How to Keep a Pet Pigeon: Creating a Habitat, Bonding & More

Last Updated: March 22, 2023 Approved

Prepping Your Home

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Caring for your Pigeon

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Expert Q&A

A new pet is an exciting addition to your home, especially when it’s a friendly pigeon! Pigeons are social animals that have been domesticated and carrying messages for humans for centuries. If you’re wondering how to turn your home into a pigeon’s paradise, you’re in the right place. In this article, we’ll show you everything you need to know to make your pigeon feel at home and bond with your new feathered friend. Let’s get started!

Things You Should Know

Stock up on food and cozy cages for your pet pigeon before they arrive. Relocating a pigeon before its accommodations are ready can make it nervous.
Keep your pigeon indoors at first and allow it to explore your home a bit at a time. As it gets more comfortable, you can hold and pet it more.
Consider getting your pigeon a mate after you’ve bonded. They’re social and monogamous animals who will appreciate the company!

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Prepping Your Home

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Consider the commitment. Because pigeons are social animals, keeping a single one is only recommended if you're sure you can offer enough time and companionship to keep your pigeon happy.
- You should also consult local regulations to verify that you are permitted to keep pigeons.^{[1]
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- There are many different breeds of pigeons and their respective social needs vary considerably. However, you should be able to set aside some time every day to help socialize your pigeon.
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Purchase cages. You should have indoor accommodations for your pigeon and, if at all possible, outside accommodations as well. It is important that you prepare these ahead of time. It will be disconcerting to the pigeon to relocate it without providing it with a new home immediately. Clean all cages before your pigeon arrives.
- An ideal indoor cage is rectangular and partially enclosed. Be sure that there are no holes in the cage long enough for the pigeon to stick its head through. Because pigeons like to walk, the bottom of the cage should be covered with paper or grassy sod. Keep the cage in a bright area but not one with direct sunlight. If the cage is in a place liable to be exposed to light at night, you should cover the cage during the evening.
- An outdoor aviary should be approximately 6’ square and 8’ high. Include shelves for nesting, including one as high as possible in the enclosure. The enclosure should be sturdy enough to protect against outside predators. If possible the aviary should be oriented toward the south or southwest, allowing for maximum sunlight.^{[2]
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- include in the housing a bath that the bird can use to clean itself.
- Certain breeds are adapted to free flight. You can provide them with a “dovecote,” which is a small structure that can be attached to the side of your house. Be aware, however, that your bird could be hunted by predators if permitted to fly freely.^{[3]
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Purchase food. There are a variety of mixes that are designed for pigeons and doves. Pelleted diets are the best source of nutrients. Seed diets and other commercial mixes will require more supplementation.
- You can supplement the pigeons regular diet with lettuce, endive, chickweed, spinach, berries, apple, and pears.
- Providing the pigeon with grit and gravel will help it digest its food.
- Pet stores also sell vitamins and calcium supplements for birds that can help improve your pigeons health.^{[4]
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Find a pigeon. Online you can find databases of local breeders.^{[5]
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- it is recommended that you meet a few pigeons beforehand to check for allergies, and make sure they meet your expectations. Judge whether or not the shelter is clean and the pigeons well cared for. If the pigeons are not well cared for, it might be difficult to socialize them.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Caring for your Pigeon

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Keep the pigeon indoors at first. When you first purchase your pigeon, it's recommended that you keep it indoors, because this will help you bond with it. Because the pigeon doesn’t have any companions, it is important that you be in close proximity to provide company.^{[7]
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- Your kitchen is not a suitable room to keep your pigeon because the fumes given off by non-stick frying pans are toxic to them.
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Bond with your pigeon. For the first few days, allow the pigeon to adjust - don't touch him, but talk frequently and stay nearby the cage. Slowly build up to petting the pigeon gently.
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Allow your pigeon to explore your house. Allow him to come out of the crate, preferably in an enclosed space such as a small room. If you repeat this daily, your pigeon will become calmer, and eventually you will be able to handle it. Spend time every day handling your pigeon; this will allow you to bond.
- Pigeons can carry diseases that can be transmitted to people such as psittacosis. So if you or someone in your house has a weak immune system, consider checking in with your physician to make sure it is OK to share the same air space as a pigeon.
- Washing your hands after handling the pigeon because pigeons are associated with carrying salmonella.
- Do not keep pigeons in close proximity to cats and dogs.^{[8]
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Move your pigeon outside. Pigeons can live inside, but they enjoy living outside even more. It's recommended you build an enclosure to keep your pigeon in. Consult with the breeder as to whether your pigeon is capable of free flight.^{[9]
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Get your pigeon a mate. Pigeons are monogamous and will mate with a significant other for life. However, they can also be territorial. To prevent confrontations, introduce the pigeons to one another slowly, keeping one inside to acclimate to its surroundings and become comfortable.^{[10]
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Expert Q&A
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Question

How long can a pigeon live in captivity?

Melissa Nelson, DVM, PhD
Veterinarian
Dr. Nelson is a Veterinarian who specializes in Companion and Large Animal Medicine in Minnesota, where she has over 18 years of experience as a veterinarian in a rural clinic. She received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Minnesota in 1998.

Melissa Nelson, DVM, PhD

Veterinarian

Expert Answer

Support wikiHow by unlocking this expert answer.

Pigeons live for a surprisingly long time. They can live as long as 15 years, and "captivity" shouldn't affect this too much.
Question

Are homing pigeons good pets?

Melissa Nelson, DVM, PhD
Veterinarian
Dr. Nelson is a Veterinarian who specializes in Companion and Large Animal Medicine in Minnesota, where she has over 18 years of experience as a veterinarian in a rural clinic. She received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Minnesota in 1998.

Melissa Nelson, DVM, PhD

Veterinarian

Expert Answer

Support wikiHow by unlocking this expert answer.

They can be, but its best to acquire one that is young so that you can get to know it, and work on its behavior.
Question

What diseases can you get from pigeons?

Melissa Nelson, DVM, PhD
Veterinarian
Dr. Nelson is a Veterinarian who specializes in Companion and Large Animal Medicine in Minnesota, where she has over 18 years of experience as a veterinarian in a rural clinic. She received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Minnesota in 1998.

Melissa Nelson, DVM, PhD

Veterinarian

Expert Answer

Support wikiHow by unlocking this expert answer.

There are many diseases you can get from pigeons, but the more common ones would be e. coli, Salmonella, encephalitis, histoplasmosis, cryptococcosis, and candidiasis.