# Advice needed please!



## Croco (Jul 21, 2009)

I bought a male ringneck for a female ringneck in summer cause I wanted her to have a partner and they dindt get along very well at all! I got the female from a friends friend. She is very tame and I think she has grown up with people since her past owner sad that dove had 3 or 4 owners before.. So the first time they met each other offcourse the male was very interested and began doing coos and laughs and all that stuff but not only did she ignore him she started to attack him. The female is very aggressive and tries to attack him every chance she gets and the male doenst even try to protect himself so I had no choice but to seperate them. It was my fault since I put him in her cage.. They do have their own cages now and they have their cages in different rooms. So last week I decided to move them both to the living room and I have now their cages next to each others. The female didnt like that at all and when I was cleaning their cages I let them both out at the same time. The male was minding his own business walking around when the female started to attack him and I thought crap not again.. but this time he surprised me.. Not only did he defend himself, he even tried to beat the crap out of her so I had to intervene. The problem is I dont know what to do.. should I let thing proceed? He really wants to mate with her and does coos and laughs all the time but now she is just afraid of him.. She hides every moment they are out.. At one point he climbed her and almoste raped her but I intervened since he pulled out a lot of feather from her head.. So please help me!


----------



## Mindy (Apr 2, 2009)

I can't help you, but I wanted to say I'm glad you intervene. I also hate the fighting. I don't understand it. Even with chickens they are always fighting. I think having the cages next to each other I think slowly they will come around and become friends. I just think it will take sometime. I hope the female doesn't have to find another owner, that would be sad. Just give them more time to learn each other from there own cages, I think you might be surprised. Lets hope so. mindy


----------



## Croco (Jul 21, 2009)

Yes I think your right Mindy.. only time will tell. I really hope they get along but even so I would not give the female to someone else, she is so damn sweet and lovely! Haha he wants her so bad that poor thing, every time coos and all and even when he gets the opportunity to "mate" her he screw things up.. scares her away or just sits on her haha maybe he is just too inexperienced?


----------



## plamenh (Aug 11, 2006)

Keep cages together but birds separated. They need time to get used to each other. If female was raised by humans, she will think that she is human too. Doves are terithorial and do not allow intruders in their space. Any new dove will be intruder and if they are separated they will have time to resolve their relationship without fight.


----------



## Croco (Jul 21, 2009)

Thanks for your reply Plamenh! Yes I will keep them seperated but with a very watchfull eye. And one more thing, I want to buy some toys for them but dont know what kind of toys doves like.. Guess mirrors and bells might be enough? Btw sorry for my bad english


----------



## plamenh (Aug 11, 2006)

Give them shredder paper and twigs, to play nest building. Small mirror in the cage + small plush toys are also fine.
By the way, forum is for pigeons, not English literature, so not to worry.


----------



## Croco (Jul 21, 2009)

Hehe I shall and thanks again for your advice


----------



## Mindy (Apr 2, 2009)

I give mine a large mirror and they love looking at themselves. The boys do there little dance, because they don't have a female to do it for. Mine also love shredded newspaper. Maybe if she starts seeing him making a nest she might get the idea of babies in her mind. I'm glad your going to keep her, I didn't think you would give her up. Would love to see pics. mindy


----------



## Croco (Jul 21, 2009)

Thanks for the advice Im waiting for the mirros and toys to arrive. About the shredded newspapers.. he didnt get the idea at allHe just sits there and stares at it. I think I have to get a new girl for him cause these two really dont get along at all! They really hate each other now. No love or attraction between them whatsoever. She coos like hell all the time but its not aimed for him its for me hehe So maybe getting a new bird might be the solution to this problem. And oh is it molting time for doves now or what? The female is preening like crazy.. Ive checked for lice/mites but no she is healthy so I dont know whats wrong with her. Its like she is obsessed with her feathers.


----------



## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

sounds like you have two males., If "she" "coos like hell" sounds like a boy to me!


