Tame Pidge mating with Feral Rescue?

(X-posted on pigeon-talk, feel free to move if not in proper category)

Turns out Viktor, my tame pigeon is a female, and her attentions towards Crixus, the feral who couldn't fly has paid off: it seems they've accepted each other as mates and have been mating and cooing and generally staying quite close together.

Crixus is still absolutely deathly afraid of me, he doesn't like to be handled and will do his best to get as far as he can from me. I think in the next week or two he'll be ready to be released(his once missing flight feathers are coming in quickly), but the mating issue complicates things(or does it?)

Would there be any negative side-effects to Crixus being released? Should I find/purchase a male for Viktor, or would she reject a new male?

That's a hard question and you will undoubtedly get many different opinions some quite adamant.

Is the feral a young bird or one that is older? If the bird is older there could be a mate waiting for the bird's return. Then again...the mate may have moved on feeling her mate is gone forever.

Pigeons do mate for life unless they are separated for some reason and taking Crixus from Viktor may cause her to be depressed.

As far as finding Viktor another mated should you release Crixus, I would think one will just come to you without you needing to look.

The bird sitting on the dog's back in my avatar is Jackie, my totally tamed house pet pigeon.

I hand raised Jackie from 2 days old. She is unreleasable as she has only one eye. She is totally human imprinted and was an only pigeon with run of the house. When Jackie was approximately 1 year old I rescued an adult feral who was a victim of a glue trap. His name is now Snowflake. Snowflake was totally wild, still is, and was housed in a seperate cage where both he and Jackie could observe each other. To this day, it is impossible for me to handle Snowflake, he is agressive and would love to take my hand off if he could. As time passed during his recovery he and Jackie would coo for eachother and at times it almost sounded like they were crying for eachother. I put them together in one cage and they have been a mated pair ever since.

Snowflake is fully recovered and could propably be successfully released, however these two are totally devoted to eachother. As aggressive as Snowflake is with me, he is as gentle and loving to Jackie. They share nesting duties, preen eachother, and they kiss eachother most every day. I would never consider seperating them. I think each bird would be totally lost and depressed without the other.

Both birds are happy, healthy, and have the best of everything to meet their needs. I honestly don't think that given a choice, Snowflake would choose freedom over Jackie. He is 100% devoted to her as his mate.

I know others might have different feelings about keeping wild birds in capativity, but I feel have made the best decision for both of my birds.

Unfortunately, no one can tell you how to proceed, it will be a decision you will ultimately have to make on your own.

Louise