Keeping a pigeon in the house

[HKG]

Okay. I got the cage set up and he seems to really like it.

 

[GranderTheGander]

I'm sure he'll love it and love being inside with you.

 

[cavemanrich]

A member that does post on the pigeon forums keeps a pigeon, (now2) inside home,,, along with other birds.
Here is a link to one of his latest post. He may be able to answer questions about indoor pigeon keeping that you may have. @Serin
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/pigeon-talk.1276029/post-25286285

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

I have a couple pigeons in the house right now. My advice would be to give them a food bowl that is only partially full. If given the choice, pigeons will only eat their favorite seeds. This results in a lot of mess (due to seed throwing) and isn’t an ideal diet. If I give my pigeons about as much as they can eat in one day every day, they don’t make a mess and remain well fed.

 

[HKG]

A member that does post on the pigeon forums keeps a pigeon, (now2) inside home,,, along with other birds.
Here is a link to one of his latest post. He may be able to answer questions about indoor pigeon keeping that you may have. @Serin
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/pigeon-talk.1276029/post-25286285

Ok, thank you.

 

[HKG]

I have a couple pigeons in the house right now. My advice would be to give them a food bowl that is only partially full. If given the choice, pigeons will only eat their favorite seeds. This results in a lot of mess (due to seed throwing) and isn’t an ideal diet. If I give my pigeons about as much as they can eat in one day every day, they don’t make a mess and remain well fed.

Thanks for the advice.

 

[Gezellige_Poes]

You can absolutely and successfully keep your peep in the house! All my birds are housed inside and thriving.

No, it's just a simple set-up with actually the top, not the bottom, of a 5' ferret cage. The cage divided in half, and I put the top half in the bottom tray. I left one ferret cage shelf in there, because she can jump up on it, even with a bad leg, and she also likes to go underneath it. She has small animal bowls for food and water, plus a more shallow small dish for grit or sand. If I use sand as a floor covering, she eats the sand off the floor, and prefers to do so.

I then have a Woods clamp lamp with a plant growing lightbulb on the top, secured with a D ring carabiner, which I turn on in the morning and off at night. It produces no heat, but a nice natural light. I can't set up the cage directly in front of a window. Sometimes one of my cats will jump up on the top of the cage and sit, against my wishes, which doesn't bother her. Pigeons are really adaptable birds.

If she wasn't crippled, I would put tree branches in the cage, too, but she can't perch. Actually, if she didn't have a bad leg, I would have given her the entire ferret cage, with branches and more shelves, although I think a pigeon might always prefer shelves to branches.

Pigeons/doves like all kinds of perches, from round to flat to slats. I have different kinds of perches in all my aviaries to help keep bird feet healthy.

 

[Gezellige_Poes]

This is one of many aviaries/bird habitats I have, for my Ringneck doves, Pip and Eve. I designed the metal framed ones and had them built. It was a huge project, but I was determined to get away from cages with bars. I wanted as much flight space as possible, easy access for cleaning, and predator proof living. You can see Andy here, his cat TV! (He's my miracle child, an extreme Manx I rescued as a very sick baby, who is now going on 11. He needs help going to the bathroom, 1 and 2! Cannot go on his own... My diaper peep!) There are little button quail that live in the enclosure on the bottom. They are new to the fold and I'm evaluating better living quarters...

I use a rabbit litter box for the dove seed. They are ground dwellers for feeding, and so I emulate that. The litter box high side helps to keep most of the seed in as they forage for that one little seed at the very bottom of the pile!

I attached another rabbit litter box at the top of the aviary for sleeping and nesting quarters. As you can see, they are busy nesting! Note the top of the aviary has hardware cloth for aviary airflow.

 

[GranderTheGander]

That's a really nice setup, and a very lucky cat, too, to have you.

 

[HKG]

You can absolutely and successfully keep your peep in the house! All my birds are housed inside and thriving.

Pigeons/doves like all kinds of perches, from round to flat to slats. I have different kinds of perches in all my aviaries to help keep bird feet healthy.

Ok. He is currently in the house and loving it