Indoor pigeon tricks and enrichment!

[Thiccen]

Hi all I have two indoor rock doves Leon that ive had for roughly 5 years after being thrown over mu fence in a bag, and Mochi who I've had for roughly 3 years now after being orphaned by her parents at a hope depot. I have them free flying in my house and rarely put them in the cage usually only to give them a break from flight suits and when they bathe. I was wondering if anyone has any toy/enrichment activities that work for their pigeons and also simple tricks that i could teach them, I’ve trained both Leon and Mochi to come when called but its spotty and I don’t expectthe world from their sweet little heads Any reccomendations will be greatly appreciated thanks

 

[cavemanrich]

for rescuing those pigeons.
Cant help you with toys or tricks to teach. .. I was going to tag a member that also has indoor pigeons,,,,, but he has been inactive for some time.
I know these are your indoor pets,,, but have you considered flying them outdoor?? I know that if they are not homeset, they can fly away and get lost. Have you considered having offspring pigeons from these 2??
I only kept pigeons in my loft,, and would loft fly them,, as well as short tosses. Never raced them. So, my knowledge is mainly in outdoor pigeon keeping. (not inside home)

WISHING YOU BEST,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

 

[Thiccen]

I used to take leon out a lot when he was younger but he then flew on the roof of my house and took a whole hour to get down so now when its warm out ill take them both on a little stroll with leashes so they can get a taste for the outside world. Ive recently moved into my own apartment and have been planning on turning my patio into a pigeon safe hangout so they can also hang around outaide and people watch Sadly i dont think leon or mochi would be great parents because their so imprinted on humans but i would love to get another pigeon like bird so mochi can have a mate, leon has bonded to me and poor little mochi follows him around looking for approval to no avail thank you so much for the reply if i ever have the recorces for a loft ill keep the homing training in mind

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

I used to take leon out a lot when he was younger but he then flew on the roof of my house and took a whole hour to get down so now when its warm out ill take them both on a little stroll with leashes so they can get a taste for the outside world. Ive recently moved into my own apartment and have been planning on turning my patio into a pigeon safe hangout so they can also hang around outaide and people watch Sadly i dont think leon or mochi would be great parents because their so imprinted on humans but i would love to get another pigeon like bird so mochi can have a mate, leon has bonded to me and poor little mochi follows him around looking for approval to no avail thank you so much for the reply if i ever have the recorces for a loft ill keep the homing training in mind

I don’t keep my pigeons indoors, I keep them in an outside aviary (though I do not free fly due to the risks involved). But, I have read a lot about inside pigeons and I do bring my pigeons inside to spend time with them, so I may have some suggestions.

My tame pigeon really likes to wrestle with stuffed animals, especially if I’m holding them and moving them around. My pigeons also like mirrors, I’ve seen them coo to them and touch their reflection with their beaks. Most of my pigeons are rescues, so I don’t breed them, but I do give them fake eggs and a variety of nestling materials since they love nest building and sitting on the eggs. If your pigeon(s) think of you as their mate, you could try offering nesting material and fake eggs. My males will lay on a spot and coo and flick their wings to indicate that they want their mate to lay an egg there. You can also rearrange their cage, too, if it doesn’t stress them out.

I’ve used a harness to bring my tame male out in the yard, to pet stores, and even to the beach. However, his favorite thing to do outside of the house are car rides! He loves car rides, especially if I bring his stuffed animal “wife” too. I think it’s because he feels safe in the car, while he doesn’t feel as safe in an unfamiliar outside environment like the beach. I also have a small carrier that I’ve used to bring him places, and he’s perfectly content in it as long as his stuffed animal is there too.

Other things I’ve heard of but not tried yet are foraging mats/foraging boxes, cat toys (especially those little balls with the bells inside or the crinkly balls), and toys that you can put their favorite seed inside for them to try to get out. Here’s an article that has great enrichment suggestions: https://www.pigeonrescue.org/2022/02/15/emma-ezra-underemployed-male-pigeon-syndrome/. It’s about a bored male pigeon, but it works for all pigeons.

As for tricks, I haven’t tried to teach mine any yet, mainly because my tamest pigeon isn’t very food motivated. However, I have heard of people teaching their pigeons to spin in a circle or peck a target for treats. Speaking of food, some people offer their pigeons vegetables like tomato or lettuce as treats, which also works as enrichment.