# Introducing Juliet and Noel :)



## Dezirrae (Oct 6, 2007)

Well I couldn't hold out any longer - after talking with my husband about an ad for some ringneck doves on Craig's List we agreed to adopt these two lovely ladies  A mother and daughter team -- the mother (Juliet - white) is about 6 years old and the daughter - Noel is about 8 months. I've been about as excited as a kid on Christmas morning for the past week (bless Christin for listing to me  And for all her advice on Cage, food, nesting materials, etc.) 

They came home with me today and have spent the afternoon settling into the new digs - spending lots of time eating, drinking, and preening on the top perch. They've ventured into the nesting basket once or twice but then back to the mid-level or top perch. They were cooing almost immediately - and I finally got to HEAR a laugh after reading about it and trying to figure out what that would sound like  Made ME laugh!!

They are just the cutest pair though!!! I'm sure I'll be asking questions along the way too but for now all seems healthy (yes - poop looks like it should  ). 

A few pictures attached here - the rest are at http://picasaweb.google.com/Dezirrae/JulietAndNoel


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

They are very pretty, and I love the names...but I would never guess they were related, they definitely don't look like sister and mother.  

Thank you for sharing. I enjoyed it.


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## nbdyuknow (Apr 10, 2007)

They are very sweet and cute looking! And they have that mischevious glint in their eyes as well!!!


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## mr squeaks (Apr 14, 2005)

HOW SUPER DUPER, DEZIRRAE!!

I can certainly understand your excitement. Juliet and Noel are REALLY LOVELY!!

How fun that you got to hear the laugh...so hysterical that one can't help but laugh BACK!!  

Now comes the fun part for us too...UPDATES with pictures... 

With Love, Hugs and Scritches

Shi & Squeaks

 

P.S. Is NOEL the one who laughed? She looks so much like the ones I heard!


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## Roxy (Nov 1, 2007)

Awww, pretty girls!!! I am totally on your wave length, I just got my baby pigeon today! Isn't it wonderful!?!
I wish you and your girls years of happiness and love. They are lookers!


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

Beautiful birds!! Congratulations..........we WILL be expecting regular updates and PICTURES!!


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## CHRISTIN RN (Sep 2, 2007)

YIPEE!
The girls look beautiful and happy! They remind me so much of Rally and Ally!
I'm sure you're having a great time with them, thanks for taking time to post the great news! I agree that they sure don't look related whatsoever.  Maybe the lady was misinformed???

Forgot to mention that I had to put some plastic cut out water bottles for the food and water to prevent poops from getting in (PT member Phil posted the idea a few months back and it works great!)...they also have ones that are partially covered and attached to the cage with a screw knob at pet stores...the small size works fine. I use 2 for seed and 1 for water.

Also, found out on the other thread a little while ago NOT to give cracked corn...just whole corn. 

I'm going over to your webalbum now to see more pics of your beauties! Noel is a lovely name due to the season....I love Juliette as well!

AND... 
Roxy, Congratulations on your new baby! Have any pics?


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

The doves are just gorgeous! Thank you so much for giving these two beauties a wonderful home! I am quite sure you will enjoy them immensely.

Roxy .. congrats .. I'm so glad you got your little one today!

Terry


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## Dezirrae (Oct 6, 2007)

Thanks everyone for you kind comments  This is the start of a journey I'm sure going to enjoy - they are fascinating. And of course will have regular updates & pictures.

Roxy - I am SOOOO thrilled your baby is home with you now too! Must see more pictures - she is just gorgeous!



Trees Gray said:


> .but I would never guess they were related, they definitely don't look like sister and mother.)


I wouldn't have guessed either though I sure hope they are - yesterday Noel jumped on Juliet's back at one point - if the previous owner was mistaken somehow I may be in for a surprise (do two females "mount" each other??)  



mr squeaks said:


> How fun that you got to hear the laugh...so hysterical that one can't help but laugh BACK!! Is NOEL the one who laughed? She looks so much like the ones I heard!


