When it comes to petting an animal, 9 out of 10 times they'll do their best to move themselves to get you to pet where they want. Just keep petting and they'll move themselves.
So cute, been married to a lady pigeon for 5 years now. Understanding her body language just kinda happened. She doesn't do that head/neck wobble when alerted, she'll just stand ready for lift off looking around. Sometimes she'll give a warning sound, sounds kinda like "VRU!". The vacuum cleaner and mop are particularly big "vru's" :') She's addicted to kisses (shoving her beak in mine (read between my fingers)) I'm amazed you have a non-torn plant in the background, Pidgey is also known as the (plant)ripper, herbicidal maniac extraordinaire, suspected of the triple cucumber seedling murder of 2019 and many, many other atrocities.
Thank you so much! I found a pigeon that couldn't fly and caught it planning on taking it to an animal rescue. His wings are clipped and all markers of him being owned are removed. Someone abandoned my new baby in a Walmart parking lot when he can't fly to keep himself safe. Got a vet calling me on Tuesday to set up an appointment and buying cage and food today. For now he's in a box with holes and a bed with peanuts and water. Lined with paper towels so I can clean it and be sanitary. And he's only in there when he sleeps. Otherwise he's always perched on me or being held. Or trying to perch on my stovetop again with me quickly grabbing him off of there and scolding him.
Came here since it's been almost 2 months since I got Keigo. I love my little spoiled brat but omg I need to train him not to touch my laptop when I leave the room. Since I made his room and my office the same room. Since I work from home and it lets me spend all day with him.
My rescued Crow Pookie was a fledgling when I rescued him and he loved being fed for his whole life, I mean he could eat himself but he loved the feeding ritual and did the wing flutter all the time. He took preening me to a new level, he had one of his perches directly behind my seat and he would arrange my hair and eyebrows the way he liked and it was super relaxing being presented by him. I still miss him! I am so glad I found your channel, I will be better at gaining pigeons trust now and I am sure my mob of squabs will thank you too!
As a pigeon breeder I will say this is the most accurate and informative video on pigeon body language I have ever seen! In your next video on this topic I hope you will cover how they communicate with "head nodding" and the peculiar way they shake their head "no" like humans do when you offer them a food you know they don't like.
Thank you, that’s fantastic to hear! Absolutely, the head shack is hilariously well used, especially when they think you aren’t getting the message so they pick it up for the sole purpose of throwing it at you.
I breed pigeons too. I heard they need calcium in 1 video. Then I realised crushed oats was good for them. I have 2 white doves and wild street pigeons. Slowly they are mixing together. White is being introduced into the grey. So now they have a camouflage pattern for the snow areas.
You mentioned the eyes at the beginning but there’s something else pigeons (and birds in general) do with their eyes: pinning They contract their pupils when faced with someone they love, so if they do that when they see you or you approach your hand, that’s a very good sign. They can also do that for intimidation purposes, the general posture will tell you which case it is. It’s obviously way more visible when their irises are light and brightly coloured.
Absolutely, I have a soft spot for amazons who are particularly dramatic and expensive with there eyes. Since Tallulah has dark eyes her pupils and irises bland together most lighting so I haven’t gotten a chance to learn the nuances of how pigeons us pining and I don’t like bringing up things I can’t adequately explain. It’s great that you mentioned it incase someone is curious.
@@animalpeople880 Right that makes sense, I do have a couple doves with dark eyes, but all the others are bright red and it's really noticeable I actually learnt that by observing how one of my first pairs behaved with eachother, and noticed they can choose to pin eyes independently
I could barely focus on what exactly the narration was saying, because Tallulah is just too cute! An absolute cloud! The sweetest of mashed potatoes! Such a darling! More seriously though, a lot of these behaviors can be applied to other species as well. Mostly with the feathers and head/eye movements. The more you watch wild birds, the more you'll notice these behaviors and their species specific ones! Birds are just fascinating communicators, and are the embodiment of "eyes are the windows of the soul."
I have wild pidgins that visit my window, I love downtown and three floors up. I don’t move when they show up because I don’t want to frighten them, today one of the pigeons was trying to look passed the plants to view me. I thought it was so funny!
Great video, as always ☺️ One thing I would add is that sometimes wing twitches can be a warning that a pigeon is getting pissed off as well, eg. if you invade their space and they're working up to giving you a wing slap. Luckily, it's very easy to see a difference between a happy wing twitch and an annoyed one. An angry pigeon might also do an "intimidation coo" paired with pecking. This is more common in male pigeons. Also, I'd love to know what cage you keep Tallulah in! I've been looking to get my pigeon another cage, but I'm worries she wouldn't like it after having been in a really large dog crate for almost a year!
Thank you! That’s an awesome addition, thanks for sharing! You probably noticed I steered clear of discussing agression/territorial behaviour in the video. I’m sorely lacking any footage of that behaviour at the moment. I’ll make a video discussing it more when I find someone who has some and would like to team up to make it. But you describe it really well and I’m sure that will be helpful to people💛 If your dog crate is in the ball park of 54L x 37W x 45H, then I’d recommend sticking with it as that’s a good size. The one I have is a three tier cat cage, Tallulah loves it, I made her a costume 4’x4’x3’ cage a while back and she prefers the cat cage, even though it’s not as big. The cat cage works pretty well, but I would not recommend it if your bird spends a lot of time in its cage as it’s not big enough for them to fly. Since Tallulah is out most of the day and loves that cage it works well for us, but I’d switch back to the other one if I started working out if the home for example. There would be a good chance she would be upset by the chance at first, but if it’s a necessary upgrade it’s worth it. There’s also a chance she’ll be happy about the change as well. Tallulah lost it with excitement when i moved her back to the cat cage, cooing, dancing, strutting, preening me, and refusing to come out for an entire day. Sometimes a change is exactly what they want.
@@animalpeople880 Thank you for the very thorough reply! I hope you find someone to team up with, I'd love to see a video about aggressive ans territorial behaviour in pigeons, since my Ana has a bit of a mean streak sometimes, but if you can't find someone more experienced with TH-cam and video editing I can always help you out with some video "evidence" if it'd help 😂 And that's a good point. I've been looking at a cat cage for Ana, so I might just get it and see what she thinks about it! ☺️
@@margaretaakermark2029 Thanks for the offer! I might just take you up on that. If you do it will be interesting to see what she thinks of it. Also I love the name Ana!
