6 Ways People Take Birds Outdoors: Pros & Cons

In this video, we discuss things to consider when looking into taking your companion bird outside, ways people do that, both methods I recommend, ones to avoid and the pros and cons of each.
If you have any experience with one of these methods, or one I didn’t mention, drop them in the comments as I’d love to hear your story!
Table of contents:
00:48 Potential Benefits to taking birds outside
02:40 Potential downsides to taking birds outside
03:46 Carriers, Strollers & Backpacks
04:52 Aviaries
07:18 Harnesses
09:17 Free Flight
11:07 Leg restraints
14:42 Clipped Wings
19:50 What I chose to do and why
⬇️The fun stuff⬇️
Resources & Sources
Taking Birds Outside
journals.tdl.org/watchbird/in...
www.thesprucepets.com/reasons...
Indoor Air Quality
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...
erj.ersjournals.com/content/2...
www.mana.md/indoor-air-vs-out...
www.epa.gov/indoor-air-qualit...
Bird Respiratory System
erj.ersjournals.com/content/2...
iopscience.iop.org/article/10...
www.audubon.org/news/what-can...
www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-...
Aviaries
ladygouldian.com/content/neve...
blogs.thatpetplace.com/thatbir...
Carriers
Harnesses
www.northernparrots.com/harne...
Anklets/leg restraints
birdtricksstore.com/blogs/bir...
www.themodernapprentice.com/gl...
Photo from Unsplash by Andre Klimke
Clipped birds outside
parrotvolancy.com/pros-and-co...
hari.ca/avian-care/health-mon...
parrotvolancy.com/should-i-cl...
Flight Muscle Atrophy
parrotvolancy.com/wing-trimmi...
Pigeon care: Light,
www.pigeonrescue.org/faqs-2/h...
Car accidents
gtslawfirm.com/what-are-the-c...
©️2021
⬇️The not fun stuff⬇️
DISCLAIMER
I am NOT a Veterinarian. This publication and the information included is purely informational based on the creators experience and research and should be acted on at the users own risk. This content is not intended to substitute professional Veterinarian or Medical Professional advice in regards to you (and any other humans), or any animals.
We do not make any warranties about the completeness, reliability and accuracy of this information. Any actions you take upon this information on this website is strictly at your own risk, and we will not be liable for any losses and damages in connection with the use of our content.
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[@valkyrie1066]

A current housepet is a pigeon, which was rescued as a baby from a storm. The initial point was rehabbing, not domesticating, but it seems to be happening before our eyes. Poe needed help at first with eating and drinking, but real quick picked it up, and began bathing and flying. They spend most of their off time napping on furs in front of a fan with our dogs. They follow the dogs out into the yard for walks and breaks. They fly around the neighborhood and return as soon as we do, to a stool on our back porch. They sit on the car console to go for rides. I intended to release them into the "wild" but there is very little "wild" in this bird. I don't want to cage or harness them, and my intention was for them to live outside, at least when they feel like it. I choose to allow them to free fly outside with the doggie companions. The "loss" wouldn't entirely be a loss if they choose to fly away. (We aren't talking about a $5,000 pet) I have my fingers crossed like any mom. Votes from the internet seem to be 50/50 on whether they will fly away or stay.

[@ivychicken]

Thank you so so much for making this, Eden! It's so helpful and informative. I learnt a lot from it! You were so thorough! And I am sooo impressed with how Tallulah sat on your hand so patiently and calmly through the entire video. I love how you presented both the pros and cons of each method. Lily is so antisocial, the only person she'll be friendly to is me. i'm not sure if she sees me as her mate, because she does try to feed my fingers and she will get down very low when I scratch her head. She'll peck and puff up at my family members, and she'll start shaking when she sees my neighbours! She also is so scared of the outside world :O I could leave her on my windowsill in my courtyard, but she won't ever fly and she'll want to come inside if that's where I am. The only time she ever flies is to get from place to place within the house, or when she's flying to land on my head. I'm waiting to be able to take her outside the vicinity of my house and courtyard. Hopefully she'll become more comfortable with new locations and people with time! Does Tallulah never fly at all? I wonder if it's a fantail thing! Lily is half a fantail so maybe that would explain her lack of interest in flying.

[@animalpeople880]

My pleasure! Preferring one person is a pretty common situation for birds. There are ways to help shift that, though that will require the less favoured people to get involved a bit as well. Your situation with Lily being anti-social has caused me to add a video about socializing birds to my list, so thank you very much for sharing your experience! Taking her out in a travel cage she is comfortable with would likely help that. The outdoors can be very scary for a little bird and being secure can help them feel safe and become more comfortable with new situations. Spending time indoors but looking out a closed window can help that as well. The key is not pushing them too far out of their comfort zone as that would just make the outside scarier. Tallulah has never flown as long as I’ve had her, though I’ve been working on that wither her and shes gotten three feet off the floor recently as a result. While fantails can fly, they are notoriously bad at it since they have a big, heavy, awkward tail and spine problems from the exaggerated posture and inbreeding. I’d be unsurprised if Lily has a harder time flying than other pigeons as a result, though she sounds like she's doing quite well in that regard from your description. I’d recommend keeping her flying time in an enclosed space since she’d be unlikely to have the maneuverability needed to avoid a predator if she were to fly in the open. It sounds like your doing well with bonding with her, well done!

