# Nest building Pigeon



## Sunstar (Jul 29, 2008)

I have a pet pigeon, male.... hand raised. he walks around here. 

he's building a nest again. Making it out of Q-tips in the bathroom on a scrubby pad with toilet paper and lord knows what else. he did this last year too, same area. Built a nest. I put a pair of ball mouse balls in it and he sat on them for 21 days twice. 

Since he likes to mate with my socks, I find he responds to the mouse balls when I stick them in my boots for a few days. 

One of these days I might have a normal pet...


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## twoheadedfish (May 10, 2008)

you win the internets. that's the best thing i've read all week


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## hojimoe (Mar 7, 2008)

wow that's pretty darn cool sunstar! we need pictures though! 

i like the 'ol switch-a-roo with the mouseballs lol


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## Sunstar (Jul 29, 2008)

I wil try to get pics. I was just gonna get a shot but he drove me off.

here are some older pics.









This is chase.









This is chase with a sock he finds nice...









Chase loves tigers. Do you love them too? I bet not how he loves them!









Chase wishes to make a nest, or do your ears....









...only thing is, he prefers not to use them when he does your ears.









Your feet if they go near his nest, his food, or anywhere he can get them....









This is what he expects to come from the mouse balls, in a nest made of Q-tips after mating with socks, tea-towels, toys.....I could go on....I won't


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## Sunstar (Jul 29, 2008)

The... Nest










Why does it do this to me each time?


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## twoheadedfish (May 10, 2008)

hrm, i expected it to be more "nesty," if you will - it's not even an elegant nest.

how'd you come about this odd fellow?

also (relevant):


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## Ciddian (Mar 15, 2006)

very very cute sunstar.... <3


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## Sunstar (Jul 29, 2008)

His parents made a nest on my balcony around 3 years ago. But due to very intensive balcony work, I had to remove the nest. Chase was 2 days old when I collected him and started to hand raise him. I felt sorry for his parents, but the bird got a good life.

a pigeons nest is usually nothing more than a few random sticks. they nest on ledges and things so simply add stuff to soften it? I usually have to look into his nest to get out things like drill bits or toothpicks.


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## hojimoe (Mar 7, 2008)

very interesting, it's cool to see that when you keep a pigeon in captivity, their neck colors up much nicer than in public

I have the same keyboard!!!

nice nest hehe what a slob! hehe


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## Sunstar (Jul 29, 2008)

He is a gorgeous bird. In the wild the lifespan is generally around 4 years. He may have an expectancy of around 10 if it goes well for him.


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## Sunstar (Jul 29, 2008)

I have a package of zipties by my bike I was adding stuff to. Chase has been stealing the zipties from teh package all morning. He's intent on making a nest out of them... 1 zip
tie left.. oh noes!!!!


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## _Green_ (Dec 30, 2008)

Sunstar said:


> His parents made a nest on my balcony around 3 years ago. But due to very intensive balcony work, I had to remove the nest. Chase was 2 days old when I collected him and started to hand raise him. I felt sorry for his parents, but the bird got a good life.
> 
> a pigeons nest is usually nothing more than a few random sticks. they nest on ledges and things so simply add stuff to soften it? I usually have to look into his nest to get out things like drill bits or toothpicks.


That's a pretty cool story, I'm surprised that he even lived, because for the 10-14 days after hatching adult pigeons actually feed thier babies what is knows as pigeon milk. So the fact that he lived is impressive.



Sunstar said:


> He is a gorgeous bird. In the wild the lifespan is generally around 4 years. He may have an expectancy of around 10 if it goes well for him.


I used to race pigeons my parents still do and they have many birds 10+ years old. That don't race birds that old but they can often still breed even at 10. While racing homers aren't really the same as wild birds, wouldn't be surprised if yours lives well past 10. I figure if a racer can fly several thousand or miles in a race season and live to be ten plus, a pet pigeon who has it a lot easier should live longer.



Sunstar said:


> I have a package of zipties by my bike I was adding stuff to. Chase has been stealing the zipties from teh package all morning. He's intent on making a nest out of them... 1 zip
> tie left.. oh noes!!!!


My race birds were never allowed on the ground, only places I'd let them be was in the air or in the loft. No or few complaints from nieghbours that way and no need to worry about cats. So the only net material they had was what I proved and I think you'd be surprised to but I found that they liked the stalks from alfalfa hay and really didn't like the grassy stuff much at all.

that's my 2 cents worth


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## Sunstar (Jul 29, 2008)

I was not expecting him to survive. 

I had a kids medicine syringe with the end cut off, I strapped some cotton farbric over the end and punched a beak sized hole in it. I filled the tube with a rather runny solution of boiled powedered hagen pigeon seed, mixed in some lentils, red river cerial and baked finely powedered egg shell. I also added part of a vitamin tablet. 