@@animalpeople880 Of course, just let me know in the future if you need it ☺️ And thank you, I through it was a very fitting name since she really has the whole princess personality down pat 😂
😂 Mine did that too... I didn't know anything about bird care, she was an abandoned one... So it was all observations.. And she would twitch her little wings when happy and when not so happy with me 😂 all cute until she refused to look at me
One thing: most pigeons don’t have that neck shaking that she does. She has a slight zitter, which is common in some breeds (such as fantails). Afaik, it’s from a slight deformity in their neck. There are some breeds (Mookee, Zitterhall) that zitter constantly, and that really isn’t great for the bird- you can see a literal kink in their neck! There’s nothing wrong with your pigeon doing it, since it’s just sometimes and apparently only when she’s very stimulated by something, but just wanted to let you know since it’s not a universal pigeon thing.
Very true! Mentioning that it’s generally a fantail thing definitely doesn’t do the subject justice, especially considering there are breeds that specialize in it. I’ll be sure to discuss it more thoroughly in the future in addition the mentioning that “the neck wiggle” is just my nickname for it and not the proper term😂. Thanks for bringing it up!
It's very interesting to me to see the little neck jitters as a ringneck dove owner she has tiny little purs that mean the same exact thing. If I open a bag of her favorite treats she'll fly over and make a tiny purr or sometimes when I pet her she'll do the same thing. She also has a distinct warning call which is a louder and longer purr. It's interesting to me seeing your bird react the same way but in a much quieter way.
My first companion as a kid was a pigeon I saved from the streets, I cured him and soon became my protector because it was aggressive towards my parents but not me. Everytime I came home from school he always ran at me to pick him up. Then as usual was by my side while i did my homework or eat or play videogames.
@@animalpeople880 Yes. You have no idea how I cried when he died at my arms because of old age. I was in the middle of my high school years when he passed away. 😔😢
@@MuscleBaraLover I’m sorry to hear that, at least you were able to be together right up until the end. I lost my dog who was my best friend at about the same age, its crushing.😔
I rescued a pigeon back in December and I watched this video several times so I could understand him. Now he considers me his mate and he is very happy. :)
@summersmooth 0 seconds ago I use to be homeless up untill january this year. I use to sit out side home bargains begging everyday. everyday fgor 12 moth a brown pigeon would come sit with me everyday and share food i got of customers. She once came with an broken egg stuck to her bottom, so i caught her and removed the shell. I am now in recovery and live in a lovely home. but that little pigeon got me through the covid lockdown and she was so inelligent, Just after 2 weeks i saw her in the main city of Wakefield, I saw a pigeon the same color as my pal, so i shouted and to my amazment, it was my pal. she flew out of the pack and wobbled running straight towards me lol xx
I have 2 trumpeters. My female is very passive but the male is very much a "stay out of my personal bubble" kind of bird lol. He will actually slap and peck (and I mean like he's trying to stab you pecking lol) if you get too close to him. Sometimes I don't have a choice but to invade his bubble because he will rush to the food and water bowls before I can even finish setting them down. Sometimes I can't get him to get out of my way on his own when I have to clean their cage, so I have to pick him up and move him. Then he gives me that "I can't believe you just did that" look at walks away lol. He is ALSO the reason I have to put barriers on the inside of the cage doors. He will back up to the door and shoot his poo LITERALLY across the room. Now what makes this worth bringing up is that he only does this where there's nothing to stop it from going out of the cage. He ALSO aims for us. Frustrating as it is, I do find it humorous that he actually tries to hit us when he does this lol. He is very chivalrous too. When the female comes down to eat or drink, he will move wo she can access the bowl even though there are multiple bowls so they don't HAVE to do this. He cleans her and protects her. It's interesting to see how social these birds really are and how much personality they actually have.
So lovely to see such a beautiful soul being very happy because of the understanding and kindness she is being treated with by another beautiful soul ❤️
Thank you so much for making these vids! I’m going to put this comment on all of your vids to help boost your videos, but you’ve helped me SO much!!! It’s hard to find sound info on pigeons, and your channel has literally saved my butt when it comes to research. Again, THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!
I love and appreciate your content so much! I want to know as much as I can before I even consider getting my first pet pigeon and this is helping so much. Thank you ✨
GORGEOUS TALLULAH!!!! ❤❤❤ Wow, this is so detailed Eden! I learnt a lot - I actually didn't know the difference between some of the vocalisations, so you have enlightened me! I still can't believe Tallulah is so comfortable to lie on her back like that, and I love how she leans towards you to ask for pets! I haven't seen Lily do this before! 😯
First few minutes i didn't hear anything. How can you concentrate and hear what she is saying when she is holding and caressing that beauty all the time! This is heart melting!
another great video! :D definitely has rewatch value since some of the differences are quite subtle. definitely great for coming back to before and probably after i'll get a pigeon :]
Thank you so much for this video. I've lived all my life raising chickens, and I JUST adopted a pigeon a few days ago. I realized that her body language is comparable to chickens, but definitely different enough for me to be a bit lost about what exactly she's communicating. She had recently been doing the wing twitching thing, which prompted me to find this video. I thought she was having a seizure or trying to shrug me off of her lol. Thank you again!!
Wow I thought that the pigeon I rescued was hating me still because of the aggressive preening but he’s showing so many good signs thankyou for this video
Lucky bird. I like the slo-mo as birds are on a different time span to us. The vocalisations slowed down would be interesting too. I am hoping for a day in the life of Tallulah in part so I can work out where my feral pigeons go in the afternoon.
Slowed down vocalizing would be interesting. I look forward to making a day in the life as well, it’s on the list! If your ferals have a similar schedule to Tallulah, they are probably taking an afternoon nap😂
@@animalpeople880 Walter Santi is a cats channel that is very popular, with viewers knowing the personalities of the cats. It is through observation with subtitles and background music that the viewer gets to 'know' the cats. I think some of these techiques can be used with pigeons, so the character is shown. On the Walter Santi show there are three indoor cats and about a dozen outdoor stray cats that get pamered with their own living quarters. The culmination this Christmas told around the two cst gangs meeting. For the first time. It would be great if Tallulah had an outdoor gang of feral pigeons for company maybe for her to meet them and be welcomed by the flock. Could happen. She could even have a male partner, albeit feral, below her breeding standards. The dynamic could make great content. I am also looking forward to Tallulah's merch store. Plus the sponsored content. Pigeons were into VPNs at the start, they know about it becuase they were the virtual private network in WW1. So pigeon oriented sponsored content works for any product. Also good to see would be some clickbait titles such as 'Avian Flu, Tallulah and you' with some clarity about what diseases you can get or give to a pigeon. Some people say that pigeons are unhygienic and a concise video on just that topic would be useful to send to doom-mongers that think pigeons are tastier flying rats.
