pigeon adopted me

Question
hi, i think a pigeon has adopted me, it flew in my bathroom window and every time i put it out it comes back in. it seems relatively friendly (if thats the right term)it has allowed my to hand feed it and water it and has even come onto my hand. i love animals but not quite sure what i should do with this beautiful bird as it might belong to someone but it has no band on its leg. I'm willing to take care of it, if you think i should, but would need a little advice on what a pigeon requires eg food, suitable home etc. many thanks trina

Answer
Hello Trina

If the pigeon keeps coming back to you and has no band on it's leg, then consider it yours. A few pigeons have flown down to my loft and if they don't have bands on them they can stay. If someone really wanted to keep the bird they probably should have banded him.

Anyways, whether or not you want to keep him is totally up to you. If you live in the city than it might be a bit harder to care for him than if you live in the country only because your neighbours won't complain when it flies around(although they shouldn't if you only have one bird) and it is safer for him. But don't worry if you don't live in the country because many people successfully raise pigeons in the middle of a huge city.

Before you decide to keep him, you need somewhere for him to live. Since you live in the UK and it doesn't snow a lot there you can probably let him free fly but you need somewhere for him to rest and sleep. You can bring him in the house in a cage at night or build him a box that hags outside your window (though these can be rather unflattering!) big enough for him to land in, turn around, and perch if you make it large enough.

Pigeons eat seeds and grains. Just a normal wild bird seed mix is fine from the pet store or livestock feed mart. They need grit to help them digest their food and this can also be bought at the pet store. Give him fresh water every day and offer him a large dish or tub to bathe himself in once a week.

You should also take him to the vet for a check up to make sure he is healthy and not a carrier of any parasites or diseases that could be brought into your home.

I'm glad that a pigeon has "adopted you" because they really do make great pets, despite all the negative images of them, and I'm sure he'll bring you many years of enjoyment. I hope this helped a bit and I hope you and your pigeon friend are happy