I'm not really sure - but this morning it was Juliet that was laughing and cooing... just toooo funny!



CHRISTIN RN said:


> I agree that they sure don't look related whatsoever. Maybe the lady was misinformed???
> Forgot to mention that I had to put some plastic cut out water bottles for the food and water to prevent poops from getting in (PT member Phil posted the idea a few months back and it works great!)...they also have ones that are partially covered and attached to the cage with a screw knob at pet stores...the small size works fine. I use 2 for seed and 1 for water.
> Also, found out on the other thread a little while ago NOT to give cracked corn...just whole corn.


As always Christin - thank you!! I guess I'll find out whether the previous owner was correct or not shortly - could be an interesting time  I do remember the cut out bottle post - I may try that but for now I haven't noticed them pooping in the food (yet). Headed over to the pet store later though for some oyster shell and to look for other platform perches that I can set up high - they seem to like height so far. The lady did give me a half bag of Kaytee dove supreme food so I kept the cracked corn and wild bird seed for the outside group - but thank you for telling me; I missed the post about the cracked corn vs whole corn.


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## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

Absolutely adorable and beautiful!

The laugh always has me in stitches. I have a friend who has a lot of doves and when they all start laughing I laugh right along with them - they sure make a lot of noise.


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

Dezirrae said:


> (do two females "mount" each other??)


Yep, they sure do..........


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## maryjane (Jul 15, 2006)

Congratulations on your new cuties.  And to Roxy on your new cutie!  We want more pictures!! Doves are so fun to have, they're funny and curious little birds. Just wait until they start staring at their feet. Every dove I've ever had seems to love his own feet. Then they look up at you like, "Have you seen what nice feet I have? They're so cute and pink!"


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## Rooster2312 (Mar 8, 2006)

Juliet and Noel are just stunning! Nice cage too! 

Looking forward to more pics! It sounds like they have settled in fine already!

Lindi


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## Dezirrae (Oct 6, 2007)

Renee - thank you for alieviating my fears that I may be faced with babies... think Dave & I need to adjust to these two first  Though I do think it will go quickly. 

Thanks everyone for the kind comments - they ARE so much fun to have even after only 24 hrs. They had their first "free fly" time in the room while I cleaned up poop today (Oooo now that's fun time stuff  -- thank goodness that Dove poops are not smelly than some of Mr. Weiderman and Lacey's poops). Also found two baskets around the house that we rigged to the side of their cage - should be happier sleeping tonight 

And of course - more pictures  

By the way - Juliet has stains on her feathers that the previous owner tells me are the result of Juliet being pooped on (either from Noel or one of her other birds). Previous owner said she gave Juliet a bath but not all the stains came off. Does this ring true to any of you? The stain has kind of a rust tint to it and it just doesn't seem like poop related to me (but that's just my gut reaction).


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## CHRISTIN RN (Sep 2, 2007)

The pics are great, Dez....thanks for sharing!
That first pic could be a contest winner!

They look so cozy in their basket together!

Rally is always jumping on Ally's back...that's why I thought they were male and female. I'm glad Renee' shared with us that females do that also. Like you said, 'We shall see'! Though, I will probably replace the eggs with the fake ones since I don't have anymore room for additional birds. 
I guess that's why I enjoy so much the baby arrival posts/pics! Besides, if everything didn't go perfectly well with a baby, I'd be cracking more teeth! LOL

I think it's so great that you can have them fly around in the room. I am having such a hard time bird proofing my room...just too much stuff and no where else to put it. I've purchased yet another heater for my other gazebo so that Rally & Ally can enjoy flying around even when it's really cold. I previously had a small chiminea fireplace to heat up the place, however, wouldn't be good for them. The heater I got works on propane so I'm not sure if that's gonna work either...I have to check out about fumes.  
The gazebo outlet is shared with the bunny barn and will not support 2 electric heaters. 

