# Just got my first Diamond Dove!



## RubyDove (Jun 23, 2013)

I finally got my first Diamond Dove 2 days ago and things are going well. I have only ever had Cockatiels/Lovebirds and Parakeets so this new for me. I was told I had a male but now believe its female. She only makes the double soft coo coo and her eyering was much "thinner" then one in the cage that was clearly an adult male. The seller told me she had only ordered 3 males so none should be female. However, I believe she was misinformed and there was actually 1 male and 2 females that she received. I selected what I believe is a Silver/White tail & rump color as the sex really did not matter to me. Now, I will get to my questions, is there any chance this could just be a young male that has not yet developed the full eyering and is just not yet displaying the full loader cooing that males do? (the "for sure" male in the cage was much larger then the other two that I believed to be females) Also, I really want this bird to bond with me so I have been spending a few minutes several times daily cooing to it and it certainly seems much more relaxed and happy and less flighty now. Also, I would like "Sydney" to be able to fly freely at some point but not sure how I will know enough time has passed to open the door and let her out and she will know how to go get back. Also, if I ever decided to get a "sister" for her, will she lose her bond with me like a mating pair would? Thank you to anyone who can share any tips on Diamond Doves with me.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Don't think diamond doves are supposed to be flown. They wouldn't be safe out there, and I would think they would get lost.


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## Lefty07 (Dec 30, 2009)

_"Also, I would like "Sydney" to be able to fly freely at some point but not sure how I will know enough time has passed to open the door and let her out and she will know how to go get back"_

Did you mean, you were thinking of allowing your Diamond Dove to fly loose in the house or outside? I would never trust a Diamond Dove outside! Hopefully, you meant in the house.

In the past, I had a few Diamond Doves that I could let fly loose in my house. They did sometime have trouble finding out how to get back in their cages. So it's best to have them in a cage where the whole front opens up as a giant door. If not, if you can get them to step on the top of your hand, you can bring them back to the cage.

Diamond Doves can be tricky to tame. It's best not to ever grab them or chase them around. Let them come out of the cage on their own and let them come to you. Just be very gentle and move slowly, talk to it, etc. I found mine were comfortable setting on the top of my hand and eventually they would fly over and land on my arm. But they are not the sort of bird that will like being petting or handled in any way. Getting them to perch on your hand is about it, as far as tameness goes.

Here is a Diamond Dove, named "Pecker", that I had for 15 years - back in the 1980s and 1990s.


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## RubyDove (Jun 23, 2013)

*My first Diamond Dove*

Thank you for your responses to my first post and the picture of the Dove! I guess I should have made the point clear about letting her fly free, which I did mean within my home, never outside. I will continue to work with her and hope that she will come to my hand at some point on her own. I put a little mirror in her cage and she coos and then flickers her wing at it which I believe I read someplace is a greeting behavior. Very adorable to watch and listen to. I think this will be the first of many Diamond Doves to come.


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