The Strong Willed Bird

Theory: More often than not PGWear can be easily accepted by a pigeon, especially one who is used to human touch. I have brought in some wilder coop pigeons to test this theory, and found that pigeons are masters at confounding theory! I have one hand raised pigeon who still fusses for a minute or two when I put on his PGWear-which he wears all the time indoors. He chooses to be indoors wearing PGWear rather than to be outside free of it. Then I put PGWear on those "wilder coop" pigeons and they strutted about as if they had always worn PGWear not reacting to it at all!Much to my amazement-I thought they would be the ones to have a fit. Conclusion: I think it is more a birds personality than whether or not they are hand raised or wild. My experience has shown that a strong willed bird is much like a two year old child getting a new pair of shoes put on their feet, or a horse getting a saddle for the first time. Birds naturally are suspicious of new things; a SW Pigeon may demonstrate these behaviors of displeasure (and more) when wearing PGWear for the first time: pouting, sitting ruffled, moving around more or less than normal, or rolling around as if they are wrestling the diaper. They may fuss more when you try to re-apply PGWear. These birds take a bit more work than those that accept new things easily. Some Solutions: Bring them more gently into the diaper experience with 10-15 min consistent training sessions. Distraction is a key element. Bring out their favorite toy they like to play attack, or their favorite nest, or favorite treats. Take them for a safe car ride- they tend to forget the diaper in the upfront experience of a car ride. If they are not so tame put them in their cage with PGWear on, so they can investigate the "newness" in their familiar space. If you know the fit is correct, and you are giving the needed loving attention of the moment, try to observe their tantrum for what it is. A strong willed bird can wear PGWear -it is just a bit more of a learning curve.