Banded Pigeon Found - Assistance Please

[biophiliac]

FYI: We got this advice elsewhere regarding conditioning a pigeon to pigeon pants. It sounds reasonable to us, and we wanted to share here:

"Let them get used to seeing it, hang it in or on their cage, play with them with it (over a weeks time), try it on them while holding them and then take it off again without letting them go several days in a row, then on the day you are going to really put it on them, don’t let them out of the cage that day then in the evening put the suit on them and give them lots and love and attention and then set them on the floor. They will walk backwards, go in circles, do some flips, and generally throw a tantrum (be careful not to let them hit their head). But do NOT take off the suit until they either calm down or get so exhausted that they seem calm. Then remove the suit, praise them and give them treats and love. The next day they will either have accepted the suit or you will have to go through it again.

Pigeons are generally very accepting of a comfortable suit (not tight!) as long as you do not give in and take the suit off while they are throwing their tantrum.

If they learn that all they have to do to train you to take the suit off is throw a tantrum, they will do it every time! They are very good at training us

Otherwise they figure out that having the suit on means they get to have the run of the house, and they learn to accept and even anticipate getting their free time."​

That sounds reasonable to me also. Its what I would try. I expect you will get some guidance with the product when it arrives,
They do become accepting of various devices fitted to them - see bird fitted with camera for aerial photography...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pigeon_photography

and most definitely, if you don't train him, he will train you!!!

 

[biophiliac]

Enrichment activity for indoor pigeon ...

 

[Fields Mountain Farm]

Hmmm. Sounds quite a lot like raising children!

I was thinking tje same thing!

Enrichment activity for indoor pigeon ...
View attachment 1537199

Oh wow! That's great!

 

[3bird]

Okay, Folks! More help needed...we got Pal this Double Flight Cage, and we want to know the best way to set it up. It's located in my wife's studio, so he'll have company most days. I'm going to build an elevated shelf on one side. How high and how wide? Do pigeons like to have their nests high or low? Do they like to have a space they can go in (like a nesting box or house), or do they not care so much about that? Any other ideas? Pictures of your set-up would be amazing!

Thanks in advance!

 

[Fields Mountain Farm]

Okay, Folks! More help needed...we got Pal this Double Flight Cage, and we want to know the best way to set it up. It's located in my wife's studio, so he'll have company most days. I'm going to build an elevated shelf on one side. How high and how wide? Do pigeons like to have their nests high or low? Do they like to have a space they can go in (like a nesting box or house), or do they not care so much about that? Any other ideas? Pictures of your set-up would be amazing!

View attachment 1537410

Thanks in advance!

Cool!! Cant wait to see suggestions!

 

[FlyingNunFarm]

Pal is climbing the ranks for most spoiled "found" pigeon!

Love it!

 

[biophiliac]

Okay, Folks! More help needed...we got Pal this Double Flight Cage, and we want to know the best way to set it up. It's located in my wife's studio, so he'll have company most days. I'm going to build an elevated shelf on one side. How high and how wide? Do pigeons like to have their nests high or low? Do they like to have a space they can go in (like a nesting box or house), or do they not care so much about that? Any other ideas? Pictures of your set-up would be amazing!

View attachment 1537410

Thanks in advance!

I have never setup an indoor cage this size for a pigeon. I think the shelf should be fairly wide ~12". Placed about 2/3 the distance to the top for a comfortable landing. Maybe at the other end you could have a lower shelf with food and water containers at each end of this shelf. They don't really benefit from bedding such as straw or wood chips - I think those just make a bigger mess. I would attach a few platform perches to the sides of the cage(similar to the ones I posted earlier) and I would avoid obstructing the flight path with perches that cross from one side to the other of the cage. I hope this helps.

 

[biophiliac]

Okay, Folks! More help needed...we got Pal this Double Flight Cage, and we want to know the best way to set it up. It's located in my wife's studio, so he'll have company most days. I'm going to build an elevated shelf on one side. How high and how wide? Do pigeons like to have their nests high or low? Do they like to have a space they can go in (like a nesting box or house), or do they not care so much about that? Any other ideas? Pictures of your set-up would be amazing!

View attachment 1537410

Thanks in advance!

How wide is the cage? It looks to be around 18"? I wonder if it could be reconfigured into a square shape vs long and narrow.

 

[WVduckchick]

Pal is climbing the ranks for most spoiled "found" pigeon!

Love it!

I’d say!!

 

[3bird]

I have never setup an indoor cage this size for a pigeon. I think the shelf should be fairly wide ~12". Placed about 2/3 the distance to the top for a comfortable landing. Maybe at the other end you could have a lower shelf with food and water containers at each end of this shelf. They don't really benefit from bedding such as straw or wood chips - I think those just make a bigger mess. I would attach a few platform perches to the sides of the cage(similar to the ones I posted earlier) and I would avoid obstructing the flight path with perches that cross from one side to the other of the cage. I hope this helps.

Thank you so much! We put in a DIY shelf with a "nesting box" and store bought nest on top. We're seeing how that goes. We bought a corner perch, which should arrive tomorrow. Here's the current set-up. We left the cardboard box and plastic "nest" because it is what he was used to. The other end of the flight cage has a water bath, Pal's food and water, and a brick.