@@pdsnpsnldlqnop3330 That sounds pretty interesting, I’ll check out that channel. While that sounds like an entertaining idea it wouldn’t work. While ferals don’t generally pose a particularly big risk to most humans (thought that’s a rather complex topic not for a comment, I’ll definitely look into making a dedicated video on the topic) they do pose a significant risk to Tallulah. Even a healthy human raised pigeon would need to be quarantined before coming near Tallulah, its standard procedure for all birds (parrots, chicken, pigeons, finches etc..) as they can pass illness between each other very easily, and ferals are far less healthy then a house pigeon. We do stop to say hi to the local feral flock on our walks, but we can’t get to close for Tallulahs safety. That’s a great point, I’ve been so focused on just making the videos I haven’t really thought about merch or sponsors yet. That will be pretty exciting and she would be ridiculously adorable on merch.
This video helped me a lot in understanding my pigeon! When I came back from a 3-week trip, my pigeon was fully an adult and I couldn’t understand much of what she was saying! I’m still trying to figure out her more “aggressive” behaviors and I’d like your insight! When I pet her, she bites me hard but doesn’t leave a bite mark, she also kind of holds it in place, her eyes seem relaxed and she wags her wings and sometimes flaps them in my direction! On a few other occasions, she does her pigeon hoot, and walks in a circle, if I go in with a pet, she bites so I leave her be and I believe she may be upset, What do these two behaviors mean? To give you a bit more information about her, she free flights and has a large bookshelf all to herself (next to my desk) she preens near me, flies on my chair and preens, goes on top of my desk and preens, and flies on my head and shoulder; which in the video, this means she’s comfortable near me. I also believe she’s afraid or uncomfortable aroundhuman hands because I’m not able to approach her with them unless she’s on the shelf (which I explained what happens on top) her feathers tighten and fly away. Thank you!!`
I love the birds with the fancy feets. Only birds I've come across have been more wild like captive chickens and stuff so I couldn't exactly hold and pet them. Always wondered how soft they are.
Awesome video!:))) I don't own a pigeon but I enjoy observing wild birds in different situtations - their moves, their souds, their reactions - they're really "interactive" creatures - as long as you can read their body language like you can:) Thank you!:)))
Thanks for the info, especially on vocalization! My pigeon has just started being vocal and getting comfortable with me. She’s never been a house pigeon before so this is all new! Is Talulah potty trained?
I’m happy you found it helpful and congrats on the new addition! She is not potty trained at the moment, she was to sick to do so in the beginning and I haven’t felt the need to since. I may do so and film the process in the future.
Informative & interesting video. Early morning, about 10-20 Pigeons started landing on my roof to then fly down to my yard to peck for small pebbles before flying off. Their constant cooing is annoying. It makes me wonder how they could possibly hide from predators.
Question, I’m new to owning birds. I wasn’t prepared because they were unexpected rescues that my dad gave me the responsibility of, but that’s no excuse. My birds are doves and I was wondering if this also goes for doves and not just pigeons. (Any advice on anything gaining trust for doves is well appreciated!!)
This is such a cute video! I watch pigeons outside my home almost everyday and I do it for hours sometimes. I am aware of almost every emotion of a pigeon now. You have expressed all the emotions of pigeon really well here. I just had one doubt. I have seen that pigeons poop a lot. Does your pigeon breed poops a lot? If yes, how do you potty train them? Thanks for the video though, it was very comforting.
I’m so happy you enjoyed it! I love watching feral pigeons as well. Yes she does, all birds poop a lot, the only difference is the bigger the bird the less frequent the poop, but the bigger the poop. Tallulah poops once every 45 minutes to an hour if she’s not holding it, but if she’s cuddling or napping it can be much longer. It is possible to potty train them, but it’s harder to do with a pigeon then other species, Tallulah has never shown interest so I have never done it. For the most part she just spends time in locations that are easy to clean (I have a wood floor) and I just spot clean throughout the day. I also have pigeon pants, which act as a diaper that keep the bird and the house clean, but I don’t like her to wear it to frequently so it’s primarily for walks if the leash is needed or if she wants to be on a couch (very hard to clean).
I have been feeding two wild pidgeons for three years now and this helped me a lot understanding them better. I have one question: I act equally towards both of the pideons. The female seems to be very comfortable around me (caring for her feathers, "fluffing" and closing her eyes around me, wiggling her wings in expectations of food and not being bothered much when I scare away other pidgeons in order to protect her. The male is a different story. although he trusts me enough to allow my hand to come very close to him (about 3-4cm) he makes excited (not agressive) noises and dances around when I am about to give him food wich would be alright but when the female is there too he makes himself tall and flapps his wings against my hands when I try to feed him. I was hoping to understand what makes him do that in this situation and how I can help him to relax when he does that. So far I have just kept my hand with the food closed in front of him until he calms down and then proceeded with the feeding.
I got my pigeons less than a week ago. They are sitting together with their chests touching the ground. Does this mean they are happy? They are sitting on the same side of the room as me and didn't leave when I came in.
It sounds like they get along very well, and a\them being unbothered by you is a great start. I hope the time that elapsed since you commented has brought you all closer!
What a great video! I have really tried to find with the neck wiggle meant and couldn’t find anything on it… Until you!! May I ask what you use as a treat for training? Thank you so much for this wonderful video, It is especially helpful for me and my two and a half month old white fantail, Joee
I’m happy to hear it was helpful to you! I currently use buckwheat and mung beans. I recommend experimenting with different options and just going with Joee’s favourite. I talk a bit more about it in the training pigeons to step up video if that’s of interest to you.
The most popular treats for pigeons are safflower! What I used to do was look at which seeds the pigeon picks at the most in their seed mix! You can pick out that favorite seed and use it as a treat! But most pigeons usually like peas, safflower, and sometimes like my pigeon peanuts!
@AnimalPeople I rescued a pigeon 3 weeks ago and nursed it, it was at first happy to sit on my hand and I did try to release him but he wouldn't go. However he's now much more cautious of me and I'm trying to gain his trust by not interacting too much unless he comes near me. Do you have a video or could you make a video that helps us as the people to communicate through mimicking pigeon sounds to show that I am friendly and safe?I've tried looking but can't find anything and want to be able to make happy pigeon sounds to my pigeon
Nice video. Useful info. Pigeons twitch wings when they are at a place where they can make a nest and start breeding. Find a mate for your pigeon, please. Without a mate pigeons are depressed and also that’s not natural. When you take your pigeon outside please remove its poop bag in case if it flies away and gets lost, never returns, it is most likely going to die from the bag getting overfilled, filth, and whatnot.
