Crested Pigeons as pet birds
Crested Pigeon
I recently had a rather interesting comment on an earlier post of mine about Crested Pigeons (see Great Birding Moments #5 Crested Pigeons).
Karen wrote:
I have a crested pigeon sitting on my shoulder at the moment. I went for a walk one morning and saw her on the footpath. She ran towards me, not usual pigeon behaviour. I picked her up, she cooed and closed her eyes. I took her home and fed her and she’s stayed. She follows me around the house and is the most inquisitive bird I have ever known. She is quite content to be scratched around the head and calls to me whenever I enter the room. She was obviously someone’s pet but I had no success in locating them. I originally had intended to feed her up and let her go again but she is so tame she would have been a danger to herself. She lives with my 3 cockatiels and probably thinks that she is one.
What an amazing experience! Karen is certainly right in deducing that it is someone’s pet, because the behaviour is certainly consistent with a bird that has been used to being handled.
Crested Pigeons are reasonably common in aviculture, especially in zoo collections. This species normally requires a large planted aviary and will breed readily in captivity.
I find it interesting that it is quite at ease in her home and with the Cockatiels. It must make her day very pleasant to have such a lovely team of bird friends to keep her company.
She is probably right that it is safer in her home rather than fending for itself in the wild. If released, it would probably be taken by a hawk very quickly as it would not be as alert to the dangers presented by living life in the wild.
Hi sarah
For some reason i didnt get to read your message till now. I still have the bird but i havent treated it for lice, i did see something on it the other day. Im abit worried now. i cant believe i didnt see you message sooner thank you for your advise
Hello! I currently have a baby (aprox 2months) old that I have been handrearing since the cat brought it in as a fledgling. I have raised many Doves & pigeons before with most being released back into the wild (except one pigeon who adopted us many yrs ago & lived for like 8yrs! But that is another story!!) anyways I have never had a Crested Pigeon before. I’m having trouble adjusting it from egg & biscuit mix to seed… any suggestions? This little one’s personality has totally changed in the last few days & I’m wondering if it has something to do with needing seed now or something else food related? Up until yesterday it was such a crazy, hyper little thing & now very lethargic & doesn’t do much other then sleep
Thoughts…?
PS- I also currently have a normal ‘Turtle Dove’ living in our bathroom which I’ve had now for 6months since it was little. Found it in the middle of the road one day while driving, so took it home. It seemed a bit hurt and I would say was on the road for a long time as it was the middle of the day and it didn’t even move or care when I picked it up. Once I offered it water it was VERY thirsty! His/her wing was damaged and she had a head graze which unfortunatly as she/he’s healed has caused it to lose it’s eye so we can’t release it back into the wild as predator’s could sneak up too easily! But it’s happy living in our bathroom (can’t let it loose in the house as our house is too open & we have cats) currently as it always gets attention whenever someone goes in and now that it’s winter it has the bathroom heater so much warmer then being stuck out in a tree!
hello Ali
that doesn’t sound good about your pigeon.i have one that i got fairly young and had no trouble weaning it off the mix. yours might be to young to be eating seed yet though, but i found with my pigeon if i put the seed on a towel it found it easier to pick it up they can get the seed deeper into their mouths that way until they learn to peck properly. i would give that a go and i hope he/she comes good soon.
Thanks Jane. The little guy was starting to pick at seed but we kept the Egg & biscuit going as well. Still are but he doesn’t seem interested in either. Not even if I tap seed on the floor, in a dish, on a towel. He has no energy and just sleeps all day. I don’t think he’ll make it but fingers crossed and at least we tried rather then letting him find for his own!
Ali
I’m hoping your little fellow is still alive because i have an idea that might get him to eat. I use a syrup called incremin it’s used for children when they lose their appetites and is quite safe to use in animals and birds i have had quite a bit of success with it with both my animals and birds. if you mix about half a teaspoon of syrup with about 30 ml of water and hold it under its beak dipping its beak into the water to encourage it to drink and do that every hour or so , even if it only has a little bit it might help, it has iron in it which gives them energy as well. its worth a try anyway.