----------



## Croco (Jul 21, 2009)

No it is a she cause she laid eggs not to long ago


----------



## Mindy (Apr 2, 2009)

I just use a really large mirror one that could hang on the wall. I jut lean on the side of the cage and it covers the entire side of the cage. If you get another bird you might have the same problem as you probably already know. I would give them another month with the cages side by side, they might come around to liking one another. I don't know if doves like to take baths but maybe you can offer that to her so see if she would like to take a bath. My pigeon have bath water set out for them 24/7 but they probably only take a bath a week.


----------



## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

Croco said:


> No it is a she cause she laid eggs not to long ago


oh, she was your hen..I got that mixed up...thought you got the hen from the friend. ok, she's wee bit picky then, she must think you are her mate, perhaps...?


----------



## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

Mindy said:


> I just use a really large mirror one that could hang on the wall. I jut lean on the side of the cage and it covers the entire side of the cage. If you get another bird you might have the same problem as you probably already know. I would give them another month with the cages side by side, they might come around to liking one another. I don't know if doves like to take baths but maybe you can offer that to her so see if she would like to take a bath. My pigeon have bath water set out for them 24/7 but they probably only take a bath a week.


I tend not to leave the bath water out, unless you clean it a few times a day depending on if there is poop in it, you don't want them drinking poop water. so really leaving it there 24/7 and having to change it all them time would make me crazy....but thats just me....I find it easier to just offer it a few times a week and take it out after they are done.


----------



## TwinkieSlug (Oct 6, 2009)

This is good info for me too. I'm in the process of getting a hen for my male ringneck. I've been wondering what I would do if they didn't get along. The problem now is that the person with the doves is having trouble finding a female. She says they are not doing their mating behaviors because of the weather change. She has separated a few out to see if that helps, no luck so far. It's been a couple weeks. I really hope they will get along when the time finally comes.


----------



## jmaxpsi (Jul 31, 2009)

I had gotten a male ringneck for my female, but he escaped and did not return. She is lonely now. She flys in my avairy when all the pigeons are locked up. She had escaped a couple of times from her cage and flew around in the backyard. But she'll return later or the next day. I was surprise at her homing instincts. I would just go to her and catch her with my hands and bring her back to her cage. I try to be very careful so she doesn't get out because of the predator dangers that she is not aware of. Now she needs a male. She always coos at a pair that flies by the loft every now and then.


----------



## Mindy (Apr 2, 2009)

jmaxpsi, I remember you telling me before you have 50 pigeons, There is a lady on here that has several pigeons that have doves as mates instead of pigeons. They had there choice of pigeons and still they chose a dove for there mate. Just to let you know if you have that many pigeons maybe she can get a pigeon as a mate. 

Spirit Wings, about the bath water, I'm really surprised but I changed it everyday and maybe there has been one time with poop in it. I don't know why there isn't more but so far its not a problem. I only have 4 birds so maybe thats why. mindy


----------



## JGregg (Jul 28, 2003)

Jmaxpsi,

Let me state that you SHOULD NOT put your ringneck dove in pigeons, or try to pair the dove with a pigeon. You will likely end up with a dead dove. Some people have put doves in with pigeons, and sometimes there isn't any trouble for a while. But, given enough time one of the doves will irritate a pigeon, and the pigeon will kill the dove. Combining doves and pigeons just isn't a good idea.


----------



## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

JGregg said:


> Jmaxpsi,
> 
> Let me state that you SHOULD NOT put your ringneck dove in pigeons, or try to pair the dove with a pigeon. You will likely end up with a dead dove. Some people have put doves in with pigeons, and sometimes there isn't any trouble for a while. But, given enough time one of the doves will irritate a pigeon, and the pigeon will kill the dove. Combining doves and pigeons just isn't a good idea.


I agree, esp because this is a hen, she would get bullied for sure by a male pigeon, now a cock RN and a hen pigeon could be possible in certain situations, and in their own cage, but still would not recommend it.


----------

