# Diamond Dove constantly cooing



## mandurmae

I've had my female diamond dove for over a year now. Within the past few months I've noticed that she is constantly cooing - almost to the point where it's an alarm clock that cannot be turned off. It used to be quiet and seldom at first, but now she can coo for an hour straight. She'll stop for maybe 5 minutes and start up again. She alternates her rythymns and how loud she is and I can't figure out what she wants. 

I let her out when I'm home to let her fly around and exercise, but even still she'll sit and coo where she's at. Her food dish is always filled, she has plenty of water. I hold her in my hand sometimes to calm her down, but as soon as I put her back in the cage she just goes on cooing.

At night i put towels over her cage and she tends to quiet down, but that trick doesn't even work anymore during the day. She'll just keeping on cooing with the towels over the cage.

Someone PLEASE help. It's getting out of control..i can't sleep in or enjoy any time in my studio anymore without her cooing allllll the time.


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## Lefty07

Is your diamond Dove all alone? If so, she is probably just lonely. Consider getting her a friend. It could be another female, if you don't want babies. But otherwise, your dove has everything and so it's probably just loneliness.


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## mandurmae

Yes, i'm starting to think thats the only option i have left. I just can't wrap my head around why it's soooo constant, shes cooing as i type. Even when shes out of the cage just sitting near by me. All the tricks I use to do to calm her down just doesn't work anymore, it seems like she never gets tired until its night time and lights are totally out.


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## Lefty07

Well, it could be more than just loneliness... it could be she sees YOU as her "mate" now and she is cooing *for you*! Single doves can become very attached to their owners.


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## mandurmae

Could be? When she goes on her cooing rants she sometimes dips her chest low and just lightly pulsates her wings at her side and keeps a constant coo rythymn. I also have a few toys in her cage, one of them being a mirror with a bell that she likes to peck at. Should I try taking the mirror out? I've heard mixed things about having mirrors with doves...but i figured since i'm out a lot during the day it's there for her to sort of play with


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## Lefty07

Her behavior sounds like she wants you to mate with her.

You could try taking the mirror out. It _might_ stop the cooing. Then again, you might be the primary stimulation. If taking the mirror out does no good, maybe you should put it back, so she can see another dove?

But you might consider a real live companion bird also. Even a canary or a couple finches in another cage, next to her cage, would be _some_ company. It's very hard for a bird to be alone all day - not natural for them.


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## mandurmae

I did a little more research, and it turns out i think I've had a male this whole time. I got the dove when he was still so young that i'm only starting to recognize traits of a male now - the constant cooing and the bowing/tail feathers spreading.

I went and picked up a female diamond dove this weekend but am now having trouble keeping the two in the same cage. My older dove seems territorial and is pecking at the new female dove..will this behavior go on for a while?


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## Picollo30

doves are very tame and bond easily with humans. when that happens they start to need you to give them attention. play a bit with your dove,pet her, it will calm down and stop cooing.


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## DiamondDoves

When I got my female they told me she was a male. haha. And then I got her a male and she hated him because I guess she had already bonded with me like to the point where she'd sing to me all the time and literally attack the other two birds if I showed them affection. I mean she eventually calmed down. Play music for them when you're not home like a radio or something. I do work from home at at night in my kitchen where the birds are and sometimes if I know I'm going to need them to not be so loud it does the trick. They spend all day singing to the radio and each other and you get some quiet. Hopefully. haha


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