Thanks Jane that’s so kind of you but unfortunatly Notty has since died. But I still have ‘Little Fella’ going strong! Thought I would share a couple of photos I have of them for those that might be interested….
http://www.flickr.com/photos/50716985@N08/sets/72157624164346156/
At least we gave Notty a chance. Hope everyone else’s birds are going strong!
hi Ali
So sorry to hear that Notty died,thats a shame they are such lovely birds with great little personalities. hope your other birds stay healthy. Just keep in mind the incremin if ever one of your other birds ever get sick it really does work. i would be so upset if I lost my crested pigeon. his name is plum and he is such a character.
i wanted to buy a pair of crested pigeons.wht is price ?plz tell me.my email is wajhat_ali@hotmail.com
Hi there Wajhat,
This site is about Australian birds I see in the natural environment. You need to search for a site that sells pet birds. I do not sell birds.
my family and i have found a crested pigeon and its parents are nesting in one of the tree’s outside our house.
We are not sure how old the bird is or what its sex is but it is making a squarking noise alot of the time we feed it and it still does it after it has been nursed and played with and sometimes it still does it.
I really love this bird but i am not sure if i should keep it as a pet or i should let it go it still has to be hand fed and all of the other birds and its parents have rejected it so if anyone has any ideas on if i should keep it or not plz let me know!
it can not fly it attempts (half) and fails.
thanx!
Im soooo sad the crested pigeon we found (jackie) died last night we are not sure what it was from
R.I.P jackie
Baby crested pigeons get cold very quickly, so they need to be kept warm all the time. I have a crested pigeon that was blown out of his nest when he was a baby and I used to put two hot water bottles each side of him at night and reheat them during the night. He is now nearly one now and as cheeky as anything. He comes outside with me and has had the opportunity to fly away but has chosen to stay with us. He loves to snuggle and sit on my lap just like a lap dog and can be very naughty at times, but he is a great pet. I let him make up his mind if he wanted to stay or go. I’m sorry that jackie died, its very sad when you try so hard to save them.
Well my pigeon finally decided to fly the coop 2 days ago after living with us for a year. I feel so sad, and miss him terribly. I thought that he might come back to visit, but he hasn’t. Iv’e been reading about other peoples pigeons coming home to visit and wander why mine hasn’t. He was very loving and loved his cuddles. It makes me wander if something has happened to him. I hope not. I’m hoping he has found a partner and is making a family together.
l have crested pigeons i n my house and they are very very strong
Hi,
I found a baby crested pigeon in my pool this morning, called the vet & they didnt sound too concerned so I would like to care for him, can anyone point me in the right direction where I can find the information Ill need on feeding ect’
Also will I need to give him water with a dropper?
If i put him back outside I thought his Mum might come and get him but I dont see how she would get him back in the nest & Im scared a bigger bird will eat him/her.
Thanks in advance for any replies he seems so sweet xx
i just got a dish and mixed up some baby bird egg mix which you can get from the pet shop. mix it up fairly sloppy then stick its beak into the food and it should start to feed. you will have to do that several times a day. it will get the idea of what it has to do and will start to feed itself in time. just do the same with the water as well.
Hi, Our dog just picked up a baby crested pigeon from some long grass next to our daily walking track. It cannot fly and has mostly down around its neck he looks pretty alert and not injured. I called WIRES however they are shut until 9 am. I have taken the heat mat from under my home brew kit to keep the shoe box warm however how do i feed this little chap until i can contact WIRES. I don’t have an eye dropper i was thinking honey and water or weetbix honey and water???
Thanks Dan.
sorry Dan havent been on computer for awhile, so only just got your letter. do you still have the bird? If so you need to get a babys bottle with the teat and cut the top off the teat so there is a big enough hole for him to put his beak through. you then put some baby bird egg mix which you buy dry from the pet shop. mix it so it is fairly sloppy. Put that in the bottle and put the bottle on its side and put the birds beak in through the hole. it should start feeding,just make sure it doesnt take in to much at once.
Thanks for your helpful suggestions, Jane.
Thanks trev,
It concerns me though that people think that honey is the best thing that you can feed birds, but it is actually the worst thing you can feed them in most cases. I am no expert when it comes to birds but i did learn that one from someone who is, and crested pigeons are very easy to look after if you know how.
