# Help im a novice!



## [email protected] (Jun 21, 2020)

Hi
I live in a high rise in California with a pair of cockatiels. The pet store around the corner had a pair of pure white doves in deplorable conditions. They were shoved in a filthy cage that was so small the male's tale was completely frayed and broken off. I was even more concerned about the negligent people who frequent the pet store that might buy them. I closed my eyes...borrowed some money and brought them home. I treated them for possible mites and fleas...and fed them. In 48 hours they have really come out of their shell and are very trusting and seem happy. The cage I have my cockatiels in is very large. They only use the top 1/3 of the cage because the male cockatiel is missing toenails from birth falls off perches easily so he can not be put in a tall cage. But he and his female are very happy. So I put a partician separating the top 1/3 from the bottom and put the doves in there. There area is 20"×20"×24". I realize that is kind of small but they have 2 perches and a nest basket and have room to fly. The male courts the female constantly. Even in the middle of the night he coos. She is not responding but they are just getting over the trauma of their former living conditions
They are not afraid of me at all which is great. So here are some questions I have...
1. Im feeding them the recommended dove seed and some spray millet....is there any food that they love that is a treat to them?
2. The open top basket I attached to the upper part of their cage is a favorite spot for them. I put some twigs on the bottom and some pine shavings in the basket but they sleep in there and play in there most of the day. They are leaving droppings in the nest and Ive read birds wont poop in their nest. I clean the poop out twice a day. Any idea why they are pooping in their nest?
3. The pet store owner insisted they were a breeding pair. He even explained which one was a male. The female as of yet has not responded to the constant cooing of the male. Someone told me it could take them awhile to feel comfortable in their new surroundings before they start to mate. Is that so?
Thank you
Miss Love


----------



## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

Doves and pigeons love chopped up raw unsalted peanuts. Very high fat content, so give in moderation. You can also offer them green stuff like spinach. Give them time to adapt, I'm sure the female will eventually respond to the male. Start searching for fake eggs to replace the real eggs, otherwise you will end up having a lot of babies. Being kept indoors, they will need vitamins esp calcium with added Vit D3. Egg laying will deplete the female and she might have issues like eggbinding in the future.


----------



## [email protected] (Jun 21, 2020)

Thank you so much Marina. I will do just that...give them unsalted peanuts. As for Calcium and Vitamin D I have a coddle bone for my cockatiels but the doves don't seem to have the kind of beaks necessary to grind calcium off the coddle bone. 
Questions..
1. Where would I get calcium and vitamin d for them?
2. Do they need gravel?
3. Can they eat the shell of eggs?
4. And also why are they pooping in their nest?
Thank you again
Miss Love


----------



## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

You will be able to get the liquid calcium and grit from a petshop. They will need grit. Packed with minerals and helps with digestion of the seeds. You can put down the shells of boiled egg, also a source of calcium. Leave a cuttlefish bone with them, that will also supply them with calcium. They will peck at it if needed. The added Vit D3 in the liquid calcium is important, as this helps the body absorb the calcium.

I don't know why they poop in the nest. Does it happen at night? Is that the spot where they sleep? If so, try and provide them with a better perch for sleeping on.


----------



## [email protected] (Jun 21, 2020)

Thank you again for your help. I went out and got unsalted shelled peanuts and you are right they love them! I know I can get grit at the local pet shop but if I cant find the calcium and vit d3 ill order it online.
You are right about the nest and night perching. The nest is basically the highest place in the cage...so I figured thats why they like to sleep in it. Im going to try to arrange one of their perches slightly higher and see if they will sleep on the perch instead. But they love the nest basket so much they hang out in it and play a good part of the day so they are still pooping in it. I don't like to disturb their nest but I have to remove the poop every morning. They love to push sticks around in the nest and throw out the ones they don't want. Also the male has finally started doing more than just cooing. He is doing the big dance...chest puffed out bowing and getting really close to her. Im so glad they feel comfortable enough here in my home for all that. I also put some spinach and celery leaves in their cage
Thanks again


----------



## [email protected] (Jun 21, 2020)

I found the liquid calcium on ebay but it said to add it to fruits..vegetables and seed. Since they eat more seed than fruits or vegetables I thought perhaps this powder might get into their system better. Here is the link...
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Morning-Bi...0&algv=Default&_trksid=p2332490.c100935.m2460
It has added vit d3 plus magnesium and you can mix it into their seed. Do you think this will work?


----------



## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

Yes, that will work. You can mix it in with their seeds.


----------



## [email protected] (Jun 21, 2020)

Perfect! One more thing....the male is cooing and bowing and now the other one that Im believing is a female is making a laughing sound back. Sounds just like this...
https://youtu.be/PNH-6vjoquw
Is that the sound a female makes?


----------



## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

I don't know? Maybe both sexes make the sound. As long as they are not fighting. Two males will fight.


