# Looking to get pet dove(s)



## mephynx (Aug 18, 2019)

I've been mulling over getting a ringneck/barbary dove for the better part of a year now, off and on. I initially intended to only get one, because I've not had a bird before and didn't want to get in over my head but from lurking on this board before making my account it is very clear that pigeons are best kept with their own kind. Am I correct in assuming this is much the same with doves?

I want a gentle bird that I can still hold, pet, and otherwise interact with. I intend for it/them to have plenty of out-of-cage time indoors when I am home. Will two doves who are bonded to one another become hands off with me? I don't want a single dove if it is going to be depressed and lonely but I also don't want to be a third wheel so to speak. Can we all be a big happy lovey-dovey flock?

Thank you in advance


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## Ladygrey (Dec 10, 2016)

Yes and no... 

First have you ever heard of the saying “ lonesome dove” lol.. if they pair up which they naturally do, they mate for life and are very attached. But that can be a human.... the only problem is, our life changes... we move, we get different jobs, have kids.. illness, the list goes on, so to be a partner for a lone dove is a big and long responsibility. A young dove can live for almost 20 years.. 

With that said, trying to get another later that is attached to you is troublesome, as they pair for life and see a new comer as a intruder and doves are very territorial. 

I would say, and this is just my opinion, get two hens, they will and can pair up , but do not have as dominate traits as males ... most times... some do and can take the male roll, but if you got two hens , they can still be gentile and trained to be out and interact with, sit on your hand etc.. 

A lone dove is still an option , but making up for a real mate is a tall order... as people have to go to work etc.. they would feel your absence. 

A pet bird that I think do better as a lone bird and is very trainable is a cockatiel, esp if bought young, you could put a mirror in the cage , and they do seem to handle being a lone bird better imo, they are very smart and can even mimic your voice. So that could be an option in pet birds too, if interested.


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## mephynx (Aug 18, 2019)

I am not opposed to getting two doves if that is best for them. I certainly don't want them to be lonely! I also don't want a pair of hands off birds that also don't want anything to do with me, either. If paired birds, hens or otherwise, are more likely to keep to themselves then it isn't meant to be.

I have not owned birds before, and I am honestly not comfortable with (or particularly interested in) cockatiels or budgerigars. Doves drew my interest because I enjoy their vocalizations (I actually adore mourning doves but they are a wild species) and their gentle disposition.


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## Ladygrey (Dec 10, 2016)

mephynx said:


> I am not opposed to getting two doves if that is best for them. I certainly don't want them to be lonely! I also don't want a pair of hands off birds that also don't want anything to do with me, either. If paired birds, hens or otherwise, are more likely to keep to themselves then it isn't meant to be.
> 
> I have not owned birds before, and I am honestly not comfortable with (or particularly interested in) cockatiels or budgerigars. Doves drew my interest because I enjoy their vocalizations (I actually adore mourning doves but they are a wild species) and their gentle disposition.[/QUOTE
> 
> ...


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## mephynx (Aug 18, 2019)

I'm definitely going to be doing more research, asking more questions here since Google is only so helpful. Like any other animal it's a long term commitment, and while I've not owned birds before they would not be my first pet so I already understand the importance of having a vet fund.

I do understand that the cooing can/will be loud, frequent, and early. I assume that most, if not all birds, do this so this is not at all surprising to me. We are actually considering enclosing our front porch, so we may just wait until that is completed. I work in a pet store with a bird (budgerigar) so I am very familiar with the mess and daily cleanings, and working to gain their trust. Those are all very manageable things to me.

I mentioned before I've been mulling this over for several months, so I have done some research in that time. Google's only so useful so it's just surface-level, but I'm trying. Dove feed is surprisingly hard to find where I live, not even the farm supply store has it, nor any pet store within driving distance but I have found Hagen's dove & pigeon seed on Amazon. I can also get it through my work but we only order from Hagen quarterly so I would like to find a more reliable way to get a proper food. I have read the stickies on the board about pigeon basics and feeding but the links provided no longer work, though I see someone else posted others which I will be checking out. Hopefully they ship to Canada. I'm still looking for a suitable pelleted diet as well.