Hi Jane – you are correct. Honey is certainly not suitable to feed to birds when you are caring for them. Perhaps I should write an article about that.
Hi Trev
Yes that would be a good idea. Make people aware of the dangers of feeding birds honey. I have known so many people who have reached for the honey jar to feed wild birds it’s not funny.
Hi Trevor, I just found a crested pigeon sitting outside. I went out to see if it was injured and it came over to me, followed me inside and has since been following me all around the house. It appears to be able to fly, and doesn’t seem injured. It has really bright orange eyes so I’m thinking it may be older? I rang the wildlife carer and they are not interested and the vet isn’t interested either. I don’t want to put him back outside in case the neighbours cats get him, but I have no idea what to do with him? If I keep him, how big does the cage need to be and what should I be feeding him? Please help! Thanks
hi michelle
sounds like your bird was owned by some one before. I used to feed my pigeon budgie seed and clover and grass seed from the garden. he also loved cracker biscuits crushed up. they generally don’t like being caged. mine used to go in a bird cage at night and I would let him out in the morning, unfortunately he flew away one day, so if you live on the Central Coast in NSW you may well have my bird living with you. He was very tame and loving as well.
Hi, I have just found a crested pigeon in the garden outside, and couldnt not see any other pigeons around or a nest. i would say that it is very young n has possibly fallen out of the nest as its been pretty windy today. I have brought him/her inside as it is very cold outside and was worried that he might die from the cold or cats in the area. I have read all about what to feed them and how to look after them but was wondering if there is anything i can feed him tonight that would be in the cupboard so he doesnt get hungry. He tries to fly but is unsuccessful and is just giving out very little cheeps but is very content to sit on my lap n snuggle into me. Any ideas would help a great deal, at least until i can get to the pet shop tomorrow thanks.
hi there,,, I had the same problem and i mixed some weetbix with water which made a very mushy mix…. try that
hi i have gone up to my avairy this morning whihc houses 30 odd finches, a galah and a ferret. they are all my pets but this morning was different, theres a crested pigeon sitting on one of the perches. i dont know how he got there or why. i generally get a few of them in my backyard that sit with my free range ducks and geese but am rather puzzled about this little guy. he doesnt seem to be a juvinille and is rather friendly but a tad spooked by all the commotion. will he make his own way to the available seed and water or will i need to help him? he seems quite parched. also are my other birds safe? inparticular my new fledgings (theres a gorgeous little piedface which is the only one out of them all)
Hi i am after some advice desperately. We found a baby crested pigeon yesterday in our front yard hiding behind a fence post as my dog was trying to attack it. I brought him inside with every intention of releasing him again but have seen since that he is a terrible flier. He doesn’t get much height at all and doesn’t go very far so now I’m not sure what to do. I have tried to get him to eat some mushed up weetbix and water mix but he wasn’t interested. Tried giving him water but doesn’t want it. I even tried blending up seed and water and still nothing. He pecks at his seed i have laid out for him in his cage every now and then but isn’t eating it. I have not seen him attempt to drink water either. Please i need to no what i can do to help this little guy. He is starting to sleep more and more and has diarrhea. I can’t let him go as he can’t fly well enough. Please help.
Here is a picture of him
http://img641.imageshack.us/i/babypigeon.jpg/
Hi Kerry,
I don’t have any experience at looking after orphaned birds. Can I suggest that you read through the comments above because many of my readers have had similar problems. Try following their advice.
Hi Kerry,
perhaps you should get him to the vet asap before they close they can arrange for a wires carer to look after him.
Where abouts are you? If in Bris I know of a local pet shop owner who takes care of injured birds, she guided me through raising a baby crested pigeon.
Are you trying to feed it with a spoon or a syringe??
Thanks for your help, Renee. Hope Kerry gets this update soon.
Thanks Trevor and Renee,
I called the vet and they told me to go out there so they could give me some special formula and syringes to feed the bird. They said that there is only one wild life carer here and at the moment and she has her hands full but if i needed to call her for advice to go ahead. They just said to give him this formula until he learns to fly a little better then to let him go. So i guess that’s all i can do. He is doing fine at the moment and no longer has diarrhea. I was worried about how much he was eating but the vet informed that his little stomach was only the size of half your little finger nail so considering that i think now his eating has been fine.