About the rust colored stains, not sure about that being poops. Can you post a close-up pic of the area so that maybe we can determine what it might be? Doesn't sound like poop stains. Coco had alot when I first got him...they were green.

The main thing is that all our sweethearts are healthy and seem happy!
And most of all, home safe and sound! AMEN!

Juliet and Noel would also make a beautiful Holiday card!


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## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

Dezirrae, thanks for the latest pictures. They are so beautiful together.

The stain on the feathers may not come off until she fully moults. Do you know if the people who owned them before fed them the fruit-blend Zupreem which has yellow, red and green pellets? Our pigeons love the stuff and if they eat very much their poop looks reddish.


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## Dezirrae (Oct 6, 2007)

Thank you Christin and Maggie for the advice about what the rust colored stains might be -- I think Maggie you may be right... they love shredded mild cheddar cheese and I also bought a bag of Hartz Small Bird treats with Papaya, Carrots & Apples. Lo & behold, last night Dave and I noticed similar colored stains on the white paper towels we have lining the bottom of their cage. So yes, I do suspect it's "food" related and not health related now... WHAT a relief!!

I swear they just get cutier every day! And Dave is beyond "hooked" now... we shopped online last night and ordered a newer, bigger cage for them... a corner unit; really unique design. Should be here sometime next week. We'll move the one we have onto the back deck so that if we can any "Indian Summer" days this winter they can get some outside time.

We have moved their cage into our living room/computer area so that we spend more "quality time" together. They seem to be liking it more. The kitties seem to be enjoying it more too  LOL... Mr. Weiderman (pictured below) just stares - fascinated. Our other kitty - Lacey - is a little more aggressive and is going to get water bottle spray soon to break her of the habit of sticking her darn nose right up to the cage. The bars are close enough that she can't really get her paw through, and as you see we have the bottom portion of the cage covered for now til everyone settles in a little more.

Good luck with the heaters Christin - I hope the gazebo is warm enough for Rally & Ally to get some "fly time". And I wouldn't really say my room is "bird proofed" yet  But they were only out for about 15 min while I cleaned the cage. I have some serious bird-proofing to do in that room too. But they won't get much free fly time just yet anyway - I read someone that they need about 2 to 4 weeks to really settle into a new home and may actually hurt themselves if left to free fly too soon. We'll see though - Dave feels so bad that they don't have enough room to exercise that we may do short stints from tme to time 

Did you have to wait for Coco to moult before the green stains came out? Or how did you clean it off? Also, I'm wondering how soon I might expect to see eggs... I need to order some "fake eggs" soon. Juliet was "mounting" Noel the other day - so nice to see they share - LOL.

Absolutely AMEN Christin!! Especially with the layer of snow we got last night it's a blessing that everyone is home -- safe, happy, healthy, and warm 

[more photos of course on my picassa page]


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## CHRISTIN RN (Sep 2, 2007)

Awwwww! Great pictures!

So cute how Noel has his/her wing around Juliet...or is it the other way around???
You really are good at capturing pics of them!
Little kitty is so cute too!

I had the people at Petco clean Coco the first time and then my sister came and cleaned him for me. I was scared to do it. After that, he took his own baths and then as Maggie stated, after his molt, he was all clean.

Still waiting for the shipping label to return the broken heater....for now, I have an oil heater in the Co-Hop. Big pain to attach the enclosure fencing around it so they don't get near it. UGH! Still have to research about the propane heater before using it in the other gazebo for Rally and Ally. 

Wow, I can't believe you guys are getting an even larger cage! Sounds great. Please post a pic when you get it...I was thinking of getting another one also! These guys sure have us wrapped around their little claws!!! LOL

Glad Dave has joined in the fun!


