# Mourning doves as pets



## flyte

Can mourning doves be kept as pets, particularly if they have been handled since young? I am looking for a very young, baby mourning dove. I know that I have to have a permit to do so.


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## spirit wings

why would you want to keep a wild bird in a cage?.....I would adopt one from a rehab that can not be released. or adopt a domestic ring neck dove...



you need to delet your other post.


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## maryjane

Do you mean ringneck doves? They are very similar to mourning doves, but mourning doves are a wild species while ringnecks are domesticated. Ringnecks look very similar to mournings, and have a similar coo, but make excellent pets. They are very easy to tame usually, even if you had one that wasn't very young. Mourning doves don't do well in captivity, and it's much simpler and fairer to keep a dove that is already domesticated.


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