[@ivychicken]

Thanks so much Eden!!! ❤️ You have so much Birb wisdom! Tallulah is one very lucky gal to have you for a mama 🥰 How is Tallulah around your friends and family? Is she scared or comfortable? She looks so sweet and placid from your videos, I could never imagine her getting grumpy! Lily is very vocal when she’s upset, very bitey with my sister and dad 😅 and even bitey with me when I try to put her to bed! She’s quite big and tough indoors but as soon as she’s brought outside, she’s shaky and in instant fight/flight mode!

[@animalpeople880]

@@ivychicken Aww, thank you! Tallulah took a bit of time to get used to everyone, but now she likes everyone in my family, enjoys going to town and friends houses to hangout with other people. The first month when she was still scared of people but I had to handle her to give her medicine (definitely not ideal) she would occasionally bit or wing-slap, but after a while I gained her trust and she hasn’t bitten or wing-slapped me since, and her relationship with my family was only a couple months behind. She is gentle with and likes everyone in her life now. It may be helpful to your family’s relationship with her if you teach them how to accurately read her body language so they can understand her. Since I’ve had meany birds in my life my family automatically will ask me if she’s comfortable or ok with being touched at that moment if they are interacting with her and not sure. Most of them understand her enough now that they only occasionally check in if she does something new and they aren’t sure what she’s saying. That alone has helped their relationship with Tallulah immensely. I’m sure you guys will get there❤️

[@magicschoolbusdropout7743]

Thank you so much for making these vids! I’m going to put this comment on all of your vids to help boost your videos, but you’ve helped me SO much!!! It’s hard to find sound info on pigeons, and your channel has literally saved my butt when it comes to research. Again, THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!

[@tyler8051]

. Here in New York City, last summer I rescued a baby pigeon from a hot sidewalk. I didn't think he was gonna survive. I'm glad I was wrong. Now, my pigeon is a normal healthy adult. I never thought pigeons could be so smart, and that they would communicate so well. Now, not only that he has seven nests, but he owns my house! I would never, ever, clip his feathers. I love to see him, and to hear him flying. .

[@LittleMountainRanch]

Excellent video!

[@animalpeople880]

Thank you!

[@lilly_n_chester]

Hi , THANK YOU so much for your videos!! I cant wait for you to upload a video about how to bond with a pigeon. My husband rescued a pigeon just like yours from the street, we named her "Daysi", but is been 2months and she still doesn't like to be touched or gets use to us. She pulls away really fast when approached. I hope you upload soon! Thank you 🤗🐦

[@animalpeople880]

I so glad you’ve found them helpful! I’ve since made a series on bonding with a pigeon kzbin.info/aero/PLXdOOmC3nt51EqZGdRzn30Sa-ZPGpT-2F Daysi sounds like a sweetheart, I hope you three have been enjoying getting to know each other!

[@ozlemtuncel3032]

Very helpful thank you so much!

[@NanneeB]

So looking forward to more videos! Thank you for all the great information ❤️

[@animalpeople880]

My pleasure❤️ Thank you very much, more videos are on the way!

[@ankitakumari2653]

I have rescued 2 baby pigeons which are wild.. can I keep it as pet or allow it to fly

[@animalpeople880]

@@ankitakumari2653 that is not something I can answer, there are to many variables that I don’t know about with so little information. If it’s possible for them to be released that would be best, as there are already far more unreleasable pigeons then there are homes. Yet if they don’t have the skills, health, or flock (and depending on whether they are feral pigeons, fancy pigeons, wedding releases, indigenous pigeons or doves impact that as well) it will be a death sentence for them and they would need to be kept. I highly recommend getting in contact with a pigeon rescue or a wildlife rescue as they will be able to judge what the best course of action is. Just be very carful as if they are baby feral pigeons many rescues will just euthanize them as they are often viewed as pests, so if you consider dropping them off somewhere make sure they will be cared for. If you can’t find a local pigeon friendly rescue to help figure out if they are releasable then the Palomacy group on Facebook is a global rescue group that can help. If you ask for help, be sure to include a picture of them now (and one when you first got them would be good to), and any information you have about there health and history. Well done for helping them!

[@vaibhavyevale7172]

Nice vlog

[@valkyrie1066]

The only time I used jesses was with my house chicken. When we went to Viking events, I wore a sheepskin capelet that she found easy to hang on to. I was, however, told that leashes had to be on all pets, regardless of species. ???? Okay....got a buffalo suede length, a falconer showed me how to prepare and use it. Note, I would only use it with the "saddle" on me that she could easily hang on to. We got around the "leash law" She never fell, she did a "dance" if she wanted down, and I'd set her there. I was concerned that if she ACTUALLY fell, it might hurt her leg.

[@4heartandmind388]

Thank you! I notice you have some plants, I have tons of Plants and was wondering do pigeons like to eat them? Should I worry? I’m adopting a pigeon next week!💙🕊

[@animalpeople880]

It depends on the pigeon, some do like to destroy plants others don’t. Lots of common houseplants are poisonous to pigeons, so definitely look into any the bird will have access to, especially since you don’t know that individual. Safe and toxic plants for parrots lists are a good place to start. Congrats on the new addition!

[@jordanclarke2001]

are there any specific styles or sellers of harness you recommend? there's so many online

[@animalpeople880]

If you want to go outside, aviator is the lightest and strongest/most secure I’ve found. Just keep in mind when choosing one that the small is recommended for pigeons, but Tallulah (who is 420g) is bigger and the medium fits her perfectly. So the small would probably work for most feral sized birds but you may want to go up for some breeds.

[@xadok]

i really want a pigeon or a dove, also that super loud beep at the end made my soul leave my body

[@7mcandes]

My breeder told me that a hawk grabbed a dove off a client’s shoulder.