# found spotted dove baby - Melbourne Australia



## reetarandy (Dec 15, 2012)

Hi. I am in Melbourne, Victoria, Austrlaia and yesterday morning I found a spotted dove on the ground with two small wounds under its wings which have already almost healed. A kingfisher was attacking the nest which is right outside our back door. The kingfisher was hanging around but I chased it off. Later I discovered it had disembowelled the other baby in the nest and I think the mother had no choice but to chuck its body out of the nest later that day. We found the body in the same place we found the little bird. I fed the baby for the day that I found it and at about noon the next day I tried to hang it up in a temporary nest (as the real nest was too high), keeping watch on it. The parents were around but they took no notice. I think they had given up on it. I am not sure what to do for it now. I am trying to feed it quickly and then put it back in its box, I don't want it to end up in a cage its whole life, but not sure how to avoid it. How can I go about releasing him. I have only had him almost two days. He is mostly feathered and starting to flap his wings and cheep when I feed him. He looks pretty healthy and his wounds have healed. I would estimate he is about 12 days old (judging from photos on the net). I am planning a trip for three weeks on the 24th of December, and not sure what I can do with him. My next thought is to buy an aviary but I really don't want him to end up in a cage his whole life. I am hoping since I have just found him, I haven't done too much damage yet, and he may be able to be released.


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## Reti (Jul 20, 2003)

You did good taking the baby in. He had no chance of surviving outside.
Don't worry about him ending up in a cage, pigeons are very adaptable and as long a they have time out to exercise each day they will be fine. 
As for releasing him, you will need to do a soft release somewhere where there are other pigeons. You can't release a lone pigeon outside, he will be a target for predators.

Reti


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## whytwings (Feb 12, 2011)

Hi reet - christmas greetings !

I hand reared a baby Spotted Turtle Dove a couple years ago .......it should almost be time to get him trying some small seeds .... what stage is he at with eating anyway ??? 

I believe he needs more time than to the 24th of Dec........too young I feel to be re released then , he might need to be looked after until your return and his release slowly when you get back . If you have Noisy Miner Birds in your area , be mindful on eventual re release day , they will gang up and set upon your dove in ruthless fashion !

Good luck & good save


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## reetarandy (Dec 15, 2012)

Thank you so much for your replies. And thanks for being encouraging about taking him in, so many people just seem to say that you should never take in a 'fledgling' bird, that you are taking him away from his parents. I actually spent the whole weekend watching him through a window after I put him in a makeshift nest (wicker basket with straw), about half a metre lower than the actual nest he fell out of. The parents didn't seem to want to know about him. They were in the same tree at times but left him alone entirely. 

I think I have found someone who will be able to look after him until we return. Before that our plan was to take him in the car on the long drive to Adelaide (which is crazy, I know). His wounds have healed well and he is now eating rolled up balls of egg and biscuit and corn kernels. He is also drinking, but I only offer this at meal times and don't have it in the cage. I think he is about two weeks old. Sometimes he seems to want to peck but now I still feed him by opening his beak and putting it inside, and then check to see if he's had enough by seeing how full his crop is. He now opens his mouth for me but it is still a bit ill timed. How do you encourage a bird to feed itself, or does this happen automatically?

It is a great relief to hear that he may be released even if raised by humans. I have tried to not talk to him too much, or give him too much attention, but is that just being a bit neurotic? Will he get over it if we do talk to him and give him attention, and will we still be able to do a 'soft release? At what age do you usually attempt to release them and do you have any advice for doing this kind of release?


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## reetarandy (Dec 15, 2012)

I have an update. I have found someone to look after the baby when I am going. She says she has a good backyard without cats and that she has a community of spotted doves that come in every day to feed on the left over food she has for her ducks, so she says there is always food available. However, she looks after rabbits, and is actually the person that will be looking after my rabbit while I am gone. She says she has had success with a young spotted dove a while ago, and managed to release it into her back yard. However, she is not so confident with a baby as young as the one I have, so I am wondering if you have any specific advice for her. She will probably be keeping it in a large rabbit hutch. If she cannot successfully release it she will give it back to me when I return and we will probably keep it as a pet. But any advice for her, would be great.

