# Aggressive Diamond doves? Help!



## Sircoosalot (Feb 5, 2017)

Hello!

A few months ago I had a male Diamond dove, Sir.CoosALot. He was very noisy and on the advice of Tailfeathers, I got him a cute girlfriend. 

I introduced them slowly, they got on beautifully! 

On Christmas day she laid an egg, [ then another after. ] After laying, they ignored the eggs and went about their usual dove duties. 

I assumed this was them being first parents and not knowing what to do. So I let them rebuild a nest and start again. Last week she laid two more eggs.

She sat on them for the first day or so, he too. Then all of a sudden they stopped and this was when he got very aggressive.

He will not stop chasing her and attacking her. I've read up that this is because she isn't sitting? 

When I came home from a day out last night, she was missing all of the feathers on the back of her neck and he is still chasing. I separated them immediately and kept them this way overnight.

I have also removed anything remotely nest-like, including their eggs. I thought maybe the aggressive was caused by nesting behaviour. Midday now and he is still chasing her, she seems stressed so I've let him out the cage to fly around while she has some quiet time.

I'm at a loss of what to do and at the moment I'm thinking of rehoming them to somebody with an aviary, perhaps they're needing more space? Maybe they need to pair up with different birds? Maybe they need that environment more than being in the house?

Please let me know what you guys think. I just want what's the best for these little angels. I love them with all my heart and though it would really hurt me to have to rehome them, I just want them to be happy.


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## Dotty (Nov 4, 2016)

Sircoosalot said:


> Hello!
> 
> A few months ago I had a male Diamond dove, Sir.CoosALot. He was very noisy and on the advice of Tailfeathers, I got him a cute girlfriend.
> 
> ...



I think they aren't a good match. The male is too aggressive for her. Its not good if she really stressed from it.

Try to pair with different birds. For your female you need a gentle male.
For the male you need a female who won't be so submissive and will stand up to him sometimes. Not too aggressive though !

Some relationships don't work out unfortunately.


Just wondering what enclosure do you keep them in ? Is it big enough with hiding spaces/shelter in case one of them wants to get away and cool down ?


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## Sircoosalot (Feb 5, 2017)

Dotty said:


> I think they aren't a good match. The male is too aggressive for her. Its not good if she really stressed from it.
> 
> Try to pair with different birds. For your female you need a gentle male.
> For the male you need a female who won't be so submissive and will stand up to him sometimes. Not too aggressive though !
> ...


It's so strange, because sometimes they sleep together, cuddled up! It's like they have happy times then lots of domestic arguments. 

They're in this cage: http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/birds/bird_cages_and_accessories/parakeet_cages/cages/261925

I don't have any hiding places, I was worried he might corner her inside it, would a little cardboard box do?


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## Dotty (Nov 4, 2016)

Sircoosalot said:


> It's so strange, because sometimes they sleep together, cuddled up! It's like they have happy times then lots of domestic arguments.
> 
> They're in this cage: http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/birds/bird_cages_and_accessories/parakeet_cages/cages/261925
> 
> I don't have any hiding places, I was worried he might corner her inside it, would a little cardboard box do?


 I understand what you mean.

The arguments might be if the female isn't sitting on eggs and things like that.

They can stay to together but if the male is too aggressive and hurting her really badly I would separate and pair with a different bird.

Stress can make a bird ill.

Can you make the hole and space in cardboard big enough so she won't get cornered ?


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

If she is refusing to sit on the eggs, then i think his behavior is normal. By removing the eggs, she will just lay again soon, and if she keeps doing that, she will use up her calcium stores and start to have problems. Wonder why she won't sit on the eggs. Had he been sitting on them enough to give her time off the nest?


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