I was given a wild baby pigeon and thought that it would be a good idea to get them company while I'm gone at work. I bought a dove. Do you have a video about introducing a new bird to the previous one??
what is some advice you can give about getting my adopted pigeon calm around hands? he [unsure, waiting on dna test] is terrified of hands but a single finger doesnt bother him much. despite being able to pet and scritch him after having him 2 weeks now, he's still very flighty and hates being removed from the cage. he refuses to take food from my hand if he is in the cage but will take it readily once I have him out
I have a question (idk if i will get a response but doesnt hurt to try) Ive had mt boy for a year now. He hasnt seen me as a mate and hates being picked up but he LOVES it when i pet his head but he hates all the steps that lead up to that... he does eat from my hand as well but doesnt take treats yet. I guess i am not really sure where i am at in my relationship with my own bird...
Just keep in mind that one paragraph isn’t much to go on, so this is more my hypotheses then a clearn answer. Over all it sounds like you two have made some great progress, I know some people who’ve had there birds twice as long and still cant get near them, so definitely be proud! Based off what you’re bird is and is not willing to do with you at the moment, I’d guess you’ve been focusing on passive relationship building over the last year. That’s where you mainly just do normal daily things with them instead of using structured intentional sessions. A portion of that is good and necessary, and typically leads to an animal thats pretty good with some simple things and often are relatively used to some form of interaction. The issue with passively bonding is that it tends to stagnant pretty fast, and will also tend to have gaps. If you want to develop your relationship more, I recommend going about it more actively, having daily sessions and figuring out where the weak points are and making a plan to deal with them. I have a earning a pigeons trust series, if you start from the beginning and work your way through you’ll likening progress really fast for the first little bit. Starting at the beginning will help you figure out what needs to be worked on, or if there are any shaky foundations that need some help. When you’ve gotten caught up to the last one you can do some training, which is the best tool for improving relationships. There a how to step up video that you can use to start. Lastly, don’t worry about being seen as your birds mate. Having a trusting positive relationship is the most important thing.
I do not have a pigeon, nor do I plan on getting one in the near future. These birds are obviously very intelligent, so they require a lot of mental and physical stimulation. I have issues with time perception so I just don't think it'd be wise for me to keep one in my own personal home. That being said, I think that this video is very informational and I will be keeping some of these cues in mind as I continue my college journey of becoming a zoologist! Like the "prey side eye perspective on life changes vs predator front facing eyes" is a good thing to remember. Also birb cute but that goes without saying ^^
I have a mourning dove, about 8 months old. She seems to have an aversion to being pet. I noticed this early on and simply stopped petting her. My husband thinks she just needs to get used to it so he keeps doing it. The bird makes it very clear to me, as she will peck him every time he gets within pecking distance, whereas with me she will groom my fingers rather than pecking. Also I can just set in her eyes that she gets scared when he approaches and seems to relax a bit more when I’m the one handling her. I’m hoping she does get used to being pet, but I don’t want to be the one to scare her. Any thoughts?
I am a bit confused, my pigeon I got about a month ago is still mostly scared of me when I move my hands close but it gives me the flirty coo and the sexy dance/walk coo a lot. I was worried they hated me. Does this mean maybe they like me and want to be friends and the idea of interaction but are still just a bit scared of the actual interaction? Very much trying to bond with them but at a slight loss since they are not food motivated and seem to not like or care for any treats.
They probably do like you, but to them, you are huge and their instinct tells them to fear you. You need to force them to eat from your hand. Wait for a weekend and remove their food on Friday night, and I mean no food on the bottom of the cage or anywhere at all, be sure they have water. Then offer them food from your hand many times throughout the day, it may take more than one day and it may feel cruel but you will score a huge amount of trust and your pigeons will be happier and most or all of the fear will be gone. If this doesn't work before the end of day two, resume feeding and hit me up because there is another problem at play here.
I had a male pigeon who would make that funny noise pigeons make then, he would become aggressive, charge me, and peck and slap my hands. I thought it was funny as there was no way I could have been injured, he also would grab ahold of the back of my hand and shake it like a pit bull. It was hilarious as he thought I was hurt and he was going to reach me a lesson.
When it comes to petting an animal, 9 out of 10 times they'll do their best to move themselves to get you to pet where they want. Just keep petting and they'll move themselves.
So cute, been married to a lady pigeon for 5 years now.
Understanding her body language just kinda happened.
She doesn't do that head/neck wobble when alerted, she'll just stand ready for lift off looking around. Sometimes she'll give a warning sound, sounds kinda like "VRU!". The vacuum cleaner and mop are particularly big "vru's" :')
She's addicted to kisses (shoving her beak in mine (read between my fingers))
I'm amazed you have a non-torn plant in the background, Pidgey is also known as the (plant)ripper, herbicidal maniac extraordinaire, suspected of the triple cucumber seedling murder of 2019 and many, many other atrocities.
tallulah's gentle face as theyre being pet...... omg......
Thank you so much! I found a pigeon that couldn't fly and caught it planning on taking it to an animal rescue. His wings are clipped and all markers of him being owned are removed. Someone abandoned my new baby in a Walmart parking lot when he can't fly to keep himself safe. Got a vet calling me on Tuesday to set up an appointment and buying cage and food today. For now he's in a box with holes and a bed with peanuts and water. Lined with paper towels so I can clean it and be sanitary. And he's only in there when he sleeps. Otherwise he's always perched on me or being held. Or trying to perch on my stovetop again with me quickly grabbing him off of there and scolding him.
Came here since it's been almost 2 months since I got Keigo. I love my little spoiled brat but omg I need to train him not to touch my laptop when I leave the room. Since I made his room and my office the same room. Since I work from home and it lets me spend all day with him.
My rescued Crow Pookie was a fledgling when I rescued him and he loved being fed for his whole life, I mean he could eat himself but he loved the feeding ritual and did the wing flutter all the time. He took preening me to a new level, he had one of his perches directly behind my seat and he would arrange my hair and eyebrows the way he liked and it was super relaxing being presented by him. I still miss him! I am so glad I found your channel, I will be better at gaining pigeons trust now and I am sure my mob of squabs will thank you too!
As a pigeon breeder I will say this is the most accurate and informative video on pigeon body language I have ever seen! In your next video on this topic I hope you will cover how they communicate with "head nodding" and the peculiar way they shake their head "no" like humans do when you offer them a food you know they don't like.
