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  • San Francisco Educational Article of the Month - How to Get Rid of Pigeons

How to Get Rid of Pigeons

Do you have a pigeon problem around your San Francisco home or business? If you do then you have joined the many of the years who have had to suffer at the hands of these flying rats. California Pigeons seem to be everywhere and once they enter a space they can become very unwelcome guests. They poop everywhere and leave other waste. They congregate in large groups and they shed and molt all over. To say they leave a mess in their path is like saying that a hurricane can be a bit windy.



Besides the mess that they leave, one has to worry about the disease as well. These animals are not the worst carriers of disease, but they do leave parasites and bacteria wherever they are, and this can make you, your family, and your pets sick. None of those things are an acceptable result.

In addition, you simply have the horrific way that they destroy the beauty of your home and property. Waste makes your roof, patio or deck look like crap, and this can destroy the look and the value of your San Francisco home. It also makes it uncomfortable to go outside. You want to enjoy your home; pigeons destroy your ability to do so.

If you have a pigeon problem, here are some things you can do to get rid of them.

The first thing to do is to eliminate the sources of food that they have. If you have a bird feeder, you will need to take it down. If you have San Francisco fruit or nut trees you will pick those trees of their offerings regularly. Make sure that your garbage can lids are closed tightly. Don’t leave dog and cat food dishes outside. It is all these little things that make your home a desirable stop for pigeons. If you remove their food supply they will move on.

Next you want to make places where they will set up a home to be a lot less hospitable. Eaves, rooftops, attic spaces, underneath decks, and facades are some of the most common areas where you will find pigeons making a home. To get rid of the San Francisco pigeons from there you can do several things. First is to work on scaring them away. You can do this by spraying a hose in their nesting area, but they may try to attack you, so that may not be the best option.

Another thing you can do is put or spray repellant in the nesting areas. Most of these repellents are not hazardous to the pigeons, which is good if you don’t want a big cleanup. They simply are irritating and the pigeons don’t want to stay around. There are commercial repellents you can get, like B-ST, or you can use things like mothballs or even WD-40. Mothballs and B-ST give off an odor that pigeons simply don’t like. Oil also is pungent to pigeons, but it has the added effect of being slick, and the pigeons don’t like that they slide and can’t get a grip. This will also help to scare them away.

If you want a more permanent solution, then you can look at such things as poisons to rid yourself of these flying rats. Poisons can be added to food sources they are going after, or you can feed them bird seed with the poison in it. The birds will eat this and die and your problem is resolved. Well, at least partially.

Killing off the California birds means you are going to have another problem – clean up. You simply can’t leave these dead birds laying around. Their bodies will attract other animals and soon you may have squirrels, vultures, raccoons, and possums flocking to your home. They can create more of a problem than the pigeons, so you have to clean up the dead bodies right away.

There is the also the concern of your own pets feeding off of the dead birds. They may see the dead California pigeon as a tasty snack as well, so clean up is imperative right away. You don’t want your dog eating a poisoned pigeon and dying as well. That would be sad.

There are traps that you can buy that you can use to catch the California pigeons and take them somewhere else to be disposed of. This can be a safe and humane way to get rid of your problem, and a lot of people like this option best. Pigeon traps can cost as much as $200, but can be used over and over again. When taking the pigeons to another California location, be sure to handle the cage with gloves. The last thing you want is to catch some kind of disease from handling the birds.

You can also hire a professional to trap and remove the animals. This can be costly, but it is very effective.

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