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## philodice (Sep 30, 2007)

Some of those stains, that I can see from the pictures, are blood. White ringnecks have very delicate skin, and when transferred from one cage to another, or getting used to a new area, they bump into stuff like clumsy teenager humans when you move the furniture. This causes bleeding in the pin area of the feathers on the edges of the wings, causing stains.
Some of the other areas, base of tail, ends of tail feathers, could just have natural differences in coloring. Bull-eyed whites aren't entirely white. They have peach or yellow 'stains' on the tail area, especially the underside of the tail, and sometimes grey-peach-yellow rings on the neck that are barely visible. Sometimes, you see them but sometimes you don't.

My five laugh and coo almost constantly, when they aren't kissing eachother. I think three of mine have a love triangle going. One will coo, two will fly over, and they all start co-preening. Weird. Maybe they all look alike and can't figure out who they love.


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## Dezirrae (Oct 6, 2007)

CHRISTIN RN said:


> So cute how Noel has his/her wing around Juliet...or is it the other way around???


Thanks Christin  LOL - it is the other way around... Juliet (Mom) is the white one. Funny you should mention Petco too - that's where we were last night getting them a new perch (wound up with a few other goodies - but still can't find crushed oyster shells - going back to Petsmart today to see if they do have any - otherwise will order online) and then onto Walmart for a new nesting basket (Dave wanted them to have a larger one  ). To say he's "joined in the fun" is an understatement (but it is so cute to watch him get "hooked") -- yes - they sure do have us wrapped around their little claws.

One of the moderators on the Dovepage.com forum gave me a "recipe" for a bath that may help with the staining on Juliet's feathers... I may start a new thread with that one since I know others have Doves here on PT and may find it useful. I'm still a hesitant on the bath front... I do have a bowl with about 2" water in it in their cage but so far they haven't been very interested in a bath. I don't want to stress them any more than necessary at this stage so I'm letting them take that at their own pace.

Good luck with the heater issue!! I hope the broken heater gets fixed very soon (sure you do too  ). Give Rally and Ally a warm "hug" for me.



philodice said:


> Some of those stains, that I can see from the pictures, are blood. White ringnecks have very delicate skin, and when transferred from one cage to another, or getting used to a new area, they bump into stuff like clumsy teenager humans when you move the furniture. This causes bleeding in the pin area of the feathers on the edges of the wings, causing stains.
> Some of the other areas, base of tail, ends of tail feathers, could just have natural differences in coloring. Bull-eyed whites aren't entirely white. They have peach or yellow 'stains' on the tail area, especially the underside of the tail, and sometimes grey-peach-yellow rings on the neck that are barely visible. Sometimes, you see them but sometimes you don't.


OMG Phil -- if it is caused by bleeding in the pin area is there a chance of infection? Is there anything I should do for it? Thank you so much for mentioning that - I didn't realize that could happen.

I did check out the bull-eyed white on the IDS web site (by the way, Caroo from Dovepage.com suggested the same possibility) but Juliet's iris is definitly not black -- it's orange/redish. Then again - if the same feather coloration is there after the next moult I guess that will answer that question.

I remember reading your posts when you were setting up your aviary - do you have updated pictures of it? Dave and I are talking about enclosing our lower deck (translation - means we will be doing it  ) in the spring to give them a nice flight area so tips are very welcome!


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## philodice (Sep 30, 2007)

I actually think your doves might be just colored by food issues, it might not be blood but if it was you could put some neosporin on it.

My first aviary was completely unsuitable for dove habitation. I have to build a new one. If you do look at the pics of mine, make yours completely different. Thinking of one raised off the ground by a full 2 brick high block base, with the base filled in with gravel and topped off with turf. Kitty Litter under the perches, tighter wire in a 1/4 inch hardware cloth. I want to make it in a 'half shed' shape, backed up to the bay window in the living room, with perches in the gable area for shelter. I might put steel bars around the lower half. A coyote pack has been spotted in our neighborhood, and the old flight won't do AT ALL. Birds love fresh air, but at what cost?

I'd just let my pet chickens out for a treat yesterday, and now Paris is dead and Nicole is in the hospital recovering from an attack right in front of me in broad daylight. Now nothing short of a bunker will satisfy me, and I'm getting started this week. I'm very distraught about the poor hen being carried off from my newly fortified yard! The doves are safely behind metal at this point, and haven't felt threatened. In fact, I found an egg today, my first.