Thank you, that’s fantastic to hear! Absolutely, the head shack is hilariously well used, especially when they think you aren’t getting the message so they pick it up for the sole purpose of throwing it at you.
As another pigeon breeder I agree very good video
stop exploiting animals and get a real job you loser
I breed pigeons too. I heard they need calcium in 1 video. Then I realised crushed oats was good for them. I have 2 white doves and wild street pigeons. Slowly they are mixing together. White is being introduced into the grey. So now they have a camouflage pattern for the snow areas.
@@bradley7454 pos
You mentioned the eyes at the beginning but there’s something else pigeons (and birds in general) do with their eyes: pinning
They contract their pupils when faced with someone they love, so if they do that when they see you or you approach your hand, that’s a very good sign. They can also do that for intimidation purposes, the general posture will tell you which case it is. It’s obviously way more visible when their irises are light and brightly coloured.
Absolutely, I have a soft spot for amazons who are particularly dramatic and expensive with there eyes. Since Tallulah has dark eyes her pupils and irises bland together most lighting so I haven’t gotten a chance to learn the nuances of how pigeons us pining and I don’t like bringing up things I can’t adequately explain. It’s great that you mentioned it incase someone is curious.
@@animalpeople880 Right that makes sense, I do have a couple doves with dark eyes, but all the others are bright red and it's really noticeable
I actually learnt that by observing how one of my first pairs behaved with eachother, and noticed they can choose to pin eyes independently
i love pigeons so much :(
I could barely focus on what exactly the narration was saying, because Tallulah is just too cute! An absolute cloud! The sweetest of mashed potatoes! Such a darling!
More seriously though, a lot of these behaviors can be applied to other species as well. Mostly with the feathers and head/eye movements. The more you watch wild birds, the more you'll notice these behaviors and their species specific ones! Birds are just fascinating communicators, and are the embodiment of "eyes are the windows of the soul."
omg I love how she turns in to an orb when you pet her
I have wild pidgins that visit my window, I love downtown and three floors up. I don’t move when they show up because I don’t want to frighten them, today one of the pigeons was trying to look passed the plants to view me. I thought it was so funny!
Great video, as always ☺️ One thing I would add is that sometimes wing twitches can be a warning that a pigeon is getting pissed off as well, eg. if you invade their space and they're working up to giving you a wing slap. Luckily, it's very easy to see a difference between a happy wing twitch and an annoyed one. An angry pigeon might also do an "intimidation coo" paired with pecking. This is more common in male pigeons. Also, I'd love to know what cage you keep Tallulah in! I've been looking to get my pigeon another cage, but I'm worries she wouldn't like it after having been in a really large dog crate for almost a year!
Thank you! That’s an awesome addition, thanks for sharing! You probably noticed I steered clear of discussing agression/territorial behaviour in the video. I’m sorely lacking any footage of that behaviour at the moment. I’ll make a video discussing it more when I find someone who has some and would like to team up to make it. But you describe it really well and I’m sure that will be helpful to people💛
If your dog crate is in the ball park of 54L x 37W x 45H, then I’d recommend sticking with it as that’s a good size. The one I have is a three tier cat cage, Tallulah loves it, I made her a costume 4’x4’x3’ cage a while back and she prefers the cat cage, even though it’s not as big. The cat cage works pretty well, but I would not recommend it if your bird spends a lot of time in its cage as it’s not big enough for them to fly. Since Tallulah is out most of the day and loves that cage it works well for us, but I’d switch back to the other one if I started working out if the home for example. There would be a good chance she would be upset by the chance at first, but if it’s a necessary upgrade it’s worth it. There’s also a chance she’ll be happy about the change as well. Tallulah lost it with excitement when i moved her back to the cat cage, cooing, dancing, strutting, preening me, and refusing to come out for an entire day. Sometimes a change is exactly what they want.
@@animalpeople880 Thank you for the very thorough reply! I hope you find someone to team up with, I'd love to see a video about aggressive ans territorial behaviour in pigeons, since my Ana has a bit of a mean streak sometimes, but if you can't find someone more experienced with TH-cam and video editing I can always help you out with some video "evidence" if it'd help 😂 And that's a good point. I've been looking at a cat cage for Ana, so I might just get it and see what she thinks about it! ☺️
@@margaretaakermark2029 Thanks for the offer! I might just take you up on that. If you do it will be interesting to see what she thinks of it. Also I love the name Ana!
@@animalpeople880 Of course, just let me know in the future if you need it ☺️ And thank you, I through it was a very fitting name since she really has the whole princess personality down pat 😂
😂 Mine did that too... I didn't know anything about bird care, she was an abandoned one... So it was all observations.. And she would twitch her little wings when happy and when not so happy with me 😂 all cute until she refused to look at me
One thing: most pigeons don’t have that neck shaking that she does. She has a slight zitter, which is common in some breeds (such as fantails). Afaik, it’s from a slight deformity in their neck. There are some breeds (Mookee, Zitterhall) that zitter constantly, and that really isn’t great for the bird- you can see a literal kink in their neck! There’s nothing wrong with your pigeon doing it, since it’s just sometimes and apparently only when she’s very stimulated by something, but just wanted to let you know since it’s not a universal pigeon thing.
Very true! Mentioning that it’s generally a fantail thing definitely doesn’t do the subject justice, especially considering there are breeds that specialize in it. I’ll be sure to discuss it more thoroughly in the future in addition the mentioning that “the neck wiggle” is just my nickname for it and not the proper term😂. Thanks for bringing it up!
is it a neurological disorder like tumblers? or a physical issue? it's sad seeing the unhealthy side effects of selective inbreeding
It's very interesting to me to see the little neck jitters as a ringneck dove owner she has tiny little purs that mean the same exact thing. If I open a bag of her favorite treats she'll fly over and make a tiny purr or sometimes when I pet her she'll do the same thing. She also has a distinct warning call which is a louder and longer purr. It's interesting to me seeing your bird react the same way but in a much quieter way.
My first companion as a kid was a pigeon I saved from the streets, I cured him and soon became my protector because it was aggressive towards my parents but not me. Everytime I came home from school he always ran at me to pick him up. Then as usual was by my side while i did my homework or eat or play videogames.
That sounds like a great relationship, it’s wonderful you two had each other.
