Tag Archives: pigeon damage

Pigeons in the House

pigeon removal

As the children have gotten older, I’m able to let them play outside on their own more and more, but they still have this awful habit of leaving the door open, and now we’re getting pigeons in the house.  At first, I didn’t realize we’d have a pigeon problem.  I thought the children’s frustrating habit of leaving the door wide open would simply lead to higher heating and air conditioning bills, or allow the next door neighbor’s dog to run inside our home every now and then.  I didn’t know it could lead to pigeons in the house, and I’m more disgusted by those devil birds than I am by our neighbor’s unwashed yappy little creature.  At least with a dog, I can shoo it out of my house, clean up after it, and know that it’s gone.  I have no idea how many pigeons have fluttered their way into my home, so I don’t know if one got left behind, hiding in another room, dropping little bird mites onto my sofa or dining room table, ready to swoop down on one of us when we walk unsuspectingly into that room.  Just gross.

 

But, they do.  My guess is, they’re nesting or roosting in the house just down the street.  It’s been abandoned for just over a year now.  The previous owners struggled with their mortgage payments, especially after the husband got sick and the medical bills racked up.  They had to move out of state to live nearer to a special clinic that he needed, so they rented it out for a while.  Unfortunately, the people who rented it didn’t take care of the place, and it got run down pretty quick.  Finally, the bank had to foreclose on the place, the tenants moved, and it’s sat there empty ever since.  What a waste.  And, what an attractive place for nuisance animals like pigeons to call their home.

 

I’m not naïve.  I fully expect those flying rats to breed and move into the rest of the neighborhood.  Or, attempt to move in.  My husband and I have been pretty vigilant about checking out our attic to make sure nothing’s living up there, and we spot check the outside of our house, looking for holes or cracks.  But, I’ve heard a lot of animals can get into the house through the tiniest of openings.  Of course, my kids like to put out the welcome mat for them, when they disregard my rules and leave the door wide open.

 

We get pigeons in the house who just fly or walk right through the open back door.   I will find them around the dog’s food bowl, or hanging around the kitchen garbage can.  I grab the broom and chase those suckers straight back out the door, but sometimes I’ll miss one.  I might have to call the bank that foreclosed on that empty house, to see if they’ll get Allstate Animal Control to get rid of the pigeons in the house.  And, my family will just have to be more vigilant to keep them out of our house, too.

 

 

 

 

Overpopulation of Pigeons

With all the recent road construction, and placement of new bridges throughout the county, I’m surprised there isn’t a greater discussion of the overpopulation of pigeons in the county.

You might wonder what one has to do with the other, but it actually makes a great deal of sense.  First and foremost, pigeon urine and feces are dangerous.  Not just in the yuck-I-have-pigeon-poop-all-over-my-car kind of way, either.  Pigeon feces carry all kinds of harmful microorganisms that release into the air once the droppings have dried that can cause respiratory problems in humans and animals.  And, they attract other creatures like mice and rats to an area.  Gross and a health hazard to those who live in the area.  But, I’m talking about the very real danger of pigeon urine.  You see, pigeons have a high uric acid concentration in their urine, the key word being acid.  It can eat through wood joists, concrete, and cause metal to rust faster than it would normally.  I’m sure you see where I’m headed with this.  The serious overpopulation of pigeons in our county can seriously undermine the money and safety of the residents in our county.  We’ve spent a lot of taxpayer money to pay for these new overpasses and bridges, and we’ve all endured months and months of dealing with road construction and detours, all with the glorious aim of lessening road congestion.  Wonderful, right?  So, why should we have to deal with repairs and replacing these structures much earlier than normal?  If we allow the overpopulation of pigeons to continue, we’re going to pay the price in the long run, by jeopardizing the structures we just paid for.  What is it they say about an ounce of prevention?

But, it seems to go completely unnoticed right now.  I commute about 40 minutes each way, and drive under some of these new overpasses.  Looking up, I see they’re covered in flying vermin, and I have to wonder why we aren’t doing more about the problem.  Maybe the county can’t find the funds to install barriers, or do what they need to do to get rid of the pigeons.  Conspiracy theorists might wonder if the road construction companies invite the pigeons in order to ensure themselves work in the future.  As for me, I believe that no one in the county government has considered the overpopulation of pigeons to be a big enough problem, yet.  I worry that it will be one of the things we’re discussing in the years to come, as we have to pay more and more for repairs, maintenance and cleaning.  The worst case scenario would be if we allowed it to go on past the point of no return, and one of these new bridges or overpasses actually collapses.  Wouldn’t we rather take care of the problem now rather than moan about what we should have done?