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## CHRISTIN RN (Sep 2, 2007)

DITTO ON THE OMG!

I am praying this is not the case for poor Juliet about blood!!! However, thankful that Phil brought it to our attention....I definitely have to get Rally and Ally a larger cage to prevent anything like that happening! Thanks Phil for the heads-up!

Yes, Dez, please share about the bath....Coco is all clean, however, Ally still has greyish/black stains from her 11 day 'outing'!!!

About the freaking heater....they no longer make the model I wanted! Unbelievable! They now only have that model in a refurbished stock. The reason I don't like the one they presently offer is because if you lose power for just a second, it resets to the highest setting and if I'm at work it might be hours before I get home to reset it. I had one like that in the bun barn and once I came home and it was 88 degrees and all the windows were shut. So here I go again searching for a heater. For now the oil one is just ok....just that the enclosure is a pain to get to the heater and I worry about Coco & Hoppy getting stuck as well as the metal getting sooooo hot. Not really safe. I also have another convection type one that I can try...remains cool on the outer sides but have to think about something for the top where the hot air comes out.  

Today I saw a family of 3 mice hanging out under the Co-Hop and when I opened the door, one ran in. Had to quickly get Coco and Hoppy into some carriers and chase the little mouse out. So tomorrow I have to get a trap and capture them one at a time and put them in a little mouse carrier and bring them over to the lake together as not to break up the little mouse family. Just what I wanted to do on a Saturday!!! 
At least tomorrow will be a little sunny and warmer for Rally and Ally to get out to the gazebo! 

So sorry about mixing Noel and Juliet up! They both look so happy and content. About your curious kitty....just show him extra attention and he'll come to love the doves like Dave did! LOL

Sounds like you guys are enjoying your new additions which is such a Blessing!


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## Margarret (May 3, 2007)

Dez, 

You doves are simply beautiful. Thank you for all the pictures. I love the one where they are both sitting in the basket, each facing a different direction.

Margaret


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## Dezirrae (Oct 6, 2007)

philodice said:


> I'd just let my pet chickens out for a treat yesterday, and now Paris is dead and Nicole is in the hospital recovering from an attack right in front of me in broad daylight...In fact, I found an egg today, my first.


Phil - I am soooooo very sorry to hear about Paris and Nicole. I can imagine how upset and sad you are  What attacked them?? Good luck with the new avairy though - I love the idea of it backing to the window. AND congrats on finding your first egg!! How exciting -- we had our first egg arrive last night too. Being two females I know it's not fertile - are you going to let your's develop? Wonderful to have something positive on an otherwise very sad day.



CHRISTIN RN said:


> Today I saw a family of 3 mice hanging out under the Co-Hop and when I opened the door, one ran in. Had to quickly get Coco and Hoppy into some carriers and chase the little mouse out. So tomorrow I have to get a trap and capture them one at a time and put them in a little mouse carrier and bring them over to the lake together as not to break up the little mouse family.


Juliet's feathers do seem to be getting less stained, but we'll be keeping an eye on them (at least any coloration change shows up very quickly). No worries at all about getting them mixed up - Dave still does & often just calls them "birds" or "ladies" - LOL

Mr. Weiderman and Lacey are adjusting, slowly, but adjusting... Lacey is getting the water bottle spray every now & then because she is a bit more "aggressive" (no matter how much "mashing" - a.k.a. atttention - she gets). But thank you for the tip - we do tend to forget that the current kids need extra attention when new ones arrive 

Sorry to hear the news about the heater -- Maybe check out craig's list - see if there are heaters for sale there? Also - check out Craig's List for cages if you are looking for a larger one... For example (in Bloomfield) http://newjersey.craigslist.org/for/497780754.html

Are you near Bergenfield?? Check out this ad: http://newjersey.craigslist.org/for/500397587.html

Sorry to hear about the little mouse family (though they sure sound cute - I know being in/near the Co-Hop isn't the place for them. Hopefully trapping and transporting won't take up too much of your Saturday - it's wonderful to have it even a little warmer out there! So sweet of you to be thoughtful enough to not break up the little family. My feral flock of mourning Doves are sure loving it already!