I understand the basics, but not the intricacies if that makes sense. For example, I know that indoor doves need a good supplement for D3 among other things, and hens especially need a calcium boost for their eggs and many people use cuttlebone but do you crumble it into their food or leave it whole like for other birds? Some people say offer grit in a separate dish, others say sprinkled and mixed into the food. Is this calcium boost offered year round or only when they're ovulating? I'm sure these questions have been answered on the forum, but I'm still going through threads.

Thank you for bearing with me. I want to know as much as possible.


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## Ladygrey (Dec 10, 2016)

mephynx said:


> I'm definitely going to be doing more research, asking more questions here since Google is only so helpful. Like any other animal it's a long term commitment, and while I've not owned birds before they would not be my first pet so I already understand the importance of having a vet fund.
> 
> I do understand that the cooing can/will be loud, frequent, and early. I assume that most, if not all birds, do this so this is not at all surprising to me. We are actually considering enclosing our front porch, so we may just wait until that is completed. I work in a pet store with a bird (budgerigar) so I am very familiar with the mess and daily cleanings, and working to gain their trust. Those are all very manageable things to me.
> 
> ...




My doves loved Harrison high potency fine bird pellet . But it has to be gradually introduced if the bird is already on a seed diet. And I mean gradually..lol.. they get addicted to the seeds which lack calcium and some are high fat. 

For variety and to fill their seed needs, I would give millet sprays clipped to the cage bars, and they loved to forage on those, but I only gave it a few times a week. They say there is no need to add anything for doves when feeding Harrison’s, but I think it was good for variety. 
They may peck a few greens , but not necessarily need them daily. 




Calcium is not as important if on the Harrison’s, but hens need a lot, so I would go with what is easiest to give and that would be a calcium grit., or mineral grit for small birds. Hagen sells a crushed oyster shell for parakeets that would be good also. 

Iam glad you are prepared for the cooing, over time though it can be annoying. 

If there is anything you don’t know, just ask and then I won’t be telling you things you are already seem to be aware of.


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## mephynx (Aug 18, 2019)

I can tell you're trying to keep newbies from making a decision they'll regret, and it's appreciated. Lots of people jump into pet ownership without doing their due diligence, so I get it.

I have heard of some people who can't get their hands on dove-specific feed making their own with canary/finch food as a base and adding in other supplementary things. I can see that these foods have many of the same seeds in them as dove food but the proportions differ so I don't know if that's very appropriate? Hopefully this won't be a route I'll need to go with between Amazon, buying directly from Hagen, and some helpful links I've found on here.

My store sells Ecotrition grit for canaries and finches which includes oyster shells and a calcium supplement. We also have a water additive for vitamins like D3. Should grit be provided separately for them to pick at themselves or small amounts mixed into the food? I imagine too much grit would cause problems.

Another question is what do you recommend for molting? I have Kaytee molting & conditioning forti-diet available to me but perhaps there is something better suited to doves?

Last one (for now) - I know doves don't need the same or as much enrichment as parrots but are there any kind of toys and such they could enjoy? I was thinking just things that encourage foraging.


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## Ladygrey (Dec 10, 2016)

mephynx said:


> I can tell you're trying to keep newbies from making a decision they'll regret, and it's appreciated. Lots of people jump into pet ownership without doing their due diligence, so I get it.
> 
> I have heard of some people who can't get their hands on dove-specific feed making their own with canary/finch food as a base and adding in other supplementary things. I can see that these foods have many of the same seeds in them as dove food but the proportions differ so I don't know if that's very appropriate? Hopefully this won't be a route I'll need to go with between Amazon, buying directly from Hagen, and some helpful links I've found on here.
> 
> ...


I think a pellet diet is better, like Harrison’s .. some other companies may have some geared to cockatiels .. zupreem has one like Harrison’s. You should keep the choice of pellet to a small round one, they prefer that shape because many seeds are round too. Not long pellets . 

The doves I got were on a seed diet and they were not in top health.. after feeding the pellet , it was amazing transformation.. they went from poor feather formation to slick and smooth feathers with good weight. It took months though. 

The grit should be separate so they can eat it as they need. Parakeet and canary is too small.. go with cockatiel size grit. The oyster-shell I mentioned is bigger than others for budgies and the crushed oyster shell is a great calcium as it is soluble. But any mineral calcium grit for size of a dove like a cocktail is best.. the other may be too small. 

