in his pen and even nest with it. Another thing you can do for a single (male) pigeon is to give him a pair of fake eggs. He may ignore them, or he may go broody and try to hatch them for a month. Though this may not sound fun for the pigeon, many males get frustrated if they don’t have eggs. Keep in mind that this will probably make your pigeon more territorial because he’ll want to defend his nest. You could offer your pigeon some pieces of straw or something similar to see if he will start making a nest. (You can offer fake eggs with or without a nest, though they’re more likely to ignore them without a nest.)

Personally, I like to compare pigeons to cats— they will hang out near you, seemingly ignoring you, but will actually be enjoying your presence. They’re usually selective about when and where you pet them (my pigeon only lets me pet him on the back of the neck, though he now lets me stroke him on the back, like a cat). They can bite, but it’s usually due to playfulness, overstimulation, or they don’t like the way you’re touching them, rather than aggression.

I let my pigeon peck me (or something I’m holding) a lot. Thankfully, it doesn’t hurt, but some pigeons have larger beaks or bite harder. He’ll usually peck me a few times while I’m trying to pet him, then close his eyes and accept it. To stop him from biting my ears, I try to encourage him to perch on my arm or leg instead of my shoulder, but that doesn’t always work. You could also encourage him to perch on your head, though they have sharp little claws, so I would recommend wearing a hat so they don’t accidentally scratch your head.

Does your pigeon ever coo to you at all?

Finally, here’s an article that talks about male house pigeons and ways to make them less frustrated: https://www.pigeonrescue.org/2022/02/15/emma-ezra-underemployed-male-pigeon-syndrome/.

Hey I know it’s been awhile since this post but I recently adopted a chick who has now grown up to be quite the pretty little female, she’s aggressive and flighty around hands and shakes violently when she sees them or just outright attacks them. I’m like 99% sure it’s a female because of her appearance and traits. But she’s just as aggressive as the males I’ve seen online, is there something I can do other than what you described? Since she’s a female. She absolutely adores following me, sitting on me, snuggling and getting kisses but looses her little mind when I go to touch her or pet her. She’s really curious and friendly otherwise but I just wish I could pet her without her panicking. She was raised by my hand so I just can’t understand why she’s like this.

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

Hey I know it’s been awhile since this post but I recently adopted a chick who has now grown up to be quite the pretty little female, she’s aggressive and flighty around hands and shakes violently when she sees them or just outright attacks them. I’m like 99% sure it’s a female because of her appearance and traits. But she’s just as aggressive as the males I’ve seen online, is there something I can do other than what you described? Since she’s a female. She absolutely adores following me, sitting on me, snuggling and getting kisses but looses her little mind when I go to touch her or pet her. She’s really curious and friendly otherwise but I just wish I could pet her without her panicking. She was raised by my hand so I just can’t understand why she’s like this.

Most/all my advice works for female pigeons too! Since it sounds like she’s still young, she may very well get more used to hands over time (my pidge likes being pet a lot more now than he did as a 1 year old). And this article is more about female pigeons/pigeons in general: https://www.pigeonrescue.org/2023/03/14/listen-to-your-birds/.