Some other thoughts:
Having a bird that lives loose with you, and see it freely seek out your company- to be social with you and entice you to share in its life is an unbelievably joyful wonder. Perhaps it is a matter of compromise more than a bending of wills, when it comes to your bird’s acceptance of PGWear. You will probably need to figure out the most pleasing thing to your bird, in light of what you are asking them to do. Is it treats, attention, adventure, the realization of freedom from cages, that PGWear will give them?
Birds are as individual as people, the closer you get to them, the easier that is to see. Some times birds appear to behave in very erratic and none meaningful ways. If you notice birds outside they tend to appear to flit here and there with not much apparent reason to us. At least except for their always prevalent search for food. By their biology birds know that energy is expensive- food not always easy to find so their movements are actually restrained to those that are very necessary. A bird will, for example usually jump up into a bush to say a certain height to avoid a cat, but will fly into a higher tree if a human approaches. This is to save energy. All of their movements are survival based and express their intimate knowledge of their environment. They know that their life is one, where accidents, disease, starvation and predation cause death to most young birds and eventually the old, every year. Once we take a bird indoors, supply food and reduce the normal stressors of their environment, -just as with all those human science studies have show –lift life up from a survival based level to include leisure and learning time- and wow factor occurs!
Birds have more time to develop personality and life thoughts without worrying about dying every minute of the day. They explore, they play, and they adventure and build conclusions. My home hatched, hand raised pigeons do not demonstrate the exact behaviors as the pigeons raised outside.
Birds that come in from outside have fully developed survival skills, and “body territory” boundaries, which my house pigeons don’t express to the same developed degree- they have not had too- everything is given freely to them.
So if you have a house raised pigeon my experience shows they seem to adapt to PGWear “easier” than an outdoor bird brought in with that complete sense of “survival to the max.”
As well as the strong willed bird, which has developed more ways to express their feelings, there is the bird who is easily upset by change. The more emotional bird. You would know which type by their reactions. If you attempt to gently brush a strong willed bird off the dinner table to express to them that the dinner table is a "NO" zone -a strong willed bird may bristle and "attack" your fingers with a "push back" to get his/her way. They may make accompanying noises that pigeons make when declaring their desires. (lots of guttural hooting). A more emotional bird would freak out fly off and demonstrate more “I need to get away from this upset”, more than “I need to get my way.” Knowing which kind of bird you have will help decide your requests to them. Remember you are asking the bird to do something foreign to its life, beginning with bring them indoors. In many circumstances this is for very good reasons-such as some birds cannot be safely integrated back into a natural outdoor life,- they might have missed crucial life development stages and cannot be reintroduced easily such as rescued birds with no or very little survival skills that will allow them an outdoor life, or some handicapped birds that would not have a life otherwise. Perhaps some birds are in the home for an opportunity to be a pet as part of the family. Pigeons have been domesticated to humans and make wonderful, endearing pets. What ever the reason, they are with you- compromise with the natural will of the bird is the best move.
So-
Under the best and easiest circumstances hopefully you have developed some sort of bond with your bird. Your bird perhaps seeks out your company and clearly expresses delight in you. Getting the bird to do something foreign to it for you is easier if it is bonded to you, as that love and trust will bring him/her back around.
Whereas starting with a wild bird and suddenly “PGWearing” them up to allow for that freedom of movement, in which to begin a relationship will be harder.
Outdoor or even some indoor birds may require some creative reassurance. After making sure the fit is comfortable and safe try these things:
• If they have let you hold them in the past, put PGWear on, and hold them in an escapeless cradle of your hands, say while you are watching T.V.
Regardless of normal struggle just gently hold and graduate to petting their
head areas if they allow it, until you feel them soften and relax.
• Put PGWear on them and return them to their cage where being in a familiar space and small space will reassure them some normalcy as well as a small safe place to fuss.
• Put PGWear on them –set them on the floor -in a small room, bedroom or bathroom-or hall way with closed side doors- so they can fuss safely - their way through the first discovery- which is- it does not come off. Then they will see it is not creating pain or constriction of movement- which is the next discovery.
• If your bird is a well traveled car partner with you, (keep in mind your particular states unrestrained pets rules) –often I see they will “forget” their focus on PGWear to focus instead on the excitement of the ride. Of course do not try this if your bird is going to freak out and interfere with safe driving.
• Restrict their freedom outside the cage to wearing PGWear so it becomes an exchange chip. You get what you want, (clean home) they get what they want (freedom).
All of their maneuvers to dislodge PGWear are normal to their survival experience. When they see that they can eat, move and fly with PGWear on, they soon return to those activities with acceptance. My house pigeons have had PGWear all of their lives. They stand patiently while it is changed or put on, and then take off to the adventures of their day-usually following me around while I do my chores. They have an outdoor cage option; that I will remove their diapers for so they can be outside free of it- but they spend 98 percent of their time indoors- only going out for a sun bath -when we have sun-or to see what might be going on outdoors. PGWear is for making the not so normal indoor experience -into the safer, cleaner compromise of how life happens to be. I believe offering them the indoor experience can give your bird a fulfilling, happy life, with some work from you- their keepers. The picture at the beginning of my blog, shows the remains of a pigeon the local Cooper hawk left me of one of my favorite coop birds. Despite my best efforts to make sure they are safe, happy, and having a good life-he gets one every now and then. The fact of predation is part of being a bird outside.
I do believe in PGWear, not as a saleable item that will make a lot of money, because frankly my real job supplies the materials to make PGWear available; as a quality custom handmade item, the costs of production negate the profits. I know PGWear offers the open door to such an awesome relationship opportunity- offering the ability to see birds in a measure of safe freedom learn to express themselves; and allow you to share in it- this can bring greater species understanding and joy for both parties. How else can you say -lay in bed and be awakened by a pigeon gently preening your eyelashes- and cooing-as if saying, “Hey- wake up the day is here- lets go play!”.