Later we'll head up to PetSmart for some calcium supplement and other goodies (see above for why  ) -- but will be stopping by "Bird" feral family and putting out a food for them. I'll have Dave's camera with me in case Bird is around  Guess s/he was sort of my "muse" -- LOL. **Don't say anything too loud, but after we enclose the lower deck in the Spring Dave may be interested in having a pigeon or two** Sssshhhhhh LOL

Hope you and Rally, Ally, Coco, and Hoppy enjoy the warmer weather today!!


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## Dezirrae (Oct 6, 2007)

Margarret said:


> Dez,
> 
> You doves are simply beautiful. Thank you for all the pictures. I love the one where they are both sitting in the basket, each facing a different direction.
> 
> Margaret


Thank you so much Margaret  Last night Noel (darker one) gave us our first egg! Dave and I do have a few questions so I'll be starting another post about that (new "egg-ma and pa"  )


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## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

Dezirrae, the stains on the feathers in no way look like blood to me. Usually when feathers break off and bleeding occurs it is pretty limited to the exact area of the break. Still looks like poop stain to me.


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## philodice (Sep 30, 2007)

This is my new egg. I'm pretty sure it is fertilized and I am going to let them incubate, since I am down 2 birds now. New years babies.


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## philodice (Sep 30, 2007)

Experiment then: Rub some poop on a fallen feather. Wash it off and check what color it stains. Then try it with a few other substances...food, pellets, etc. That aught to solve the mystery.


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## Birdmom4ever (Jan 14, 2003)

Beautiful photos, Dezirrae! We have rescued ringneck doves too and enjoy them very much. I like the beautiful big parrot cage you have them in. We have a similar cage, but no place to put it. In addition to our other cage birds, we have a little white dove, Bianca, in the house now. She's very tame and likes to roam the kitchen, but I only let her out when there are no hot burners, nothing cooking, etc.


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## Dezirrae (Oct 6, 2007)

philodice said:


> This is my new egg. I'm pretty sure it is fertilized and I am going to let them incubate, since I am down 2 birds now. New years babies.


 How adorable -- I can't wait to see the photos of the little one and (of course) hearing all the progress reports! Great photo too Phil. Is the mate white as well?



Lady Tarheel said:


> Dezirrae, the stains on the feathers in no way look like blood to me.


That is a relief Maggie... and Phil - I do see alot of similar color stains on the white paper towels on the bottom of the cage near the "treat" bowl. So I suspect it's related to the mild cheddar cheese that they love so much  



Birdmom4ever said:


> Beautiful photos, Dezirrae! We have rescued ringneck doves too and enjoy them very much. I like the beautiful big parrot cage you have them in. We have a similar cage, but no place to put it. In addition to our other cage birds, we have a little white dove, Bianca, in the house now. She's very tame and likes to roam the kitchen, but I only let her out when there are no hot burners, nothing cooking, etc.


Thanks Birdmom4ever  Dave decided we needed to buy an even roomie cage for them as a Christmas present  Should arrive (hopefully) sometime next week. These are going to be two very spoiled ladies (Daddy's girls?? LOL). I love it though - and am so happy he's enjoying them as much as I am and knew I would. I do remember reading about Bianca -- was she tame when you got her (sorry I can't recall if you raised her from a squab or rescued).

By the way - do you give your ringnecks any special supplements in the winter that differ from the pigeon supplements?


