Rescue pigeon Mulligan is flying again

Mulligan's been with us for two months now and has spent a great deal of time under the table refusing to let anyone come near him. His wing and tail feathers have been growing back and while they're not grown back all the way yet, yesterday he discovered he can get liftoff and he got up on top of one of the parrot cages, where he held court for the rest of the day. There's a sort of play stand with a food bowl attached on top of that cage, and I did originally buy it for the Pigeon Queen, Maggie, but she rarely uses it (she prefers me for a perch or, failing that, the tops of doors). The parrots make ample use of that perch even though it's far too big for them (theoretically) but they've had to decamp in favor of Mulligan, who is not in the least intimidated by mere parrots and refuses to budge. Getting him to bed last night was something of a challenge. Before he figured out he could fly again, I just herded him out from under the table and toward his cage (on the floor) and he went in and that was that. But since he can fly now, herding isn't an option. I'm still trying to figure out what to replace it with. He's not tame yet, though he's a little less skittish than he was, so it's not like I can just ask him to step up and stuff him in his cage the way I do Maggie.

But he's MUCH better, almost completely well, and compared to the condition the poor baby was in when my brother brought him to us, it's night and day.

That's wonderful news, Siobhan!
It's great to read how much he's improved, and how he's got such a strong personality!

Mind you, I'd be a bit careful with the parrots, even if he isn't,as they have very strong beaks and could cause him a very nasty injury if they put their minds to it!

If His Highness is playing up at bedtime, a good trick is to darken the room almost completely so you can catch him easily -- pigeons who can't see, don't fly or run away!

The biggest parrots are the Quakers and they're scared of pigeons. Maggie has taught them to give her a wide berth because she pecks if they get too close. One tiel is scared of pigeons, too, and my budgie learned firsthand last night that Mulligan considers him less important than a fly. Mulligan stepped on him. It was an accident, and only Benjy's feelings were hurt, but Mulligan never even knew he'd stepped on him. Benjy said "ooof!" and Mulligan didn't even look down. My other tiel will stand his ground and lift his wings and hiss, but one menacing move from a pigeon and he backs down, too. They've been living with Maggie for a year and a half and the reason I call her The Pigeon Queen is that they all defer to her. She gets the perch she wants and the food she wants and the attention she wants and they have to back off. Apparently Mulligan plans to adopt that attitude, too.

I figured out how to get him to bed. I still have to herd. LOL I just sort of walk toward him and aim him closer to his cage and when he's in the vicinity, I say "It's time for bed, Mully" and that's what I always said when he was on the floor, so he flew down to the floor and hopped right in.

Siobhan wrote:

The biggest parrots are the Quakers and they're scared of pigeons. Maggie has taught them to give her a wide berth because she pecks if they get too close. One tiel is scared of pigeons, too, and my budgie learned firsthand last night that Mulligan considers him less important than a fly. Mulligan stepped on him.* It was an accident, and only Benjy's feelings were hurt, but Mulligan never even knew he'd stepped on him. Benjy said "ooof!" and Mulligan didn't even look down. My other tiel will stand his ground and lift his wings and hiss, but one menacing move from a pigeon and he backs down, too. They've been living with Maggie for a year and a half and the reason I call her The Pigeon Queen is that they all defer to her. She gets the perch she wants and the food she wants and the attention she wants and they have to back off. Apparently Mulligan plans to adopt that attitude, too.**

I figured out how to get him to bed. I still have to herd. LOL I just sort of walk toward him and aim him closer to his cage and when he's in the vicinity, I say "It's time for bed, Mully" and that's what I always said when he was on the floor, so he flew down to the floor and hopped right in.***

*

**LOL, it sounds like Mulligan has learned that what works for Maggie also works for him! Clever boy, lovable rogues are irresistible!

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