Having Pigeons as Pets: A Pet Pigeon Guide

It has been a stereotype to most people that pigeons are common, odorous and pestering birds that bring about nothing but nuisance to a household where it roosts. They are considered as such because of the prevalent occurrence in the continent of America wherein almost all establishments are perched or roosted by these bird species. While this can be true about pigeons, it is however, wrong to generalize that all pigeons are like that. The thing is, there are actually a lot of wonderful characteristics that pigeons possess that are not found in any other species of birds. Those that recognize and appreciate these pigeon characteristics are most likely to domesticate one in their homes and turn them into house pets. Pigeons have great homing instincts and are often way even better than the homing instincts of a dog making them way even better pets than man's best friend. Due to this unique characteristic, turning pigeons into pets has become an increasing trend of the present times' pet mania.

While it is true that having pigeons as pets is a great and excellent idea, there are things that you would have to consider first when taking care of them. These are the rules and regulations that deal with the appropriate handling of the species and the guidelines on how to keep them. These considerations go hand in hand to ensure the safety and survival of bird pigeons once domesticated and if you happen to be an owner or soon to be an owner of a pet pigeon, you would have to know all this stuff. Nevertheless, taking care of one would prove to be simply straightforward eventually as long as you make it a point to follow the ramifications that will be mentioned below. The difficulty of the tasks enlisted in this article is just moderate and you need not have to consider rocket science to make an effective implementation out of it.

Here are the steps on how to properly care for your pet pigeon:

1. Have a place for them to live in

A dwelling place for any creature feral or domestic is a crucial basic need. If you have a pet pigeon at home, you can't just let it flutter on the ceiling and across the room can you? You have to make sure that it has a place to live in where it can peacefully rest and feed for the entire time it is under your custody. You can either build or buy a pigeon dwelling place or loft. One you have built them one, your pet pigeons will then eventually grow to consider the loft as their natural home which is where they will transfix their homing instincts with. By then, no matter wherever your pigeons may fly to it will always know its way back to you. Building a loft may take some time and a handful of considerations as well, such as proper ventilation, dryness and sunlight. But once it is done you can be assured that your pet pigeons are in a very comfortable place. However, if you are the kind of person who doesn't want to get his or her hands dirty, purchasing pigeon coops may just be the right thing for you. You can readily buy coops in your nearest pet shop and they will always come with instructions on how to construct them. You can also add up extra perks on the coops to make your birds feel more comfortable living in it. The rest of the embellishments will be completely up to you. However, if you happen to have other domestic pets like cats or dogs, you have to really make sure that the coops are far from the reach of your other pets. You don't want to wake up and find out your pet pigeons have already become your dogs breakfast.

2. Maintain diet

Another important consideration when keeping pigeons as pets is to make sure that they are fed on regular basis. Pigeons are sometimes fragile creatures and would immediately feel week if they are not fed properly. That's why you have to make sure that they are well fed every time. A weakened starving pigeon could also pose the risk of contracting or developing diseases. A pigeon's diet isn't really much so you don't have to worry about any possible extravagant expenses. Their diet is mainly based on crop and grain vegetations like rice, barley, popcorn and peas and surprisingly, all of this stuff can be readily found in your nearest market area. Don't take for granted your pets though by simply feeding them with human food leftovers. There are certain types of human food that are indigestible to birds and you have to be aware of this.

3. Water

Of course along with food, is water. You have to make sure that they can conveniently access water whenever they would need it. Make it a point to place the water in containers that are readily accessible to your pets. Don't place them in locations wherein your pet pigeons would have to struggle first before it can ever drink water. Also, you have to ensure that the water will not stagnate for a long time as it can also lead to the moisture and dampness to the loft's environment making the area non-conducive for pigeon habitation. You also have to make it a point that the water is changed from time to time so that your pigeons will not have to drink dirty water.

4. Don't Restrict them Forever

If you restrict a pigeon forever, it may never learn to sustain itself and they could potentially die out of isolation and seclusion. Believe it or not, pigeons are social animals and they like to interact with their fellow species. So, take an initiative to allow your pet pigeons to fly and feel free every once in a while instead of confining them inside the cage or loft the entire time. But only do this when your birds have already developed a sense of homing instinct so that they will always find their way back to you. You will know this if your bird has reached a certain level of comfortableness being domesticated by you.