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## Birdmom4ever (Jan 14, 2003)

Bianca is ours, raised by her parents, hatched September 10, 2007. We've had a few other babies from our rescued doves but I found good homes for them. I had to give them away because we don't have a big dove aviary (just individual pens) and their parents picked on them once they reached maturity. I don't have the heart to part with Bianca. She's the only pure white we've raised and she's tame and sweet. Her dad, Peaches, is a pied and _his_ mom, Marilyn, is a pure white and was also a rescue. We got her from the San Jose Animal Shelter and my other adult doves came from other Bay Area shelters. 

Bianca's left foot is deformed. All four toes point forward and what should be the rear-facing toe is stiff. But she is otherwise very healthy. Her mom inexplicably plucked out all Bianca's head feathers as they started coming in. I don't know why Petra did this because she and Peaches had another set of chicks last year and they were good parents to them. But with this batch, they were awful. Prior to picking on Bianca they killed her nest mate.  It was healthy when hatched but I found it thrown to the bottom of the cage the next morning, very cold and nearly dead. I put it back in the nest and thought it would survive, but it didn't. Bianca hatched that same day and we were excited when her feathers came in all white. Then Petra started plucking her, so I had to remove her as soon as she started eating on her own. 

I use Kaytee's dove mix as a starting point, but I think it's a little light on protein so I usually supplement them with extra safflower, especially in winter, and canary seed mix, which they love.


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## CHRISTIN RN (Sep 2, 2007)

philodice said:


> I'd just let my pet chickens out for a treat yesterday, and now Paris is dead and Nicole is in the hospital recovering from an attack right in front of me in broad daylight. Now nothing short of a bunker will satisfy me, and I'm getting started this week. I'm very distraught about the poor hen being carried off from my newly fortified yard! The doves are safely behind metal at this point, and haven't felt threatened. In fact, I found an egg today, my first.


OH NO! Phil! I missed this post from you...then while reading the posts afterward, I saw Dezirrae offering condolences!!!
What happened Phil???
How awful for you to witness such a horrible attack...and by whom, may I ask?

Please keep us updated!


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## philodice (Sep 30, 2007)

I posted all about it in the "Other pet birds" section of this forum. Obviously my neighborhood has become too dangerous to have animals outside. Months go by and nothing happens, then the neighbor cat died of old age and all the sudden coyotes and feral bloodthirsty cats start roaming my yard.


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## Dezirrae (Oct 6, 2007)

Birdmom4ever said:


> Bianca is ours, raised by her parents, hatched September 10, 2007. We've had a few other babies from our rescued doves but I found good homes for them. I had to give them away because we don't have a big dove aviary (just individual pens) and their parents picked on them once they reached maturity. I don't have the heart to part with Bianca. She's the only pure white we've raised and she's tame and sweet. Her dad, Peaches, is a pied and _his_ mom, Marilyn, is a pure white and was also a rescue. We got her from the San Jose Animal Shelter and my other adult doves came from other Bay Area shelters.
> 
> Bianca's left foot is deformed. All four toes point forward and what should be the rear-facing toe is stiff. But she is otherwise very healthy. Her mom inexplicably plucked out all Bianca's head feathers as they started coming in. I don't know why Petra did this because she and Peaches had another set of chicks last year and they were good parents to them. But with this batch, they were awful. Prior to picking on Bianca they killed her nest mate.  It was healthy when hatched but I found it thrown to the bottom of the cage the next morning, very cold and nearly dead. I put it back in the nest and thought it would survive, but it didn't. Bianca hatched that same day and we were excited when her feathers came in all white. Then Petra started plucking her, so I had to remove her as soon as she started eating on her own.
> 
> I use Kaytee's dove mix as a starting point, but I think it's a little light on protein so I usually supplement them with extra safflower, especially in winter, and canary seed mix, which they love.


That is so sad what the parents did to Bianca's sibling - I'm so glad that Bianca made it though AND is so wonderfully tame with you. Such a cute visualization to picture her flying around the house with you. Do you use any type of "diaper" with her while she's loose? We'd like to let these ladies free fly in the house after more settling in time - but are a wee bit nervous about the poop issues - I'm looking into Boni's diapers but haven't emailed her yet with questions.