When he was older I gave him a mix of the red river cerial, eggshell and vitamin. As an adult, he gets a good choice of seed and his favourite safflower.

Chase lives inside with me. I wouldn't let him out because we have several raptors that hunt around here. He has certian areas he is permitted and certian areas he'll find things like dice tossed at him frm across the room.


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## _Green_ (Dec 30, 2008)

Sunstar said:


> I was not expecting him to survive.
> 
> I had a kids medicine syringe with the end cut off, I strapped some cotton farbric over the end and punched a beak sized hole in it. I filled the tube with a rather runny solution of boiled powedered hagen pigeon seed, mixed in some lentils, red river cerial and baked finely powedered egg shell. I also added part of a vitamin tablet.
> 
> ...


Give him unsalted peanuts, once he gets a taste for that he'll jump through flaming hoops to get them lol You have to be careful and not give him too much because they are high in fat. I used to hand feed my racers peanuts when they returned from races and training tosses.


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## Sunstar (Jul 29, 2008)

Broken bits?


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## _Green_ (Dec 30, 2008)

Sunstar said:


> Broken bits?


Sure if that's what you want, he should have no trouble swallowing a whole peanut though. Mine didn't have any troubles with them, I did tend to break them up though, only because they love them like nothing else, my main reason for feeding them peanuts was a treat and lastly to help tame the birds. Next time I'm back home I'll have to take a short vid of the birds when peanuts are in the feed trough. It's quite a site to see 20-30 birds all trying to get at the peanuts lol


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## Sunstar (Jul 29, 2008)

cute.

I guess I am paranoid he'll choke. I lost a baby sparrow to that once.. .broke my heart.










one of the last times he was hand fed in this manner. he weened himself.









After a bath. Where he really got soaked. He loves his baths, does it weekly except when he nests.

he has a large pan of water he'll drink from, but once a week I fill it high with warm water. Boy does he go nuts, he won't bathe if we can see him.


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## _Green_ (Dec 30, 2008)

Sunstar said:


> cute.
> 
> I guess I am paranoid he'll choke. I lost a baby sparrow to that once.. .broke my heart.
> 
> ...


stop already all this talk has me really wishing I still had birds...most people think pigeons are dirty, and few know that if given a choice they won't crap where they live, at least homers are that way and they LOVE to take bathes.

If you are worried he will choke then break each peanut into 4 pieces, in fact please do that, I'd feel awful if he did choke after I told you he wouldn't. Besides hand feeding is fun. I had one bird so tame that she would stand on my hand while I lowered into down to my rotti who licked her, the bird never even offered to fly she felt that safe after being hand fed a few times a week for 6 months or so. I have a pic of it somewhere. Not only that but if she was flying around the yard I could call to her and she'd fly to me and land on my shoulder.  That same birds flew home in the top 10 six times from Long Lac Ontario which is over 1000km to her loft.


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## Sunstar (Jul 29, 2008)

Chase responds to a number of voice commands *If he is in the mood to*

Chase come here, up, down, GET DOWN, off, GET OFF!!, go to daddy, go find daddy, go to bed, in your box...TREATS! Bird, show yourself (usually gets him to come out from where he's sitting so I can see him. he'll go back after)

Safflower seeds I think is our peanut. Chase goes to my husband, shakes with excitement (he sounds like he rattles) practically purrs as my husband gives him a seed at a time. 

Chase is not friendly to everyone, well not even really to me. At least by his choice he is. I'll often put him on my shoulder and go to grab the mail. if I stand still long enough, he'll jam his beak into my ear or preen my brow. He is skitish of anyone but my husband and myself. 

Here is something I don't understand about him, maybe you would. 

Chase loves toilet paper. Infact he'll knock rolls around until he gets a trail of paper then immediately wrap himself up in it. He will sit like this for literal hours and coo softly while shaking a wing. I can stroke and practically maul him at this stage. If it's just a square of paper, he'll sit on it and coo softly. 

As a baby I used to make his nest out of toiletpaper. I kept it beside my bed, which is why he roosts in there when he's not sitting on mouse balls.


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## kweenshaker (Mar 11, 2006)

aww he's so cute! He's a lucky bird that he just gets to wander around your home. I have a house sparrow that I rescued - I got the largest cage I could afford for her, but she has to stay in it unless I'm supervising because my dog is a herding dog and my cat, well - is a cat lol

Do people ever lecture you about keeping a "wild bird" in captivity? I get it ALL the time. Sheesh.


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## _Green_ (Dec 30, 2008)

I have no idea why he does that, I suppose it's just something unique to him and perhaps has something to do with you making the nest for him when he was a baby, but really I have no idea. Every bird is different and they all have thier own personality.