As far as molting, keep it simple.. offer bathing in a small kitten litter pan , if your feeding a good diet like the pellets I mentioned then they should be fine to handle molting. If in poor health when you get them and they get transferd to the healthier pellet they may molt more at first , as they have better nutrition and can grow new better feathers.

As far as toys they like to pick at twigs, pine needles , long strands of dried grass.. most of the blocky hanging bird toys sold for hookbills May just scare them and get in the way of their flight from perch to perch and stretching their wings. They like a long cage rather than a tall high one for that reason.. they also like to feed on the floor of the cage so a solid bottom lined with paper towels is best, I took the wire bottoms out of my cages for them. And as said the millet sprays kept them entertained and was a treat.


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## mephynx (Aug 18, 2019)

Thank you very much for taking the time to answer my questions! I really appreciate it.

I was looking at the Zupreem Natural pellets: https://www.zupreem.com/products/birds/natural/

Would the cockatiel/medium bird one be fine for size or would I just need to see which they prefer? Some seeds can be pretty small, so I was leaning towards the small bird one.


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## Feralfeeder88 (May 23, 2017)

I think if you bought food quarterly that would be ok. It does last awhile...

As far enrichment, I would say teach them tricks. Also though, I got this little cat toy. It was like a ball with a bell. Super cheap, but I put safflower seed in it. My pigeons could see the seed and quickly learned shaking it makes some seeds fall out. 

Also I had a pigeon I bonded with who then found a mate. For a week or two he became standoffish but since then has come back to his old self. Had a honeymoon I guess


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## Ladygrey (Dec 10, 2016)

mephynx said:


> Thank you very much for taking the time to answer my questions! I really appreciate it.
> 
> I was looking at the Zupreem Natural pellets: https://www.zupreem.com/products/birds/natural/
> 
> Would the cockatiel/medium bird one be fine for size or would I just need to see which they prefer? Some seeds can be pretty small, so I was leaning towards the small bird one.


If it was me, I’d get the medium bird one.. doves naturally eat peas, and corn size things, as well as small seeds, but that does not mean the pellets have to be as small as those seeds. 

Think of Wild doves eating big field corn, which is much bigger than the cockatiel pellet. 

If you have to gradually change it over, you do it so they really just get used to seeing a few and trying it and as the seed gets less the pellet gets more , so slow they don’t even really have to think about it. Esp if you don’t over feed. 

For less scattered mess of the feed, I used a round Tupperware throw away type for leftovers a smaller one.. and put the top on and cut a hole in the bottom, placed on the cage floor where they like to eat, filled it with their feed. It was a handy way for saving feed, and it stayed clean. The hole was about as big as silver dollar.


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## catsnbirds (Sep 18, 2014)

My female dove loves her parakeet toy. It is several plastic rings with a bell at the bottom. She grabs one of the rings and shakes it. It's so cute! 
Since I have a canary and parakeets, I mix their seed and a dove mix from Petsmart, and some safflower seeds. In the morning, I put about a teaspoon of chopped apples, grapes, or peaches and shredded carrot on top of their seeds, with either crumbled tofu or defrosted peas which they love. The grit I use is for parakeets and cockatiels. For a cage, I use a tall kitty cage and line the bottom with newspaper and unscented small animal paper litter. I wanted a very large cage and this was a safe and affordable option. I scoop poop out of the litter every night with a cat litter scoop. I use a small litter pan for their bath dish. I bought different diameter perches and also a couple of shelves. Since the female lays eggs, I use a dog size cage cup with shredded paper for her to nest in. I check the nest a couple times a week and discard the eggs. These are adopted adult doves and I've had them for 14 years. They were a few years old when I got them, so I think they're close to 20 years old, or maybe a little older. They're very sweet. Also, I have a full spectrum light bulb in a utility light fixture above their cage and the male especially likes to sit under it. I put newspaper on the top of the cage, held down with small rocks, so that they don't poop all over their dishes and perches when they hang out there. I hope this is helpful. I wish the pictures weren't sideways!


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## catsnbirds (Sep 18, 2014)

PS-- the other toys are for canaries and budgies, things they can pull or "preen"


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## mephynx (Aug 18, 2019)

Does full spectrum lighting actually remove the necessity for D3 supplementation, or is the lighting an additional requirement? I've not seen or heard of someone using full spectrum lighting in relation to birds before. I have no issues with setting up lighting for them.