Thank you for your fast replies i greatly appreciate it.
Kerry
I’m glad your little one has improved Kerry. We have raised 2 much smaller than yours. Initially stressed, they were also slow to feed. Then they would take about a 2ml syringe of formula about 6 times a day, plus we would tap at the seed with our finger, pushing the seed about, to encourage them to pick at it.
To encourage them to strengthen their wings and fly, we would perch them on our finger, lift them up and drop our hand (slowly at first) and this would stimulate them to open their wings and flap. Good luck.
Hello, could someone please help me. I just found a baby crested pigeon sitting right at the back door. We have a nest high up in the tree, and somehow the baby fell out. I think this one is too small to get back up. We have a family of crested pigeons that live in the back yard and im sure the mum will want it back – tihng is I think it will need pigeon milk. Does anyone know what I can feed it until I figure out if I should call wires or try to get it back outside for the mum to find it.
Hello Lisa,
If you go up to comment no. 19 you will find what I have written there to Dan. it will explain what to feed it and how,if you cannot get your hands on a babys bottle, you can put the egg biscuit mix in a bowl but have to make sure that it is running, then just stick the birds beak into the mix and it will start to eat.you can try putting it somewhere where the mother can find it, but make sure it is safe from cats and the like, but there is no guarantee that the mother will come back and get it. good luck and I hope the little fellow survives. By the way they make great pets, very loving birds.
I have found a crested pigeon in the middle of the road tonight. It can fly but not for long, it’s wings and legs all appear ok. It just seems to have trouble holding itself up, a bit top heavy. It has been sleeping on and off in a basket for a couple of hours. It has not eaten/drank. Any ideas on what’s wrong with it?
Hello,
I found a baby crested pigeon in my backyard last night. I can’t see any nests around so I an not sure where he has come from but he looks fine he is fledging on my finger and doesn’t try to fly. He sits with me and doesn’t squawk or make any noises. I have tried feeding him but he doesn’t seem to want any. He is so quiet but he must be hungry? What should I do?
Thank you
Hi Nicole,
Thanks for your comments and question. Please read through the comments already made above on how to care for this little bird.
Currently have a crested pigeon we’ve adopted when found at a very young age. Fed it with the dripper and all that and im guessing is of about 4 -6 months of age now, so eats seed and all that. I am soon to pass it on to someone I know who keeps chooks and pigeons, we were thinking it might do better with the chooks as it might have a hard time fitting in the with the fantail pigeons or homers. Its gunna be difficult parting ways with the little critter as it has such an inquisitive temperament and almost acts like a dog in the morning coming to wake us up. What im wondering is if theres anyone round that keeps these things where I might be able to find it another crested associate to give it some backup so to speak. any thoughts? current house arrangement isnt such that we can keep it longer, unless we cage it (in a tiny indoor cage), which im not willing to do.
If you still have pigeon and live on the Central Coast NSW, I would be interested in taking him, I have chooks and have raised a crested pigoen before and love them dearly.
Hi Anthony, sorry I havent been on the computer for awhile. I dont suppose you have your pigeon still, but if you do still have him I would gladly take him. just write me if you still have him. Jane.
To Jane: Hi. Our cat decided to drag in a Crested Pigoen earlier today. Thankfully, the cat isn’t a very good hunter and had not caused the pigeon any harm.
We live on the Central Coast and were wondering of you are still interested in them. We cannot keep him (her?).
I have a Crested Pigeon who lives, with his wife, in my backyard. He’s rather fat (mostly due to the neighbours and I constantly feeding it) and incredibly smart. If it knows I’m home it’ll call out and literally sit by my bedroom window and look in (how it knows it’s my room I don’t know)! and responds when I say “come” and point somewhere. It also seems to know when I come and go from work and will sit there waiting for food (haha creepy)
It’s landed on my hand ONCE and has (unsuccessfully)tried to land on my head and face numerous times.
What I was wondering was, how can you tell how old they are? and how come it’s so tame? It’s clearly a wild bird but apparently it has always been somewhat tame, though not as tame as it is now.
Here is a picture:
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v505/KurumisAngel/?action=view¤t=P7080701.jpg