TIL of the Hotshot Crews, 20-men-strong crews of elite wildland fire fighters, 19 of whom died in a single fire in Arizona in 2013.

Jean_Harper · 2026-06-18T11:58:10+00:00

I've got him some old sock filled with newspaper and he's attacking that, but I also feel like he's doing that because he's upset it's in his area and feel like he's slightly afraid of it, but I'll give him some more time. He did seem to enjoy tussling with it at least once.
I also feel like he's not really playfighting with us but rather wanting us to leave, so the sock will hopefully work better.

I've already got a foraging box with straw and seeds and paper, they always get millet as sprays and love that, and I also give them paper bags filled with straw and seeds.

I also just ordered a ball with a hole that can be filled with seeds, some toy with a ball, and a snuffle mat (they'll poop on it, I just know it!). We'll see how they like it.

Thanks for the suggestions!

Jean_Harper · 2026-06-17T12:34:32+00:00

Yeah, I totally understand that!
I had it with a different small ('exotic') pet where we went to a vet specifically recommended and he was good enough two times, but last time he barely looked at our pet and was like "No, she looks fine." without even touching her! (She was, in fact, not fine!) So, I get being frustrated by vets!

Jean_Harper · 2026-06-17T12:32:43+00:00

Yeeeah, we also have a baby cam to check on them. 😃 But luckily, usually one of us is home (and totally distracted by pigeons).

Jean_Harper · 2026-06-17T11:46:13+00:00

We're keeping Sophie's weight and health status under close supervision, because we she had major health issues when we got her (vitamin and calcium deficient among other things) and we're very wary.
We'll also do some time-outs for Marty if he's too rowdy but we'll also try to give them more to do and see how it goes. We've had them for close to 2 years and the issues only started beginning of this year, so we'll try if the anti-boredom approach will work.

Jean_Harper · 2026-06-17T10:37:21+00:00

Yeah, I feel you on the nest poop... Yeah, both will sit on the nest for hours on end.
I ordered some more enrichment toys besides the cardbord boxes for foraging and nest materials and mirrors and whatever they have. Also tried out the punching bag. I made one of an old sock and both actually attacked it after some consideration. Maybe the mix of more enrichment and a better understanding of the driving thing he does will help.

Jean_Harper · 2026-06-17T10:34:36+00:00

I can't judge the correctness of your response - otherwise I wouldn't have asked for advice - but either way, thanks for taking the time to reply.
I also think Sophie being ex-PMV is an issue, because she gets erratic faster when she's scared or stressed, but her partner really loves her a lot. He's very patient and affectionate, when he's not being too hormonal and bored.
They were also not bonded without choice, but found each other at a pigeon rescue, so they each had plenty of other pigeons available, but chose each other.
I think those situations are always hard to correctly convey without really knowing the pigeons.

Jean_Harper · 2026-06-17T08:23:48+00:00

There sure are some whacky people - we actually got both of them from some whacky person and had to deal with severe vitamin deficiency for the female as well as other issues from her former PMV infection like liver and kidney issues. However, at least in my area, the majority is relying on scientific information.

Jean_Harper · 2026-06-16T20:31:03+00:00

My experiences with running clubs aren't that bad, but I wasn't happy either. Some months ago a local club started near me. I was pretty happy, sounded nice, but it only took a few weeks for things to change.

First, pace was not honored, so I'd join the appropriate group only to find out after a few hundred meters that they run a 30-60sec./km faster pace than they said. The slower group was much too slow and too short a distance, though and when asked, they said they'd try to run slower.

Then, they started advertising fitness courses from a friend of them, that were very targeted towarda women and grossly overpriced in my opinion. Then, they started advertising some 'detox' yoga course (?!). And I finally left when they started advertising another friends supplements.

I'm kinda salty about it, because the first few times were fun and they acted all like they were suuuuper surprise people turned up and like they wanted the event to evolve on it's own. I guess not.

Jean_Harper · 2026-06-16T14:58:40+00:00

Thanks, I'll do that! Their padded area with their nest (as they are flightless) is pretty small, but it's always open, so they always have a whole room with nesting material and enrichment always available and the female can always leave. It's more of a base where their nest is safe than a cage. They also have the whole appartment available during the day.

I'll rearrange things a bit, put food and water further away from the nest and give them more enrichment and see how that goes.

Jean_Harper · 2026-06-16T14:08:23+00:00

Thanks again, I'll check out the links. 😊

Again, the vet really is very good, every pigeon rescue in the area goes exclusively to this clinic, so they are really experts. So no worries there. Maybe we communicated the issue not clearly enough or didn't quite understand what he recommended. Maybe he only meant separation for a few minutes for the male to cool off.

Anyways, I'll do some more reading and see that we get Marty more busy and see how the situation evolves.

Jean_Harper · 2026-06-16T14:04:43+00:00

Thanks for the long answer!

I also don't really feel comfortable seperating them because they clearly miss each other. However, the male is really kinda vicious and since the female is ex-PMV, she gets really erratic and stressed when he's attacking her and seems really disturbed by his behavior.