Are these bulbs also intended for heat as reptile bulbs are or is it strictly for the UV? Now that the subject has been brought up, are barbary/ringnecked doves affected by day length? Should I simulate the seasons with my indoor lighting?


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## Ladygrey (Dec 10, 2016)

mephynx said:


> Does full spectrum lighting actually remove the necessity for D3 supplementation, or is the lighting an additional requirement? I've not seen or heard of someone using full spectrum lighting in relation to birds before. I have no issues with setting up lighting for them.
> 
> Are these bulbs also intended for heat as reptile bulbs are or is it strictly for the UV? Now that the subject has been brought up, are barbary/ringnecked doves affected by day length? Should I simulate the seasons with my indoor lighting?


The theory is, sunlight stimulates the preen glad at the base of the tail , this generates vitamin D3, in the process of distributing the oil in the feathers while preening , the bird ingests some vitamin D3 . In turn the vitamin D3 helps a Bird metabolize calcium that he may ingest to use in the body. 

This would be especially important for hens and males feeding babies. 


Sunlight does stimulate a pairs mating and the hens egg laying. So in late winter after the winter solstice, the day starts to get longer , in turn stimulating mating and egg laying, as the days get shorter after the summer solstice, daylight decreases in turn slows down mating and egg laying. 

Artificial light can change this cycle . And pigeon breeders maybe even quail too, use it to get a jump start on the breeding season. Most pets do not need this, and should be kept on a natural light length course with the seasons. 

Warmth is only needed if they are kept outdoors in harsh winters. 

I’m sure sunlight does other things that are in depth and more scientific, but that is the short of it.


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## catsnbirds (Sep 18, 2014)

I don't know about the D3, but I've never used supplements and their feather coats are full. My male dove is partially plucked from being kept in a very small cage with both his parents, by his previous owner. The father kept plucking him. The reflective hood of the utility light does reflect heat, and that's probably why he likes it. I keep their little bird room at least 80F, for him. There is a website called Windy City Parrot which has a thorough explanation of lighting for birds.


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## Ladygrey (Dec 10, 2016)

I would never keep a canary in the same cage as doves. The size difference is too great and there is not enough room to get away. Canaries like their own kind or fine as a lone bird. In a walk-in large aviary if it was monitored may be ok.


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## catsnbirds (Sep 18, 2014)

The canary was just visiting during free flight time. I put a tiny perch up there for him and a shelf with a food and water bowl to make him more comfortable. I think he liked being up high and watching them, because his flight cage wasn't as high up as the top of the doves' cage. At night and when I was at work, all the birds (doves, canary, 2 budgies) were in their own cages.


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## Ladygrey (Dec 10, 2016)

catsnbirds said:


> The canary was just visiting during free flight time. I put a tiny perch up there for him and a shelf with a food and water bowl to make him more comfortable. I think he liked being up high and watching them, because his flight cage wasn't as high up as the top of the doves' cage. At night and when I was at work, all the birds (doves, canary, 2 budgies) were in their own cages.


Interesting.. how do you catch the canary to get him back in his own cage.. does he fly back in it? I’m actually thinking of getting a canary..


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## catsnbirds (Sep 18, 2014)

Hi Lady Gray, I change the seed dishes at night, and the budgies and canary go back to their cages for it. I put the fresh food in their seed dishes in the morning. When I'm home, I open their cage doors after they eat their fresh food. I have a little bird room with a window and glass door so I can see them from the kitchen and the living room. They're safe from my cats and still have freedom, and the limited space may make it more likely for them to go back to their cages? I can't test any other theories about that, due to having 4 cats. This gray canary doesn't sing that much, but the yellow one I had before him was a wonderful singer--I just loved it!


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## Ladygrey (Dec 10, 2016)

catsnbirds said:


> Hi Lady Gray, I change the seed dishes at night, and the budgies and canary go back to their cages for it. I put the fresh food in their seed dishes in the morning. When I'm home, I open their cage doors after they eat their fresh food. I have a little bird room with a window and glass door so I can see them from the kitchen and the living room. They're safe from my cats and still have freedom, and the limited space may make it more likely for them to go back to their cages? I can't test any other theories about that, due to having 4 cats. This gray canary doesn't sing that much, but the yellow one I had before him was a wonderful singer--I just loved it!


That’s pretty cool..


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