----------



## [email protected] (Jun 21, 2020)

Lol! Ok...no they are not fighting...the male is cooing...dancing and bowing and the other one is making that laughing sound and other sounds back to him. She is definitely playing hard to get! The cooing starts at 3:00 am and goes on for hours! Lol...but I love them. And I moved their nest down and one perch up and they aren't hanging out in the nest so much but enjoy the higher perch.
Blessings to you


----------



## catsnbirds (Sep 18, 2014)

Hi, I've had pet doves for almost 15 years. They always poop in the nest. I use shredded paper and dump it a couple times per week. 
My doves make that sound in the video. They also make a sound like a rooster crowing, as well as the cooing.
My doves like finely chopped apples, carrots, grapes, peaches, and broccoli florets. I never had much luck getting them to eat small pieces of spinach, kale, or other dark green vegetables. Maybe yours will be more open-minded! They like defrosted peas, so I give them 3 or 4 a day as a treat. They get about 1/2 tsp of fresh food with their seed. Because they don't share nicely, they each have their own food dish. I got them large hooded seed bowls because they knock the seed all over the cage floor and that's been working out well.
My doves don't like the commercial dove seed mix, so I buy a high quality parakeet seed and canary seed, safflower seed, and mix them. 
They also like to bathe, so I got a small cat litter box for that. They like to spread their wings out while they're bathing.
Doves are really sweet birds and they're kind of funny to interact with. They give a great "side-eye" when they're displeased. Mine were rescues who were kept in similar conditions to yours. Thank you so much for saving them. I hope you'll have many years of enjoyment with them.


----------



## [email protected] (Jun 21, 2020)

Thank you catsnbirds! 
I have been so encouraged by this website and have learned so much. I knew very little about doves. The good news is my male (named Prince) is finally starting to mount my female (named Peace). But the cooing is over the top! Lol! Starts at 3am sometimes. And the laughing female is so funny its hysterical. Can anyone tell me does the male cooing slow down a bit after they have eggs? Regardless I love them. I do have a bathtub for them and I noticed they do love baths. They are already looking so much better than when I brought them home. So glad to know they like fruit...I will definitely add that. I did what Marina suggested and chopped up boiled egg shells while Im waiting to get the calcium powder. When I finally learn how to add a photo on this site I will post a picture of them.
Thank you so much


----------



## catsnbirds (Sep 18, 2014)

For the cooing, do you cover the cage at night? Mine are in a small bird room and they settle down when the light is off, but when the sun rises, they start cooing.


----------



## [email protected] (Jun 21, 2020)

Yes I do cover them at night. Things are a lot quieter around here now. They've been doing alot of kissing and sitting close to each other.lol


----------



## catsnbirds (Sep 18, 2014)

Their lifespan can be 20+ years. Best wishes a long, happy for you and them!


----------



## [email protected] (Jun 21, 2020)

Another question
Is copulation a matter of seconds? He has done all the singing and dancing...she has been responding by bowing down and fluttering her tail.. Than they were kissing alot and now the female is sitting in the nest alot and doesn't seem to want to leave very often. Ive seen him mount her...and Ive seen him just standing on her back alot. There have been a few times when he was on her Back while they were both on a perch and there was alot of feather flapping. If he actual did mate with her it was bout a 3-5 second event. Is that all it takes or is it usually longer?
Thank you


----------



## catsnbirds (Sep 18, 2014)

I've only seen them in that position for a few seconds, too. A female dove will lay eggs, even if there's no male around, like chickens. I just throw the eggs away. I've never tried fake eggs, but maybe it will help them not breed so much. My remaining 2 doves are quite old, around 20, so she doesn't lay eggs as much as she used to.


----------



## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

The mating is very quick. She will soon start laying eggs. You will need to get fake eggs asap otherwise you will soon have a lot of babies. Just do the swopping within 3 days after the eggs get laid, then the embrio hasn't start developing yet. If you remove the eggs, they will just start laying again. Are you giving them calcium with added Vit D3 to prevent the female getting eggbound?


----------



## [email protected] (Jun 21, 2020)

Thank you both so much. Ive taken so much of your advice and my doves are happier because it. ...
So far 
*I have got them carrots ...apples and celery and Shopped it up fine and they love it. 
*I also put tiny crushed peanuts in for them. * Ive added some cockatiel seed in with the dove mix which they like 
* I give them a fresh millet spray each day. * * Also the powder calcium with the vit d3 should be delivered next week. 
* In the meantime Ive boiled eggshells and crushed them up and give it to them daily 
* im also putting vitamins in their water and powdered minerals on the bottom of the cage daily. 
* I have a low wide casserole dish with water for their baths.
* And oyster shell gravel should be here next week as well. 
As for eggs ..if she has eggs Thats fine. Ill get a bigger cage. They do seem to know what they're doing. I have no idea if they've bred before or not but seems like they have. 
They really seem happy...they sit in their nest together quite a bit. I put thin little twigs in their nest which they like to arrange. 
Thank you again


----------



## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

If you let the eggs hatch and one of the babies is a male, there will be a lot of fighting between the 2 males. You will eventually need to seperate them.


----------



## [email protected] (Jun 21, 2020)

Oh my! Looks like the tooth fairy left an egg!! 
So my little female named Peace laid an egg last night. From what I read if the egg is fertile it will hatch in a week...is that true?
And thank you Marina for telling me that the father will fight his son! Assuming the eggs hatch how long should I wait before moving the babies from the cage their parents are iI to a cage of their own!


----------



## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

The egg will take longer than a week to hatch. Leave the babies with the parents until you notice there are signs of aggression.


----------



## [email protected] (Jun 21, 2020)

Im glad its longer than a week. My goal is to have an indoor aviary with about 6 or 7 doves. So if you dont mind can you kindly answer my questions???
* How large would an aviary need to be to comfortably house 6 doves?
* Can 6 male and female doves live together without fighting?
Thank you so much. You and CatsandBirds have helped me so much and Im doing just what you say.


----------



## [email protected] (Jun 21, 2020)

Peace laid a second egg!


----------