@@animalpeople880 Yes. You have no idea how I cried when he died at my arms because of old age. I was in the middle of my high school years when he passed away. 😔😢
@@MuscleBaraLover I’m sorry to hear that, at least you were able to be together right up until the end. I lost my dog who was my best friend at about the same age, its crushing.😔
@@animalpeople880 I'll never forget my angel. ♥️ He gave me life. ♥️
I rescued a pigeon back in December and I watched this video several times so I could understand him. Now he considers me his mate and he is very happy. :)
@summersmooth
0 seconds ago
I use to be homeless up untill january this year. I use to sit out side home bargains begging everyday. everyday fgor 12 moth a brown pigeon would come sit with me everyday and share food i got of customers. She once came with an broken egg stuck to her bottom, so i caught her and removed the shell. I am now in recovery and live in a lovely home. but that little pigeon got me through the covid lockdown and she was so inelligent, Just after 2 weeks i saw her in the main city of Wakefield, I saw a pigeon the same color as my pal, so i shouted and to my amazment, it was my pal. she flew out of the pack and wobbled running straight towards me lol xx
I don't even have a pigeon, why am I watching this.
If I had to guess, probably due to Tallulah being ridiculously adorable 😂
I have 2 lol
Dude at 4:47 you two are so in sync with each other, it's so sweet!
I have 2 trumpeters. My female is very passive but the male is very much a "stay out of my personal bubble" kind of bird lol. He will actually slap and peck (and I mean like he's trying to stab you pecking lol) if you get too close to him. Sometimes I don't have a choice but to invade his bubble because he will rush to the food and water bowls before I can even finish setting them down. Sometimes I can't get him to get out of my way on his own when I have to clean their cage, so I have to pick him up and move him. Then he gives me that "I can't believe you just did that" look at walks away lol.
He is ALSO the reason I have to put barriers on the inside of the cage doors. He will back up to the door and shoot his poo LITERALLY across the room. Now what makes this worth bringing up is that he only does this where there's nothing to stop it from going out of the cage. He ALSO aims for us. Frustrating as it is, I do find it humorous that he actually tries to hit us when he does this lol.
He is very chivalrous too. When the female comes down to eat or drink, he will move wo she can access the bowl even though there are multiple bowls so they don't HAVE to do this. He cleans her and protects her.
It's interesting to see how social these birds really are and how much personality they actually have.
So lovely to see such a beautiful soul being very happy because of the understanding and kindness she is being treated with by another beautiful soul ❤️
This is a fantastic resource! I worked with pigeons, and this is the best information body language I've ever seen. Great job!
Thank you so much for making these vids! I’m going to put this comment on all of your vids to help boost your videos, but you’ve helped me SO much!!! It’s hard to find sound info on pigeons, and your channel has literally saved my butt when it comes to research. Again, THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!
Очень красивая птица !🕊
Gorgeous bird!! Adorable!! ❤❤ Well done for the love and care you give to this lovely creature.
I love and appreciate your content so much! I want to know as much as I can before I even consider getting my first pet pigeon and this is helping so much. Thank you ✨
Thank you for this information, it helped me realize my rescue pigeon does love meeee
What an amazing bird! They look so fun and nice to have. :)
GORGEOUS TALLULAH!!!! ❤❤❤ Wow, this is so detailed Eden!
I learnt a lot - I actually didn't know the difference between some of the vocalisations, so you have enlightened me! I still can't believe Tallulah is so comfortable to lie on her back like that, and I love how she leans towards you to ask for pets! I haven't seen Lily do this before! 😯
Thank you Ivy!💛 That’s fantastic feedback! Right! It totally melts my heart when she does that. Lily is a sweetie as well, especially on eggs Lily💕
Ive had my bird for a year, and I learned so much from your video. Thank you so much. 🙂My pigeon likes music and dancing. :-)
First few minutes i didn't hear anything. How can you concentrate and hear what she is saying when she is holding and caressing that beauty all the time! This is heart melting!
another great video! :D definitely has rewatch value since some of the differences are quite subtle. definitely great for coming back to before and probably after i'll get a pigeon :]
Thank you! It makes me so happy hearing you find it helpful.💛
So many useful information!!
Thank you so much for this video. I've lived all my life raising chickens, and I JUST adopted a pigeon a few days ago. I realized that her body language is comparable to chickens, but definitely different enough for me to be a bit lost about what exactly she's communicating. She had recently been doing the wing twitching thing, which prompted me to find this video. I thought she was having a seizure or trying to shrug me off of her lol. Thank you again!!
This is such a great and helpful video!! I honestly enjoyed all the little clips of baby Tallulah! She is so adorable!!
I’m glade you enjoyed it!
@@animalpeople880 🕊
yours is probably the prettiest pigeon I've ever seen!!!
Wonderful information! Thank you so much! And she is an absolutely beautiful pigeon
Wow I thought that the pigeon I rescued was hating me still because of the aggressive preening but he’s showing so many good signs thankyou for this video
Tallulah is so adorable!!!
Haha, I have to agree with you on that!
Great and help fully vedio ☺️
thanks for this video, I am trying to make friends with wild pigeons and knowing their body language will be very useful
This helped a lot in the taming of my pigeon he’s a fantail roller mix and he’s a very needy bird now I got him more tame
Wonderful, thank you for this video, birds are angles ...
Do you mean angels?
Lucky bird. I like the slo-mo as birds are on a different time span to us. The vocalisations slowed down would be interesting too. I am hoping for a day in the life of Tallulah in part so I can work out where my feral pigeons go in the afternoon.
Slowed down vocalizing would be interesting. I look forward to making a day in the life as well, it’s on the list! If your ferals have a similar schedule to Tallulah, they are probably taking an afternoon nap😂
@@animalpeople880 Walter Santi is a cats channel that is very popular, with viewers knowing the personalities of the cats. It is through observation with subtitles and background music that the viewer gets to 'know' the cats. I think some of these techiques can be used with pigeons, so the character is shown. On the Walter Santi show there are three indoor cats and about a dozen outdoor stray cats that get pamered with their own living quarters.
The culmination this Christmas told around the two cst gangs meeting. For the first time.
It would be great if Tallulah had an outdoor gang of feral pigeons for company maybe for her to meet them and be welcomed by the flock. Could happen. She could even have a male partner, albeit feral, below her breeding standards. The dynamic could make great content.
I am also looking forward to Tallulah's merch store. Plus the sponsored content. Pigeons were into VPNs at the start, they know about it becuase they were the virtual private network in WW1. So pigeon oriented sponsored content works for any product.
Also good to see would be some clickbait titles such as 'Avian Flu, Tallulah and you' with some clarity about what diseases you can get or give to a pigeon. Some people say that pigeons are unhygienic and a concise video on just that topic would be useful to send to doom-mongers that think pigeons are tastier flying rats.
@@pdsnpsnldlqnop3330 That sounds pretty interesting, I’ll check out that channel.
