# Toys for Doves and Pigeons?



## myarmcanfly (Nov 30, 2015)

Hi everyone! I'm new to the forum, so please let me know if I'm doing something wrong--I don't mean to if I am!

My husband works at a wildlife rehab center in NYC, and through that job we've both gotten involved with dove and pigeon care. Right now we have one permanent resident, a very pale apricot ringneck dove named Charlemagne, and are committed to opening our home to occasional domestic breed foster-birds in need of close monitoring or feeding before they find their own forever homes. Any bird we do foster will be checked for diseases that could pass on to our guy before they come, so no worries there.

Because we plan to take on some fostering, we're upgrading Charlemagne from a 24.5" x 18" x 19.5" cage to a much larger one--it's actually a repurposed wardrobe! All of the foster bird candidates right now have shared space with Charlemagne before, and if there are territory disputes we will keep the second cage to separate them.

With all that space, I want to be sure we're furnishing it to be the best home it can be. We already have several 2" wide flat perches, rope perches, and one natural branch (I plan to find more of those for him). I also definitely plan to put a deep tray in the bottom of the cage and fill it with hay and treats for the birds to forage around in, but other than that I'm looking for ideas on things they might like to have.

Charlemagne has a ball with a bell in it now that he occasionally picks at, but mostly he hasn't shown a lot of interest in toys generally. Could I ask the fine folks here to share ideas for toys or other enrichments that doves and pigeons might enjoy?


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## cwebster (Dec 11, 2010)

Phoebe loved food holders that required sliding a door open. They are plastic avian enrichment pods available on Ebay. She also loved long wooden shapes with a bell on the end, which she loved to attack and bite. Her favorite toys though we're us.


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## Lefty07 (Dec 30, 2009)

"Toys" for doves can sometimes be tricky, because they can be a stimulant for breeding or aggression sometimes. 

For example, hay or sticks can encourage nesting behavior - and for a single female dove, that can lead to endless egg laying - which can be hard on their bodies and very hard to stop. And something like a mirror can sometimes make doves aggressive, especially males, with them thinking there is another bird in their territory.

The best entertainment for your dove will be if you can let him/her out of the cage to fly around and walk around sometimes. Or letting him/her perch on your arm, feed from your hand, etc. If you are calm and gentle, doves easily become tame and grow to like human company. But avoid stroking or petting him/her, especially on the back, as this is interpreted as "sexual" and can lead to egg laying or other issues.


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## myarmcanfly (Nov 30, 2015)

Thanks for the tips, guys! Since my bird is male, I'm not worried about eggs, but he definitely is getting friendlier lately. It took him a good three months to realize no one was going to eat him, but now (seven months in) he'll happily sit on my shoulder and preen even while I'm walking around and doing other things. I'll have to try some foraging toys like the ones you describe, *cwebster*, but it sounds like otherwise he should be in a pretty content space with his daily fly time!


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## Hiriki (Oct 17, 2013)

I give my doves a nesting bowl, fake eggs and any toys with strips of paper. They can't shred so it's often a struggle for them to free the paper and nest with it, so I'll help them out sometimes... they also like anything that dangles that they can try to pull at to bring into the nest.

I don't think it's a bad thing to provide things for a nest, even though it'll encourage nesting behavior. Just be sure to check for eggs frequently and learn your pair's nesting pattern. For instance, mine sit on eggs for about three weeks, abandon the nest for a few days, become active, and then lay... rinse, repeat.

Since you only have one... hmm, it might be different, but he might appreciate a little nesting area with paper strips? I know my male dove goes BONKERS over me handing him strips of paper that he can clumsily drag back to the nest. It's hilarious.


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## Mytchiko j Mckenzie (Jan 26, 2016)

I got a bell for my pigeon that he seems to like to ring, but be ready for noise!


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## cwebster (Dec 11, 2010)

Our pigeons love parakeet toys...mirrors with bells, plastic and wood shapes with bells. Tracy loves those.


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