# How do you keep a dove from being lonely without having babies?



## Kim_Jones832 (Oct 31, 2012)

I'm considering the purchase of a dove as a companion animal. I kept a cockatiel for years, and I loved her very much, but she was extremely demanding and very loud. I no longer have her (during university I had no time for her and had to re-home her), and have missed having a little birdy companion. I've been looking at doves as a more peaceful alternative to the hookbills. However, I would like to be better informed about how to keep a dove socially happy first.
So, my first issue is that I am unsure of my time commitments in the future. Right now I would like to get a single dove, as I have lots of time and love to give. But I may not have all that time a few years from now (who knows what the future holds), in which case I thought that getting a little dove buddy would be a good solution. Would a dove kept single for a few years be willing to bond with a new dove later? 
If I kept 2 different species of dove, would they bond without mating? Or would they still produce hybrid offspring? Would they even get along? I know that the best buddy for a dove would be another dove of the opposite sex and same species, but I do not want to breed, I'm just looking for a pet/pets.
Sorry for the length of the post


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## scmona (Sep 6, 2012)

you can buy two females.


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## Howard Nye (Oct 14, 2009)

*Females & Birth Control*

Hi,

As with all companion animals it's always good to consider adopting a rescue / non-releasable bird. There is at least one organization, Mickacoo Pigeon & Dove Rescue, who has birds looking for homes; their url is:

http://www.pigeonrescue.org/

Here in Edmonton we have also had doves available for adoption at the Humane Society, and I think that Humane Societies in other provinces may have doves for adoption as well.

Yes, as scmona said, if you can adopt two females that would be an excellent choice. As I understand females can get along very well with each other, and with a pair of females you'd have no birth control issues. One thing though: you should probably be careful if you are considering putting birds (even female birds) of different species together; I've been told that it isn't safe to house pigeons and doves together (because the pigeons are so much larger they can seriously harm the doves). 

My own experience was that I started with male pigeons (who had been found with wing injuries that left them flightless and non-releasable), and unfortunately with males if they don't have mates they can often not get along and fight dangerously. I eventually found mates for my males, and with patience we got them introduced and bonded into mated pairs (it took about a month and a half for the boys to clam down and for the girls to accept the boys). We practice birth control by replacing the eggs the girls lay with plastic false ones (the heavier kind, not the light-weight Easter-egg variety). 

I did have my first male, Bird-Bird, without any other birds for about a year. He and I were closely bonded and we still are, but I'm very glad that he has other birds. I can't be with him 24/7, and it's very nice for him to be able to have his mate to interact with, cuddle with, and hand out with 100% of the time. For these sorts of reasons I'd think that in general it's best for companion animals to have consepecifics or other companion animals who are members of species that they can safely interact with. 

Best,
Howard


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## Lefty07 (Dec 30, 2009)

*2 doves are usually best*

Unless you are home all day, a single dove will be very lonely. They are social animals. But you could get one first and then another a couple weeks later. If you don't want to breed them, get 2 of the same sex. As scmona else suggested, 2 female doves will usually get along fine. And 2 males _may_ be OK (if there's no female around) though you might need 2 cages for 2 males - but they could be out of the cage together, when you let them fly around.

A Domestic Pigeon and a Ringneck Dove _can_ mate and produce offspring, though I think the babies are sterile. And I think most male / female pairs of other pigeon / dove species will try to mate eventually. But it's generally not a good idea to mix (cross-breed) species. So I would stick with 2 of the same sex, if you don't want breeding - and if you want to breed, stick with the same species.

Once tame, 2 doves will stay tame and friendly, as long as you interact with them. Make sure you can give them some free flight time out of the cage every day or at least several times a week. Doves should not be wing-clipped like some people do with parrots - they are too defenseless and cannot climb to safety. Doves are easy to tame when fully-flighted, especially if you get one from someone who bred them in a cage and handled them. Doves raised in big aviaries can be harder to tame, especially when adults.

If you really want a flightless dove, there is a variety of Ringneck Dove called "Silky" which cannot fly well because the feathers are specialized. I think it's kind of cruel to breed and perpetuate this flightless variety but some people would disagree with me, I'm sure. And, as Howard says, shelters have non-releasable (flightless) pigeons, if you prefer a larger bird.


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## nancybird (Jan 30, 2011)

doves are happier when they have another dove to interact with.


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