Sometimes I look at Elmo and George and think, “Wow, I have pigeons in the house!” It’s an amazing thought. Out of all the pet owners out there, how many have pigeons? Before getting Georgie and Elmo I had never met anyone who has pigeons as pets. I didn’t even consider pigeons an option. Dogs, guinea pigs, parrots and rats were my prefered animals. Then I met baby George and she needed a home – so we gave her one. Then Elmo came along needing a home and we quickly welcomed him into ours.
Although I sometimes long to have a dog or other animals, at the moment we cannot, but I also wonder if we can ever get a dog for fear of it hurting George and Elmo. Would a puppy who we can train be better or an oldie who has little hunting desire left in him? I’m not sure I could take the risk.
So at the moment we have two pigeons in the house – but I’m also desperate to get an aviary (aviaries preferably!) to fill with disabled ferals and tame fancy pigeons. … but that dream has to wait till we win the lottery to be able to buy a house with acres of land! … In fact, I can boldly say that if I ever do win a big cash lottery prize I will set up a pigeon sanctuary for all those darling pigeons that need a forever home (well, I might do this even if I don’t win the lottery).
Anyway, I’m kind of forgetting what this post was originally supposed to be about: litte people in my home. Let me explain:
I’ll be in the kitchen and in walks Elmo, pecking at the floor (- just like a dog will pad into the room). I do a double-take and really look at Elmo – trying to see him as a pigeon but sometimes I see more than his external pigeon-looking body. I see his character and personality brimming over his body – disguising him – making me see him as a person rather than a pigeon. Love can do funny things to your eyes.
Some days I really struggle to view Elmo as a pigeon – he’s turning into a person in my eyes – but not a human – just another kind of being (kind of human). Confusing? Well, it is to me!
Hi,
I rescued an injured pigeon last night and took him to the vet today, basically he’ll never fly again, so at the moment we have him in our house.
He is on a course of 21days antibiotics to maybe mend his wing, the vets not sure if he’s got an infection in it or a possible fracture, as an xray cost too much money.
We’ve named him little woddie lol, as he’s a wood pigion.
I know they are classed as vermin so am a little worried/ concerned about having him in the house and if I do will woodie pass any illnesses or desieses?
If we did keep him, what type of enviroment should we keep him in? do you think he’ll need a bird cage?? as we have 2 dogs and a cat, the bird is out of harms way lol. Just want to protect the bird.
Thanks.
Kel.
Hi Kel,
Do you know if Woodie is a young pigeon or an adult? (If he has yellow eyes and a white band on his neck then he’s an adult.) If Woodie is an adult then he won’t like to be kept in captivity – especially not in a house that has dogs and a cat! He’ll be very afraid and stressed. A baby or younger pigeon might become tame with regular handling and hand-feeding but it all depends on the bird and how young he is. Without seeing Woodie I cannot really advise you properly in this regard, however, I do think that the best thing for you to do is to contact the nearest pigeon friendly rescue centre to talk to someone who can help. Your home may not be the best environment for the pigeon if he’s scared of humans, dogs and cats. For a list of vets and rehabbers near to you please go to Matilda’s List in the Links section. There are also pigeon forums that you can ask for more advice from (again in the Links section).
I wouldn’t be worried about Woodie passing on any diseases to you (please read my post: http://www.pigeonsaspets.co.uk/2010/09/14/feral-pigeons-and-disease-%E2%80%93-do-pigeons-carry-disease/ ). There is little risk of catching any disease from Woodie (just as unlikely as catching something from your cat).
Good luck and thanks,
Rev
Do you guys have a fecabook or twitter fan webpage? I looked for one on myspace but could not discover one, I’d love to become a fan!
Hi, we do have facebook and Twitter accounts (but not myspace): http://www.facebook.com/pigeonsaspets and https://twitter.com/pigeonsaspets