Thanks for the food suggestions! I was using Kaytee's dove mix and also safflower (they don't seem overly excited by the safflower). I did pick up some Canary seed mix and the LOVE that! Almost as much as the love the shredded mild cheddar cheese I give them (gone almost within a 1/2 hr. from when I put it in their treat bowl).

The new cage showed up yesterday -- and I think our eyes were bigger than... hmmm, well, just bigger than something. This thing is HUGE! We may have gone a tad bit over the top (so to speak), but the do seem to enjoy it - they can sure fly in there! And laughing every time they fly up to one of the high perches. More pictures are at http://picasaweb.google.com/Dezirrae/JulietAndNoel


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## Birdmom4ever (Jan 14, 2003)

My goodness, that cage is HUGE. I bet your doves are really enjoying flying around in there. I haven't considered a diaper yet for Bianca. Her poops are so small that they aren't much of a problem to clean up and we only let her out when we're there to supervise. I bought her a small parrot toy today because I've seen how curious she is when she's out. She's attracted to the bright colors on cereal boxes, etc. She went right to the toy and started pulling on it and making the bell ring.


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## mr squeaks (Apr 14, 2005)

Well, to YOU, Dez, the cage may be HUGE, but I bet to Juliet and Noel, they are in birdie HEAVEN!! WHAT A WONDERFUL HOME FOR THEM!!

ENJOY, PRETTY BIRDIES!! 

    

Shi & Squeaks


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## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

Man, that is one gorgeous cage.

Dezirrae, there is plenty of room for more now......


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## Dezirrae (Oct 6, 2007)

Lady Tarheel said:


> there is plenty of room for more now......


Heheheeee....  Thank goodness Dave hasn't realized there was a "method to my madness" yet  I'll be eassssiiing into that concept the next few weeks...

They are loving it right now though. 

BTW -- just how long will they incubate the "fake eggs". I've managed to replace all four but an just curious how soon they'll realize they're sitting on wood.


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

Dezirrae said:


> Heheheeee....  Thank goodness Dave hasn't realized there was a "method to my madness" yet  I'll be eassssiiing into that concept the next few weeks...
> 
> They are loving it right now though.
> 
> BTW -- just how long will they incubate the "fake eggs". I've managed to replace all four but an just curious how soon they'll realize they're sitting on wood.



I LOVE that cage. My little Walley would be in heaven!!
As far as the eggs.........they'll never really actually figure out that the eggs are wood.............only that after the allotted time ( I believe it's a little less for doves than pigeons) about 14 or 15 days, they'll know the eggs aren't going to hatch and will just leave them. That's the way it's SUPPOSED to work anyway. I did have a young hen a couple of years ago that sat on her eggs for over 30 days. Supposed to be 19 for a pigeon. She didn't want to go out and fly, just sit on eggs......... so I finally just had to take them away. You won't have to do that though. My birds race so she REALLY needed to be out exercising and I finally had to force her to do that.


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## Birdmom4ever (Jan 14, 2003)

Renee is right--for doves the incubation period is 14 or 15 days so they usually give up and start over around day 17 or 18.


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## Vasp (Jul 25, 2006)

That's wonderful!

Oh, and I have some personal experience on the colouring of these two, if you wouldn't mind a little information (if no one has posted this yet ).

First of all, it is quite likely they be related, because the blonde gene is dominant in any given pair. The male, obviously in this was the same colour as the offspring, and due to it being dominant, was passed on. My friend has the same pair--one blonde and one white silky (the baby I'm raising now comes from that pair actually) and all the babies from a blonde x white pair have been blonde. Hope that helps.

The cage looks superb and they look happy and healthy! Congratulations.
I'm raising my own little ringneck dove (he's blonde like the young girl you have) and she's going to have an aweeesssome cage, too. Starting to save up for a parrot cage for her already...And if something happens and she doesn't make it through, I'll still have a parrot cage. XD


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