Can Pigeons And Parakeets Live Together?
Keeping multiple breeds of birds together is common for bird owners, and it can also grow social and emotional connections among them. Pigeons and parakeets are social birds, and both of them love the company of other birds.
But can pigeons and parakeets live together? Actually, pigeons and parakeets can live together in a cage if you can supervise them well and manage the conflicts among them carefully. Besides, you also need to consider several factors, such as the availability of enough space, feeding them well, and providing support for building their first contact.
In this article, you will get to know about the considerations of keeping pigeons and parakeets together so that you can raise both of these lovely pets without any threats and unwanted occurrences.
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Are Pigeons a Threat to Other Birds?
Pigeons are calm, shy, and gentle birds with docile and non-aggressive personalities. Like many other territorial aggressive birds, they do not attack or hunt other birds. Instead, they always try to maintain a social relationship with their mates.
Though they occasionally engage in conflicts with other birds, their non-dangerous moves don’t give rise to serious fights. If pigeons are aggressive over something, they generally slap their wings and scuffle with their beaks.
Besides, pigeons can easily adapt to new environments and surroundings that create less chance of threat to other species. Though they can be a bit possessive over their eggs, food, and territory, these are rare cases and aren’t really considered a threat to other birds.
You can read our article about “Pigeon Habitat“
Is It Safe for Pigeons and Parakeets to Live Together in the Same Cage or Aviary?
If you are planning to keep pigeons and parakeets together in the same cage or aviary, you definitely need to think about the safety issues for both these birds. Because sometimes, these birds can be aggressive and territorial, which can cause conflicts and physical fights among them.
Though you can domesticate both pigeons and parakeets in cages and aviaries, keeping them together needs a lot of planning and consideration.
You also need to supervise them from time to time to avoid social conflicts and control their aggressive behavior.
If you can maintain them well by providing enough food, space, and communicational support, it is totally safe to keep them together in the same housing. All these factors will boost their moods and keep them social and friendly.
What Kind of Cage Do They Need?
Keeping pigeons and parakeets together can be easier if you can provide them with proper cage facilities along with other considerations. Here we have briefly discussed the cage requirements for raising pigeons and parakeets together.
1. Providing Enough Space
When attempting to raise different birds together, the most important thing you should consider is the space in the cage.
Your pigeons and parakeets should have enough room in the cage to walk and fly without bumping into each other. Besides, there should be small corners where they can spend alone time without being harassed by others.
2. Making a Landing Platform
Pigeons and parakeets are both habituated to taking small strolls in front of their housing and sometimes flying at near distances. Making a landing platform in front of the cage might be perfect for this purpose.
You can make this platform near the main door of the cage and remember to keep enough space so that 3 or 4 birds can land on the platform at a time.
3. Building Paper – Made Flooring
When you are keeping parakeets and pigeons together, there will be frequent droppings on the cage flooring, and you should make sure that they don’t get in contact with the droppings.
The flooring should be made with layers of untreated paper so that you can frequently change the layers several times a day.
Besides, using clean sand on the cage floor might also be a good idea as sand dust doesn’t let the droppings become messy, even if the birds walk over it.
How Do Pigeons and Parakeets Get Along?
Pigeons and parakeets both are gentle in nature and can get along well by providing companionship to each other. If you choose baby pigeons and parakeets for keeping together, there will be a better chance for them to get along. Because mature birds are difficult to control and they can be antisocial and aggressive.
You should always make sure to keep pigeons and parakeets of the same age, size, and temperament in the same cage. Otherwise, they might show aggressive behavior, and fights can occur among them.
To make them get along with each other, you should keep them in different cages at first. Supervise them for a few days and make sure they see each other being captivated in separate pens.
When you release them in the same cage, there is a high chance that they will get along well and become each other’s companions through friendly interaction.
What Type of Environment Is Best for a Parakeet and Pigeon to Live Together?
Providing pigeons and parakeets an enriched environment can ensure compatibility among them while living together. A proper environment includes enough food, proper housing facilities, necessary medical care, and recreational items.
1. Let Them Get to Know Each Other
If you have just started raising these two varieties of birds together, let them take time to get along without being forced; so that they can feel the equality between them. This will help them interact with each other through naturally friendly behavior.
2. Ensure a Healthy Diet
Provide them with a healthy diet and necessary medical attention so that they stay less stressed and feel free to be socially active with each other.
3. Introduce Toys
You can arrange some toys and other recreational items for them to keep them engaged and express their playful nature. It will also help to create an opportunity for them to communicate with each other through different recreational activities.
Are There Any Potential Health Risks Associated with Having a Parakeet and Pigeon Living Together?
As parakeets and pigeons don’t belong to the same variety of birds, they surely contain different parasites and diseases. As a result, there is a huge chance that the diseases might transmit from one to another and create potential health risks for them.
Chlamydia is common for pigeons, and the effect of this disease is mild for them. Because pigeons have immunity developed inside their body to prevent its harmful effects. On the other hand, this same disease can be severe for parakeets, and they might suffer very badly.
Similar to this, parakeets also carry a deadly disease called Psittacosis which can be harmful both for humans and pigeons. To prevent this disease, you should make sure to reduce the crowd in a single bird cage.
Regular supervising and providing necessary medical care and treatment can ensure the well-being of your pigeons and parakeets by making the health risks minimal.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Are other birds scared of pigeons?
Smaller garden birds often get scared of pigeons as pigeons might frighten them off when coming to the feeders. Though pigeons do not attack other birds, sometimes they show aggressive behavior to small birds strolling in their territory.
2. Are parakeets loving and friendly?
Parakeets are one of the most popular domestic birds in the parrot community; they are gentle, loving, and friendly in nature. They are easy to tame and can build cordial relationships with their owner in a short time.
3. Do parakeets show aggressive behavior?
Though parakeets have a soft nature, they can be rarely aggressive, and their aggression generally stays for a short while. They can show such behavior and participate in small fights over food, toys, and personal spaces.
Conclusion
Raising two different species of birds by providing them with proper care is definitely a challenge for any bird owner. When keeping pigeons and parakeets together, there are better chances of them getting along and being compatible with each other, only if you can provide them with a healthy environment through proper planning and supervision.
So, if you were wondering can pigeons and parakeets live together, hopefully, all your doubts got cleared through this article.
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