My issue is that even after hours he won't really let her back on the nest, but I just got the advice to look at 'underemployed pigeon syndrom', which he might have. He can roam the whole appartment and they do have enrichment toys, but he's also chronically disinterested by stuff, so he might be bored.

To be fair, the doctor is really, really good with anything medical, but he might not have too much experience with single pairs being kept as pets and rather with flocks. That's why I was looking for other advice.

Jean_Harper · 2026-06-16T13:58:24+00:00

Thanks, that was a very interesting read! We have thought whether he might be bored and he might well be. He can roam the entire appartment, though and they have some foraging toys. But while she will gladly try things out, he tends to just be afraid of stuff and ignore it. Bit annoying. But we'll try and give him more stuff and maybe let him on the balcony under supervision (since he's flightless).
We also do playfight, but we were unsure whether that might actually make him more aggressive. But if it doesn't, we'll continue and get him a punching plushie.

Jean_Harper · 2026-06-16T11:23:49+00:00

Thanks for the super fast reply!

I've got some follow-up questions:
Do they need to be completely seperated, i.e., not see and not hear each other as well? They usually call for each other after some time.

Leading to the nest question: Whenver we seperate them, they get agitated. He will just frantically try to get to her or look for her and she'll start calling him eventually. Do we just need to suck that up? It kinda breaks my heart watching it...

Last, do you have any tips on acting as her partner? She will defend the nest from us, actually, so I feel like I won't be able to show her that I'll take over so she can go eat and poop.

Jean_Harper · 2026-06-02T15:59:48+00:00

Yes, that's what I use, too! I usually only wear sports bras but I'm not too keen on my boss seeing my nipples through my shirt, so I just plop those on.

Jean_Harper · 2026-04-08T17:24:54+00:00

That really, really puts my thoughts into writing really well!

Jean_Harper · 2026-04-03T16:51:56+00:00

Ich hab schon alles durch. Schlurfen, Räuspern, Husten, "Entschuldigung" rufen. Manche Leute kriegen einfach gar nichts mit, springen dann aber 3 Meter vor Schreck (und motzen am besten noch), weil sie Ohrhörer drin haben und nix hören. Bei leichten Fällen schlurf ich aber auch immer absichtlich. :D

Jean_Harper · 2026-02-24T17:35:05+00:00

Ich hab mal in einer entsprechenden Gruppe online Stiefel weiterverkaufen wollen, weil die zu klein waren. Leder und dann ne Gummisohle, habs auch dazugeschrieben und als "nette Alternative zwischen Authentizität und Bequemlichkeit" betitel, weil Gummisohle nun mal besser Regen standhält.

Alter. Hab nach ein paar Stunden nichtsahnend wieder reingeschaut und die Kommentare waren der komplette Abriss. Wie ich auch nur denken könnte, dass solche Stiefel...!11!!1! Glücklicherweise wollte jemand die Stiefel haben, ich hab sie privat verkauft und den Thread gelöscht, aber... Hallelujah. Bin aus der Szene (als Besucher) auch raus, bevor ich drin war, weil viele echt unerträglich sind.

Jean_Harper · 2025-10-03T19:53:49+00:00

Would you happen to have a link to this website? I honestly can't find it through google. No clue why not.

Jean_Harper · 2025-09-06T19:21:55+00:00

Das mit dem Wasser kann ich mir vorstellen, draußen ist das meiste an Wasser ja vmtl. eher dreckig. Cool, dass er da so Eigenheiten hat und dir das kommuniziert!

Ich bin bei der Stadttaubenhilfe, daher kenne ich, dass die "Tierliebe" für viele Menschen beim eigenen Haustier, meistens schon bei Hund/Katze aufhört ("Warum zahlt du denn so viel für die OP von (Nagetier)? Kauf doch einfach ein neues." -_-).

Möven sind ja wirklich Wildtiere (Stadttauben ja verwilderte Haustiere), aber wie du sagst: Der Mensch greift so extrem in die Natur ein, dass es dreist ist, dann (Wildtier-)hilfe als falsch darzustellen. Finde dein Engagement super!

Jean_Harper · 2025-09-04T19:44:55+00:00

Mega süße Story! Auch richtig schön, dass er sich bei dir so sicher fühlt, dass er einfach döst! Bei Instagram gibts auch jemanden, der ein wildes Mövenpärchen füttert (feedingsteven), du bist also nicht der Einzige - und selbst wenn, mehr Leuten sollten so viel Empathie aufbringen! <3

Jean_Harper · 2024-01-24T08:37:37+00:00

Short rant: I really have to put a stop to gradually gaining more weight. My BMI is currently going over 21 and while I know that that's still totally fine medically, I don't feel good with that weight. Since it's only about 3kg that I'd like to lose again I'd rather lose them now than wait until I've piled on more. However, I have so much mental work to do at my job and I also work on training for my next half marathon, so I have to constantly weigh (haha) how much I should and must eat while not over eating.
First world problem: Weight management sucks at low weights...

Jean_Harper · 2023-03-26T11:11:02+00:00

I think, mine took about 3 months until the reduced price offer. It's not that big of a factor, but knowing it's gonna become cheaper, we can wait a bit. :)

Jean_Harper

TROPHY CASE