I have taken the baby out a couple of times and let it stand on the grass in the sun. If I'm not around it for a minute or two it is like it forgets that it has ever met me and when I go to pick it up it makes a run for it flapping its wings and going pretty fast. I have to be pretty quick to catch it, though it is not up in the air yet.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

He is too young to be released now, but he could be released later on in her backyard with the other doves. Maybe in another month or so.


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## whytwings (Feb 12, 2011)

reetarandy said:


> How do you encourage a bird to feed itself, or does this happen automatically?


Whenever I've hand reared and feeding I've always used a white towel and usually seated comfortably at that table . I usually like to start with smaller seeds such as wheat or milo seed available at most fodder stores . While attempting to feed seed .....any that drop will do so on the towel.....being white the seeds are highly visible and I've found that whether it's a pigeon or a dove , they just seem to naturally have a pick at them which is exactly the behaviour I'm trying to encourage .........in past experience it doesn't seem long for them to catch on . At the same time I use a heavy glass ash tray filled with seed .....it seems birds always want to stand on the edge from whatever they are eating from and up end the lot - this includes drinking vessels unless they are secured to the side of the cage , it's no fun trying to clean up seed sprawled all over the floor  - unless you have a DYSON 

I have to admit , the release of my Turtle Dove was not intentional .....he slipped out of my hands when I was taking him outside to sun and so he could have a bath at will , luckily 3 days later he was chased back under my verandah by minor birds and I was able to save him . As idiotic as it may sound the same thing happened again 2 weeks later . I could see him hanging round , but his every attempt to come home was sabotaged by vile Miner Birds ...I can't be sure , but I have only 1 pair that come to the yard and clean up after my chooks .......I think it's him .

I allowed mine to free fly in the house , he was delightful .....used to land on the dog and my shoulder .......... eating dinner in the lounge watching TV had to be terminated forever unless he was in his cage , he knew it was food and would land right in the middle of it . As he started to get older he began to shy away from being petted ...it was at this stage I lost him .

Hope this all helps 

Enjoy your holiday to Adelaide !


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## reetarandy (Dec 15, 2012)

Thank you whytwings for your reply. I have also noticed that even though he is quite young and only just learning to walk properly he notices ants on the ground when I have him outside and takes a stab at them. He is hopelessy inaccurate at the moment but hopefully will improve with time.

I had been hoping that I could get over the weaning of the bird before I went to Adelaide - but I don't think it will be possible. I will have to show the person looking after him how to feed him. Which should be interesting considering she is used to looking after rabbits. I think before he can get really good at pecking his own food, he probably has to be pretty steady on his feet, which might happen in the next few days.

I have also noticed that he has made a run for it several times while I was outside with him. If I was quiet for a minute or two it seems like he forgot who I was and then just ran off in a panic for cover with his wings all akimbo. However, despite him looking quite uncoordinated he was really fast. I can envisage them getting away accidentally. Once they have it in their minds to fly, it would be difficult to let them have time outside. While I am away he will be in a cage that is large rabbit hutch. By the time I get back he should be almost ready to go - I'm going for three weeks. 

Thank you so much for advice. i think I have some ideas on how to advise her now.

Reeta


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## reetarandy (Dec 15, 2012)

*update*

I just wanted to let you all know that the dove I found is doing very well. The lady that I found to look after it is in love with it. It flies off during the day with the other doves from her garden and returns at night with the other doves to feed on the seeds she leaves out for them. She still brings it in at night and it is very affectionate. One day it may find a mate and fly off for good. Thank you for advice and help.


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## Dima (Jan 15, 2011)

Great news! Thank you for update. It's nice to know he has his own gang to hang around with in the garden.


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## nancybird (Jan 30, 2011)

Thank you for the update.Please keep us posted.


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