The most commonly known pets are cats and dogs, but the unappreciated pets, like pigeons, can make amazing pets too. Junior Monique Dimitrova has a pet pigeon, Tulin, and wants to inform people about her experiences with owning one. Not all pigeons fit the common notion of being urban pests.
Dimitrova’s previous experience owning a parrot, along with her love for exotic animals urged Dimitrova to rescue a pigeon after reading about keeping them as pets online.
“I ended up learning that pigeons are actually domesticated, so they are a lot more used to living with people, and they shouldn’t be out in the wild like that,” Dimitrova said.
Dimitrova was happy to give Tulin a new home after hearing that pigeons love to be around and interact with humans. To her surprise, pigeons are a lot more affectionate than she thought.
“Pigeons will always want attention from you. They’ll cuddle you a bunch, beg for you to pet them, and give you kisses on your hands. They’ll constantly be around you, it’s super sweet,” Dimitrova said.
When first looking for how to buy a pigeon, Dimitrova had found a rescue by the Great Lakes. However, this location was further than she had hoped and she wanted Tulin to be shipped comfortably. They redirected her to a breeder, who was more than happy to give her one. Dimitrova has had Tulin for about 6 months and the bond Tulin is forming with her is amazing, according to Dimitrova.
“I struggle with staying on a schedule and he really helps me stay on top of things and stay productive,” Dimitrova said.
The consistency of caring for Tulin helps create a routine from the tasks she needs to like like feeding him, cleaning his area, and making sure he gets to play and fly around the room. Dimitrova has also been in the process of training Tulin— so far he only knows when his bedtime is. From Dimitrovas experience, pigeons are high maintenance, and although adorable, there are some challenges you have to keep in mind when owning a pigeon.
“I think that one of the biggest [struggles] in keeping an exotic pet like this is just adjusting to having a bird in your home. There are a lot of household hazards like ceiling fans the bird could hit, scented sprays, or aerosols can hurt the bird’s lungs because of their sensitive respiratory systems too,” Dimitrova said.
Throughout her time with Tulin, Dimitrova has learned avoiding using these in the house can be difficult but it’s the first step in their care. Making sure you meet all of your birds’ necessities is crucial; ensuring you have essential care requirements for pigeons is also key to owning one.
“A good cage that’s very spacious is nice to have to give them plenty of room to stretch, play, and fly around. For a good, balanced diet, all you really need is seed. Toys are also really important to keep them happy,” Dimitrova said.
Even though maintenance was relatively cheap compared to a cat or dog, Dimitrova decided she only wanted one pigeon in order to lower the stress of taking care of him and its effects on her household. Additionally, if she had gotten two birds, she felt that she wouldn’t be able to form as strong of a connection as she has with Tulin.
“When you have two pigeons together, they rely on each other more and won’t look to you for their social needs— but when you have a single pigeon like I do, they’ll see you as their closest flock member,” Dimitrova said. “I just really enjoy the companionship that comes from owning him.”
Having just one pigeon allowed Dimitrova to have a more personal connection and get to know him better. Though pigeons are one of Dimitrova’s favorite pets, she acknowledges that they aren’t for everyone.
“Do your research first and foremost, don’t decide to get one just after you’ve seen cute videos online, make sure that they are a good fit for you and your family,” Dimitrova said.
Dimitrova’s friend, Lily Kaluger, looks forward to the accompaniment of Tulin when she visits Dimitrovas house.
“I usually visit Tulin every time I carpool to Dimitrova’s house, when he finally gets warmed up to me, he rests on my knee or sometimes my head and he’ll peck at everything, it’s hilarious,” Kaluger said.
Tulin gets really “playful” when he sees others and is always curious about getting to know them.
“My favorite thing is definitely the noises he makes, they’re like squeals, they also do taps on everything and it’s really funny and cute when he gets excited because he’ll tap a lot,” Kaluger said.
Kaluger, of course, does not see Tulin as often as Dimitrova does, but when she does interact with Tulin, she sees his behavior and learns new things about him all the time.
“It turns out a lot of the time when you hear whistle noises coming from them, it comes from their feathers, but I really thought he was just trying to talk,” Kaluger said.
The more Kaluger sees how Tulin interacts with her and Dimitrova, she realizes that pigeons are actually very caring.
“It’s nice people go through extra care and save them from the street, it’s sad that they are pushed to the side as pets so I think it’s nice they get the same love that cats or dogs do too,” Kaluger said.
To Kaluger, Dimitrova’s decision to adopt a pigeon is really inspiring to her. Kaluger also feels it’s important for people to understand that uncommon pets such as pigeons should get more attention.
“I just want to let people know that you have options outside of cats and dogs. Pigeons are amazing; they’re lovely and wonderful,” Dimitrova said. “None of them are meant to be wild. People are quick to brush them off and see them as pests when really, they’re so loving. I just want people to give them a chance as a pet. I know people can be judgemental, but as domestic pets, they love unconditionally, which I found a lot of comfort in.”