While that sounds like an entertaining idea it wouldn’t work. While ferals don’t generally pose a particularly big risk to most humans (thought that’s a rather complex topic not for a comment, I’ll definitely look into making a dedicated video on the topic) they do pose a significant risk to Tallulah. Even a healthy human raised pigeon would need to be quarantined before coming near Tallulah, its standard procedure for all birds (parrots, chicken, pigeons, finches etc..) as they can pass illness between each other very easily, and ferals are far less healthy then a house pigeon. We do stop to say hi to the local feral flock on our walks, but we can’t get to close for Tallulahs safety.
That’s a great point, I’ve been so focused on just making the videos I haven’t really thought about merch or sponsors yet. That will be pretty exciting and she would be ridiculously adorable on merch.
Brilliant! ☺️❤️🕊️ I have a cavy (guinea pig) and body language can be just as important as vocalization.
beautiful pigeon
I love Tallulah! She looks so chunky ❤️ My pigeon is an old German owl, she'd be pretty petite in comparison.
🤩 amazing
❤❤beautiful pigeon ❤❤
This video helped me a lot in understanding my pigeon! When I came back from a 3-week trip, my pigeon was fully an adult and I couldn’t understand much of what she was saying! I’m still trying to figure out her more “aggressive” behaviors and I’d like your insight! When I pet her, she bites me hard but doesn’t leave a bite mark, she also kind of holds it in place, her eyes seem relaxed and she wags her wings and sometimes flaps them in my direction! On a few other occasions, she does her pigeon hoot, and walks in a circle, if I go in with a pet, she bites so I leave her be and I believe she may be upset, What do these two behaviors mean? To give you a bit more information about her, she free flights and has a large bookshelf all to herself (next to my desk) she preens near me, flies on my chair and preens, goes on top of my desk and preens, and flies on my head and shoulder; which in the video, this means she’s comfortable near me. I also believe she’s afraid or uncomfortable aroundhuman hands because I’m not able to approach her with them unless she’s on the shelf (which I explained what happens on top) her feathers tighten and fly away. Thank you!!`
Thank you so much
your bird is so beautiful!
i love the video !!!
What a little angel❤
Love Your video!
Beautiful bird mashaallah
I love the birds with the fancy feets. Only birds I've come across have been more wild like captive chickens and stuff so I couldn't exactly hold and pet them. Always wondered how soft they are.
This is wholesome
Awesome video!:))) I don't own a pigeon but I enjoy observing wild birds in different situtations - their moves, their souds, their reactions - they're really "interactive" creatures - as long as you can read their body language like you can:) Thank you!:)))
🙋♀️❤️🕊️
@@ewak7702 Miło Panią widzieć, Pani Ewuniu🥰
Thanks for the info, especially on vocalization! My pigeon has just started being vocal and getting comfortable with me. She’s never been a house pigeon before so this is all new! Is Talulah potty trained?
I’m happy you found it helpful and congrats on the new addition! She is not potty trained at the moment, she was to sick to do so in the beginning and I haven’t felt the need to since. I may do so and film the process in the future.
Precious lil purgun, I wuv them 💗✨💎🌿
woww that's the cutest pigeon i've ever seen. I'd love to pet it too
I'm surprised by how similar the tips are to parrots, I've got a budgie and almost all of these are true for him!
so cute
Love From India 🇮🇳 ♥️
9:32 I love this design/ harness style for pants! Is it diy or did you buy it commercially?
I got that one from Stassia on Etsy.
Excellent video!
Thanks!
Informative & interesting video. Early morning, about 10-20 Pigeons started landing on my roof to then fly down to my yard to peck for small pebbles before flying off. Their constant cooing is annoying. It makes me wonder how they could possibly hide from predators.
Question, I’m new to owning birds. I wasn’t prepared because they were unexpected rescues that my dad gave me the responsibility of, but that’s no excuse. My birds are doves and I was wondering if this also goes for doves and not just pigeons. (Any advice on anything gaining trust for doves is well appreciated!!)
doves and pigeons are the same thing! doves are usually just small pigeons so it should still apply!
Could you please share how i might get a similar foraging enrichment you used at 2:34? That would be perfect for my ringneck dove.
Tallulah is SO BEAUTIFUL! what a lovely girl
the vocalization were definietly harder to tell apart but either way great video!
What do you use as a reward treat when training?
This is such a cute video! I watch pigeons outside my home almost everyday and I do it for hours sometimes. I am aware of almost every emotion of a pigeon now. You have expressed all the emotions of pigeon really well here. I just had one doubt. I have seen that pigeons poop a lot. Does your pigeon breed poops a lot? If yes, how do you potty train them? Thanks for the video though, it was very comforting.
I’m so happy you enjoyed it! I love watching feral pigeons as well. Yes she does, all birds poop a lot, the only difference is the bigger the bird the less frequent the poop, but the bigger the poop. Tallulah poops once every 45 minutes to an hour if she’s not holding it, but if she’s cuddling or napping it can be much longer. It is possible to potty train them, but it’s harder to do with a pigeon then other species, Tallulah has never shown interest so I have never done it. For the most part she just spends time in locations that are easy to clean (I have a wood floor) and I just spot clean throughout the day. I also have pigeon pants, which act as a diaper that keep the bird and the house clean, but I don’t like her to wear it to frequently so it’s primarily for walks if the leash is needed or if she wants to be on a couch (very hard to clean).
@@animalpeople880 Oh. It was great to know. Thank you so much for the reply. All the best for your youtube journey with Tallulah!
I have been feeding two wild pidgeons for three years now and this helped me a lot understanding them better. I have one question: I act equally towards both of the pideons. The female seems to be very comfortable around me (caring for her feathers, "fluffing" and closing her eyes around me, wiggling her wings in expectations of food and not being bothered much when I scare away other pidgeons in order to protect her. The male is a different story. although he trusts me enough to allow my hand to come very close to him (about 3-4cm) he makes excited (not agressive) noises and dances around when I am about to give him food wich would be alright but when the female is there too he makes himself tall and flapps his wings against my hands when I try to feed him. I was hoping to understand what makes him do that in this situation and how I can help him to relax when he does that. So far I have just kept my hand with the food closed in front of him until he calms down and then proceeded with the feeding.
I got my pigeons less than a week ago. They are sitting together with their chests touching the ground. Does this mean they are happy? They are sitting on the same side of the room as me and didn't leave when I came in.
It sounds like they get along very well, and a\them being unbothered by you is a great start. I hope the time that elapsed since you commented has brought you all closer!
