# advice: 3 wk old hand fed dove force fed



## faddisccn4 (May 3, 2014)

I've adopted a 3 week old dove which was bred and hand fed by a "vet's assistant" who I believe may not be knowledgeable. I've had him for 4 days. After much online reading I realize that the mans method of shoving whole seeds and squirting water down his gullet may not have been appropriate for hand-feeding. The baby bird doesn't fly well yet and so he isn't able to get around in the BIG cage I purchased. I have removed the grate inside the cage and allow him to walk around while grazing on the bottom since he's completely unaware of or unwilling to eat from bowls inside his dwelling. I keep refreshing the water (for cleanliness) in a small dish in the bottom of his cage so he can drink but I'm unsure he's actually drinking. I'm concerned he's going to dehydrate so I've been offering a bath in the sink daily just hoping he'll drink a little out of the clear pie plate before bathing (he did drink this way on the second day I had him). I do notice him eating his seeds and swallowing them but his poops are not consistently solid. 

How will I know that he's drinking enough water? Are inconsistent poops normal because of the new environment? Is it okay to allow him to graze on the bottom of the cage as long as I clean the paper out daily? He allows me to pick him up walk around with him (not long stints yet), he sits on my lap and seems to enjoy my talking to him. Will he be able to get around in his cage, climbing on the bars or flying around? Maybe I chose the wrong cage type. It's a nice big fairly expensive cage. Right now I place him back on one of the perches (some flat, some round) and he'll hang out on them until he flops down to eat. 

I feel like a new mom....watching and worrying over this sweet little guy. I'm just so unsure of what to expect from a ringneck dove at this age. I can't seem to find info on a bird of this age especially a single bird.

Any advice is very much appreciated


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

His way of feeding sounds awful. You can encourage his learning to drink by gently holding his beak on either side and carefully lowering it into the water, but not over his nostrils. Eventually he will drink on his own. If you think he is not eating enough, you can hand feed him frozen peas which have been defrosted and warmed under warm running water. This would also give some moisture. Try to find the small peas if you can. I would do this till he does eat on his own better, as he is still a bit young. And just keep bringing him to his feed and pretend pecking at it with your forefinger, as though it were a beak. Maybe put it in a small low jar cover or something like that. He may not be getting enough to eat on his own.


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## Lefty07 (Dec 30, 2009)

Ideally, the baby dove should have gotten liquid nestling food through a syringe for his first 3 weeks. You could try that now but he might be past that stage. At this point, I would try offering him some finely mashed hard-boiled egg. My doves get that every day when they are raising babies and I also offer it to weaned young for a few weeks. Even my adults like it as an occasional treat.

Mash the hard-boiled egg into tiny pieces with a fork. You can sprinkle a little corn meal on it to absorb any wetness. You can also add a dusting of bird vitamins to this. Put it in a shallow dish on the bottom of the cage (I use the plastic lids from coffee cans). "Peck" at it with your finger to get him interested in eating it. Feed as much as your dove will eat in 60 minutes. Store the excess in the refrigerator. As he get older, you can sprinkle some millet seed into the mix. This egg supplement will add a lot of nutrition and protein to his diet and may ensure he doesn't have any permanent deformities. It is also a soft food so it will be easy for your dove to swallow.

As for the peas, they are good also but I find my doves will only swallow the smallest "baby" peas. And I don't know if a baby dove will get the idea to eat them right away. Once your dove is on a seed diet, make sure you supply some grit in a small bowl in the cage. Parakeet size grit is OK.

I would keep the grate out of your cage permanently, as doves like to walk and feed on the floor of their cages. Just change the newspaper frequently so it is clean.

See this thread also - we are talking about the same thing with a Diamond Dove: http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/f24/weaning-a-diamond-dove-73293.html


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

faddisccn4 said:


> I've adopted a 3 week old dove which was bred and hand fed by a "vet's assistant" who I believe may not be knowledgeable. I've had him for 4 days. After much online reading I realize that the mans method of shoving whole seeds and squirting water down his gullet may not have been appropriate for hand-feeding. The baby bird doesn't fly well yet and so he isn't able to get around in the BIG cage I purchased. I have removed the grate inside the cage and allow him to walk around while grazing on the bottom since he's completely unaware of or unwilling to eat from bowls inside his dwelling. I keep refreshing the water (for cleanliness) in a small dish in the bottom of his cage so he can drink but I'm unsure he's actually drinking. I'm concerned he's going to dehydrate so I've been offering a bath in the sink daily just hoping he'll drink a little out of the clear pie plate before bathing (he did drink this way on the second day I had him). I do notice him eating his seeds and swallowing them but his poops are not consistently solid.
> 
> How will I know that he's drinking enough water? Are inconsistent poops normal because of the new environment? Is it okay to allow him to graze on the bottom of the cage as long as I clean the paper out daily? He allows me to pick him up walk around with him (not long stints yet), he sits on my lap and seems to enjoy my talking to him. Will he be able to get around in his cage, climbing on the bars or flying around? Maybe I chose the wrong cage type. It's a nice big fairly expensive cage. Right now I place him back on one of the perches (some flat, some round) and he'll hang out on them until he flops down to eat.
> 
> ...


doves usually only drink after they eat in the morning and then in the evening.. so it is easy to miss. Im assuming this is a domestic dove? if it is not then wild doves should not be adopted out as they are not pets.


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## faddisccn4 (May 3, 2014)

spirit wings said:


> doves usually only drink after they eat in the morning and then in the evening.. so it is easy to miss. Im assuming this is a domestic dove? if it is not then wild doves should not be adopted out as they are not pets.


Thanks for your response. Yes he's domestic.


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## faddisccn4 (May 3, 2014)

*Thanks!*

Thanks for your responses. I'll be sure and offer the little gravel. He doesn't seem to be lethargic or anything so I'm going to continue to give him water, especially in the morning and evening. Thanks for the egg idea, I'll work on that today.

Thanks again!


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

You can leave a small dish of water that he can't tip over, in with him. He will drink when he wants it.


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## faddisccn4 (May 3, 2014)

*Update***

Thanks for all of the advice and help with our precious LoDo (short for Lovey Dovey). He is doing wonderfully. Molted recently and made a huge mess...getting new feathers is an itchy experience. He has been eating and drinking. I was absolutely missing it...it really does happen in the a.m. and p.m. which are really my 2 most busy times of the day. Yesterday he made some great new sound for me as he was hanging out on the couch with me. He began trying to swallow my finger and I realized he was hungry...oops mommy forgot to put more seed in the bowl. So he ate from my fingers. It was a bonding moment. 

I really appreciate your support. 

Cynthia


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## macksiesmom (May 28, 2014)

I am currently raising a baby mourning dove and I started out the usual way of using an eyedropper but he refused to open his mouth. Then I remembered whatching a mother dove feed her babies. They put their beaks into her mouth while she pumps out the pigeon milk. I removed the rubber squeezer from the eyedropper and put it on a short piece of a drinking straw, sucked up the fo rmula and was pleasantly surprised when he put his beak into the straw and began feeding. That was the key, rather than trying to put food into his mouth, I offered what was similar to his mothers feeding technique. Now feeding is a breeze and he eats his fill with each feeding. Hope that this will be helpful to anyone who finds a baby dove or pigeon and decides to hand raise it.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

That's the idea in these videos, but much easier with a larger syringe.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1aPHzKZaQE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3GPWhHeG4s&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1s5ZY3U2lKU&feature=related


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