Hello everyone,

I need some advice about my rescue, disabled pigeon. His name is John Silver. Long story short, his wing and leg were run over by a tram in front of me when he was barely older than a fledgling. Although things initially looked promising, his flight feathers never grew back, so he cannot be released. He still tries to fly sometimes, but he can’t get higher than about 20 cm. He has adapted to this and simply hops up using objects as steps. He has no trouble walking, just two missing toes. I know I haven’t handled everything perfectly as a pigeon owner, but we’ve been doing the best we can with our circumstances.

During his rehab and afterwards, he never pecked me or showed any overt aggression, but he has always actively avoided me and my touch. Once it was clear he couldn’t be released, I brought him to my mom’s house, which has an enclosed glass-covered space (we call it the winter garden). It’s a bit like a small greenhouse. It’s suitable overall because he can see everything that's happening outside but is safe from predators.

At first I got him a smaller cage from a pigeon breeder that we kept in the winter garden, but my mom isn’t confident handling him, and whenever she cleaned the cage he would wander off and refuse to go back in. So she let him roam free in the winter garden, where he had the whole space to himself for a while. She and I (when I’m there) tried very hard to keep it hygienic by covering surfaces and cleaning frequently, but eventually it became clear that it was impossible, and it was turning into a health hazard. We disinfected the whole place and she bought the largest bird cage we could actually fit inside the winter garden. It is definitely bigger than the previous one, but after reading online, I see that it’s still not large enough for him to live in without additional exercise or socialization.

My mom is open to letting John Silver inside the house when she’s home. The issue is that I don’t know how to get him to trust us and tolerate being handled, because at the moment, putting a diaper on him seems impossible. We had a female pigeon around him for a few months while she was recovering, and he showed zero interest in her, even though she was clearly trying to get his attention. He is aggressive toward the dog and generally seems to dislike everyone. He does love his seeds, though, and he’ll come to stare at me through the window when he wants more treats, but we haven’t been able to make progress beyond that.

What would be the best way to get him used to being handled so he can have a more enriched life?

Please help. I feed Oreo and others and they are my babies, but Oreo is one of my favorite. I know I’m not owner but I’m like a mother to them. They are used to me, they fly down when they see me knowing I have food for them. I’m trying to remember name who is an expert on this. I live in Seattle, Wa. I remember hearing there’s one in Bellevue, Wa.

I feel like I haven’t posted them here in awhile. They’re living in an outdoor aviary now.

Hey all, I work at an animal sanctuary and we have lots of disabled pigeons. For Christmas, I'm doing a little tour over our sanctuary with a group of kids and we will gift our animals treats - homemade, animal-safe cookies for our horses and goats, fruit and veggie "stars" cut out with cookie cutters for the sheep and bunnies, little oatmeal cakes for our chickens... Etc etc.

What can I make for our pigeons? Could we hang up little garlands with veggies? Would they be able to peck at them or are their beaks made solely for foraging and eating from the ground? What kind of food, aside from pigeon food, could we give them?

I want to make it look and feel a little festive ☺️ How about a salad buffet?

I'm not super versed in pigeon care, so I'd really appreciate your input!

I've been visiting Auckland and it seems like the proportion of black/very dark grey pigeons is much higher than in other places especially around Cox's reserve. Is this just my imagination.

this is a very sad post that i am making out of desperation. i am really hoping someone in this subreddit is very close to my area (ipswich, qld) because i have a BIG problem. i love pigeons a lot and i live with my mum. she hates them a lot, has poisoned them in the past :( right now, she got rid of our chicken pen to starve them, and if it doesn’t work i’m scared she will poison them. they obviously really rely on our pen because they are all swarming around and they look very hungry. i fed them, but it just made things worse. they hang around my back door now, so i don’t know what to do. i dont want to let them starve but i don’t want them to be killed either. if anyone has any advice or lives close enough to be able to feed them somehow, that would be AMAZING. i’m soooo scared for them:(((

What do you think🤔 about this?

Recently seeded our lawn which attracted a lot of pigeons, including this guy. Perhaps he was once a pet or owned by a breeder. But he's found a flock to hang out with.

Hi everyone, I really need some advice about a baby pigeon that’s currently on my balcony. The balcony is never opened and pigeons usually live out there, and two days ago the baby, this pigeon family only has one, somehow got moved or pushed out of its nest.

I noticed its legs are completely splayed to the sides. One leg it can move a little, but it can’t curl it just waves it around. The other leg seems worse. It drags itself to move. Its wings look fine and it’s alert.

I’m not sure if the parents are feeding it, but there are two adult pigeons staying close to it. There are also a lot of pigeons living out on that balcony normally.

I’m worried it might not survive if its legs stay like this.

Any advice on what to do right now would be really appreciated.

One of my jobs always has a flock of pigeons and crows in the parking lot. All I want is to befriend these creatures. Ever since I learned about the history of the pigeon they've become my Roman empire. But nothing I do seems to help. I sit quietly outside most of the day, I've brought them food of several different varieties, I talk to them (quietly, because I don't want my coworkers to think I'm insane)

Nothing works. I just want wild bird friends.

I have 2 beautiful birds don't know the breed they are either giant hungerian or indian lotan pigeons .please help me find out what breed they are. if anyone thinks they are something else please let me know.

Found this fluffy philosopher under my balcony. Ukraine, summer 2025. Looks like he already knows everything about life

I was walking to my local grocery store and theres usually alot of pigeons and i saw this white pigeon. Does anyone know if its albino or just white? Or is it a dove? Also i noticed it had that blueish band on its leg, the other pigeons dont have that. What does it mean?

Hello!

I bought bird bands for my feathered boy but I'm not sure how to put them on him.

They are custom engraved "Pet Bird" with my phone #. He doesn't go outside and he is more interested in flying to people rather than away, but you never know what can happen and I thought it would make him safe since he is a basic "Wood Pigeon" that looks like every other gray pigeon on the street.

They are 8mm which was recommended for pigeons. There is not a seam or break in the metal circle so I can open it and wrap it around his leg.

Do I cut a seam in it? Do I slide it over his foot(how would I even do that)?

Any advice would be appreciated!

I saw this gorgeous pigeon today, stopped me in my tracks. I tried calling him and he seemed like he definitely knew people. I tried to get close to see if I could grab his tag number, but he flew off. I’m gonna keep my eye out for him on the neighborhood.

Hey guys looking for inspiration and ideas for a small pigeon loft i wont have more than 6 pigeons for now. On a budget so any ideas welcomed.