Ross


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## Sunstar (Jul 29, 2008)

he is definately a nutjob.

I live in an appartment so people see me with him in the elevator, they are generally surprised. They had never seen a pigeon in that way. I only had one guy say they are full of disease, but I doubt chase has any, he's been in my care for almost three years. 

He had a few near misses when he was less than a year. Near miss one, he almost flew into a pot of boiling water. he hit the wall and bounced and I caugth him. Since then he's not gone near the stove or counters. I think he feared the cluster of shouts I did. The other one was being stood on. I feared I was going to loose him. He had tihs habit of sitting by my feet when he was a tichy thing and I tend to wrap into a blanket during winter
I tossed the blanket off, not realising he was under me. he didn't coo. I stood up. I felt something thrash panicked and the bird shot out flying crazily. I think he got concussed. I stayed up with him all night and he went quite still. Must have had a huge headache. I wanted to keep him awake like you do with people who had concussions. After 3 days he was back to normal. That was horrible and I was so upset. 

He will start to pe ster me in the morning if I sleep too long. And when I get up, he knows my typical route and leads the way. If only to attack my feet. (bathroom is his territory)

If I go out, I tell him to go to his room. He flies into the bathroom. I cover my shrimp bucket, close the toilet lid, and take the towels out. When I get home, he's usually rolled in some TP. 

He's an interesting animal as a pet. I am alergic to cats and dogs and rabbits.

he fears...his own down feathers.


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## blossom112 (Mar 19, 2008)

What is his fav color???


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## Sunstar (Jul 29, 2008)

White I think. Anything white he wants to make love to.


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## twoheadedfish (May 10, 2008)

ah, the white chocolate syndrome.


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## _Green_ (Dec 30, 2008)

pigeons are colour blind


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## blossom112 (Mar 19, 2008)

_Green_ said:


> pigeons are colour blind


so they say..............but how can we look through a pigeons eyes  

Julie wants to bring something for it ... I told her all about it !


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## Sunstar (Jul 29, 2008)

hmmm Q tips


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## _Green_ (Dec 30, 2008)

Sunstar said:


> hmmm Q tips


good point lol


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## Sunstar (Jul 29, 2008)

ugh, he has two boxes of them. 
or he steals them from the garbage *ich*


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## Sunstar (Jul 29, 2008)

Chase has moved his nest. Now he is right under my husband's chair. He's found a nice magazine to make it on as well as plenty of TP.

The problem here is he is really guarded about his nests and tends to attack anyone who goes near. 

So, visiting my tanks is usually a case of the dances. We need to make a skirt to wrap around thebase of he chair... out of sight, out mind....


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## Hippopoctopus (Feb 20, 2009)

Pigeons don't get the credit they deserve. These birds used to fly across battlefields dodging bullets just to deliver a letter to someone they didn't know.

How many other animals can be trained for intense war scenarios like that? Good luck running an unmanned horse or dog through mortar fire, it wont happen.

The fact that pigeons are everywhere and drive people nuts is just a testament to how adaptive and successful the species really is.

The only reason they're so full of disease is because they're forced to scavenge in the filthy conditions we leave their food in (ie. garbage cans).


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## Sunstar (Jul 29, 2008)

contrary to popular belief, they are not full of diseases. they have some, mites or lice, but they aren't full of disease.

Anyway, I was in ikea and bought a pair of cheap white towels to skirt the chair and put under it for him. He's mad at me for being in his teritory, but he seems to like his new abode.


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## Hippopoctopus (Feb 20, 2009)

Hmmm, interesting fact, although I shouldn't be entirely surprised. Most wild animals don't carry all the diseases people often believe they do.

Mites and other parasites can carry diseases though, as can feces (though those diseases/parasites are often difficult to contract, not sure on that with birds though)... I still wouldn't pick up a wild pigeon and rub it around on my face or anything though


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## Sunstar (Jul 29, 2008)

He's been favouring a foot lately, he did a few weeks ago. I am reconning he's either broken a toe or sprained it. My husband said he's been standing on a cold washcloth in the bathroom. I know when I've had him in my hands to check him over, he's not put any weight on that foot. 

chase is a good indoors flier, but sometimes he lands awkwardly... or...worse case, he landed on my husband's computer (major no no) and got his toe in the fan on the top and took a unpleasent hit.

Heis awkwardly stubborn at times.


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## Sunstar (Jul 29, 2008)

We superglued and taped his outside left toe on his left foot to his middle toe. using the toe as a splint and the glue to make a firmer bond. sounds strange, seems to be working. I did that yesterday and today he's walking faster. still limps but isn't so slow. Poor guy.


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