Where did you get the pigeon pants? I bought some for mine but he’s was too big for them but T’s size
My pigeon rn sittin on my chest and preening carelessly ♥️
What a great video! I have really tried to find with the neck wiggle meant and couldn’t find anything on it… Until you!! May I ask what you use as a treat for training? Thank you so much for this wonderful video, It is especially helpful for me and my two and a half month old white fantail, Joee
I’m happy to hear it was helpful to you! I currently use buckwheat and mung beans. I recommend experimenting with different options and just going with Joee’s favourite. I talk a bit more about it in the training pigeons to step up video if that’s of interest to you.
The most popular treats for pigeons are safflower! What I used to do was look at which seeds the pigeon picks at the most in their seed mix! You can pick out that favorite seed and use it as a treat! But most pigeons usually like peas, safflower, and sometimes like my pigeon peanuts!
How about sunflowers - same as safflower?
@@angelawhitehead6187 they often enjoy sunflower as well. It’s usually recommended to give them shell free ones.
@@angelawhitehead6187 yep!
What pigeon pants did u get. I want one that will fit my fantail. Also what treats do u use.
🕊🌐🕊🕊sharing
@AnimalPeople I rescued a pigeon 3 weeks ago and nursed it, it was at first happy to sit on my hand and I did try to release him but he wouldn't go. However he's now much more cautious of me and I'm trying to gain his trust by not interacting too much unless he comes near me. Do you have a video or could you make a video that helps us as the people to communicate through mimicking pigeon sounds to show that I am friendly and safe?I've tried looking but can't find anything and want to be able to make happy pigeon sounds to my pigeon
The fluffy feet 😭💕
your pogeon is so beautiful and sweet
Nice video. Useful info. Pigeons twitch wings when they are at a place where they can make a nest and start breeding. Find a mate for your pigeon, please. Without a mate pigeons are depressed and also that’s not natural. When you take your pigeon outside please remove its poop bag in case if it flies away and gets lost, never returns, it is most likely going to die from the bag getting overfilled, filth, and whatnot.
She’s so beautiful. How do you provide for her need for flight?
pigeons are absolutely delicious
I was given a wild baby pigeon and thought that it would be a good idea to get them company while I'm gone at work. I bought a dove. Do you have a video about introducing a new bird to the previous one??
Haha my baby silkies terrified of the TV and phone 😂
btw where did you get that cute diaper for your Pigeon?
what is some advice you can give about getting my adopted pigeon calm around hands? he [unsure, waiting on dna test] is terrified of hands but a single finger doesnt bother him much. despite being able to pet and scritch him after having him 2 weeks now, he's still very flighty and hates being removed from the cage. he refuses to take food from my hand if he is in the cage but will take it readily once I have him out
Hey is food aggression a thing in pigeons?
I have a question (idk if i will get a response but doesnt hurt to try)
Ive had mt boy for a year now. He hasnt seen me as a mate and hates being picked up but he LOVES it when i pet his head but he hates all the steps that lead up to that... he does eat from my hand as well but doesnt take treats yet. I guess i am not really sure where i am at in my relationship with my own bird...
Just keep in mind that one paragraph isn’t much to go on, so this is more my hypotheses then a clearn answer.
Over all it sounds like you two have made some great progress, I know some people who’ve had there birds twice as long and still cant get near them, so definitely be proud! Based off what you’re bird is and is not willing to do with you at the moment, I’d guess you’ve been focusing on passive relationship building over the last year. That’s where you mainly just do normal daily things with them instead of using structured intentional sessions. A portion of that is good and necessary, and typically leads to an animal thats pretty good with some simple things and often are relatively used to some form of interaction. The issue with passively bonding is that it tends to stagnant pretty fast, and will also tend to have gaps.
If you want to develop your relationship more, I recommend going about it more actively, having daily sessions and figuring out where the weak points are and making a plan to deal with them. I have a earning a pigeons trust series, if you start from the beginning and work your way through you’ll likening progress really fast for the first little bit. Starting at the beginning will help you figure out what needs to be worked on, or if there are any shaky foundations that need some help. When you’ve gotten caught up to the last one you can do some training, which is the best tool for improving relationships. There a how to step up video that you can use to start.
Lastly, don’t worry about being seen as your birds mate. Having a trusting positive relationship is the most important thing.
I do not have a pigeon, nor do I plan on getting one in the near future. These birds are obviously very intelligent, so they require a lot of mental and physical stimulation. I have issues with time perception so I just don't think it'd be wise for me to keep one in my own personal home. That being said, I think that this video is very informational and I will be keeping some of these cues in mind as I continue my college journey of becoming a zoologist! Like the "prey side eye perspective on life changes vs predator front facing eyes" is a good thing to remember. Also birb cute but that goes without saying ^^
I want to pet the pigeon so much
That piji is C H O N K
I have a mourning dove, about 8 months old. She seems to have an aversion to being pet. I noticed this early on and simply stopped petting her. My husband thinks she just needs to get used to it so he keeps doing it. The bird makes it very clear to me, as she will peck him every time he gets within pecking distance, whereas with me she will groom my fingers rather than pecking. Also I can just set in her eyes that she gets scared when he approaches and seems to relax a bit more when I’m the one handling her. I’m hoping she does get used to being pet, but I don’t want to be the one to scare her. Any thoughts?
I want that pigeon
I am a bit confused, my pigeon I got about a month ago is still mostly scared of me when I move my hands close but it gives me the flirty coo and the sexy dance/walk coo a lot. I was worried they hated me. Does this mean maybe they like me and want to be friends and the idea of interaction but are still just a bit scared of the actual interaction? Very much trying to bond with them but at a slight loss since they are not food motivated and seem to not like or care for any treats.
They probably do like you, but to them, you are huge and their instinct tells them to fear you. You need to force them to eat from your hand. Wait for a weekend and remove their food on Friday night, and I mean no food on the bottom of the cage or anywhere at all, be sure they have water. Then offer them food from your hand many times throughout the day, it may take more than one day and it may feel cruel but you will score a huge amount of trust and your pigeons will be happier and most or all of the fear will be gone.
If this doesn't work before the end of day two, resume feeding and hit me up because there is another problem at play here.
I had a male pigeon who would make that funny noise pigeons make then, he would become aggressive, charge me, and peck and slap my hands. I thought it was funny as there was no way I could have been injured, he also would grab ahold of the back of my hand and shake it like a pit bull. It was hilarious as he thought I was hurt and he was going to reach me a lesson.
If my pigeon is even half as sweet and adorable as tallulah I will count myself very lucky 🥹🕊️