Pigeons and Doves

[Dark]

Hello folks,

I've always thought pigeons and doves were cool. They tend to be softer spoken then most birds and some of them have pretty unique abilities. I don't know too much about them but I find them fascinating and would love any information on them that anyone has. Whether from personal experience, something you've read or a story you've heard I'd love to hear it.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

My pet:

Recently I purchased a white dove, technically it's an albino ringneck dove. Her name is Amelia and so far she has been a great pet. She spends a lot of time preening her feathers, hanging out and hopping around her cage. I try and keep her out on a perch as often as I can. I've been feeding her from the bag of food she was already on. I also purchased a combo dove,pigeon, and quail food from this guy http://www.nepigeonsupplies.com/ and I'm gradually mixing it into her food cause the other food I got was just in a clear bag and I want to get her on a diet that I can continue to purchase / know what it's made of. (Although the seeds in both bags look extremely similar, a lot of millet and other really small seeds). I keep her at roughly room temperature (67 - 73 degrees Fahrenheit). Her cage is roughly 2 ft wide x 2 ft back x 2 ft high, she has access to fresh food, water and grey grit (also bought from the same website as before). She also has two wooden perches, a place to hide and a nesting box with a large entrance to accommodate her size and length and the bottom is filled with aspen bedding. I've had her about two weeks and I haven't seen her enter the nesting box or the hiding spot, she just usually chills on a perch and hops down a few times a day for food and water.

The pet store owner said she was about 4 months old. Does she look young? She still has pin feathers on and around her body sporadically, mostly around her head / neck. Is there anything else I can do to keep her happy and healthy? I've heard they like to be with other doves but I've also heard that they are less likely to bond as strongly with their owner if kept in pairs / large groups.

What do you guys think? Is it possible to get her a cage-mate that is a diamond dove or a pigeon instead of another white dove? Should I just keep with as a solitary dove and just hang out with her often? So far she has only made two noises this whole time, both were little coo's and they were 4 days apart and last 2 seconds.

Here's a picture of her on a PVC pipe perch I made.

All feedback appreciated,

Eric

 

[The Snark]

Oh boy. Gnatz. Doves. Ultimate avian sex fest and I'm not exagerating. Going entirely by practical experience and observations here. Produce up to 6 clutches a year. Males can be very territorial and they are vicious, often relentless fighters. Subject to infestations from a number of parasites so be sure yours is well vetted. Extremely strong energetic flyers. When restricted from exercise they tend to develop muscular myopathy (and sometimes cardiovascular) which can shorten life span. Keep in mind doves can range up to 10,000 miles a year.
Tolerates perches but prefers natural surfaces especially when feeding. Needs a little gravel to aid digestion. Don't try keeping an unpaired male as the noise can drive you and your neighbors crazy.

Around here it is very common among hilltribe and outlying area peoples to catch a mature male. They then put the male in a cage in a smallish tree among a number of traps. The male calling can get numerous females trapped each day which are sold as novelty pets in markets and for food.

 

[dementedlullaby]

Our mourning dove is a rescue with a broken wing. Can still fly but has a rough time making it any real distance. Not much can be done for the wing at this point sadly. Actually a really nice bird. Will step up better than some of the other rescue parrots. The mornings are always good fun, I cover my parrots at night so the dove gets a sheet as well. Uncovering in the morning is always a contest between the dove and I, who can get in the last "whooooo".

"Who are you?"

"WHOO WHOO, WHOO WHOO"

 

[Dark]

Thank you very much The Snark, all sounds quite accurate to what I've researched so far. That trapping method is quite interesting, part of me wishes they didn't eat any of the birds captured but that would make me a huge hypocrite as I enjoy chicken thoroughly and both species are quite prolific. Thankfully my Amelia seems to be a female so I haven't really heard much out of her and hopefully she remains on the quiet side. I do have grit for her which is basically gravel and the floor is lined with newspaper so her feet don't have to endure constant wire gripping. Her main perch (the one she sits on most of the time) is wood and she seems comfortable up there. I also take her out daily and she does flap her wings a bit here and there, I am trying to teach her to fly to her perch or to me but she doesn't seem to have a great grasp of the English language yet. She does fly onto my keyboard or desk from time to time although it's only been roughly two weeks so I'll give her some time before I expect expert navigation of any sort or hope for her coming over with or without my request.

Dementedlullaby: Sounds like a male and also seems like he's a cute bird. Are you going to ever release him or will he remain in captivity due to his wing situation? I am sure if he does end up sticking around that he'll make a very kind companion to your avian family. I wonder how he sustained such an accident? It is a shame that you can't completely rehabilitate him but it may be to his benefit if he is getting accustomed to interacting with people.

Thanks for the responses!

Best Regards,
Eric

 

[dementedlullaby]

We were kind of torn on release and such but he's become a member of the flock. We sometimes rehome parrots and were going to with the dove but sometimes you just fall in love I guess =p.

I gotta agree on the male assumption .

He was actually always a pretty nice bird and was very easy to train to step up so we aren't sure if it is someones escaped pet or not. I know people around here do keep mourning doves. We did try a release once but he was so bad at flying that he could barely make it on the fence. Because of the wing he also veers off to one side so it's a death sentence to let him go I imagine. Especially with all those cats around.

He had a collar and sort of splint on the wing for awhile as per vet instruction and it seems like now the wing doesn't stick out as much but flight is still a no-go overall. The wing could of been amputated but the vet didn't see a real point (nor did I) because it still functions for small flights (between cages in the room is np for example) which is good for exercise and doesn't seem to bother him. Even when my wife found him you could tell the wing wasn't a new injury.

Because of the wing injury we decided it was best to keep him in a large tank with perches from the safe woods around the area. He enjoys flying a bit around the room and sitting on the other bird cages during out time.

Would love to hear how your little one goes along . Keep the updates coming! Also forgot to mention love your pvc pipe stand. I think you may have inspired me to do the same .

 

[The Snark]

PVC pipe stand. A damned if you do and damned if you don't thing. The plastic is slick. Even squirrels have trouble getting a purchase with their claws. Roughing it up slightly with sand paper fixes that easily but then poo sticks to it.

 

[Dark]

Dementedlullaby: Well I am definitely glad he's in your hands then, sounds like he has a much nicer / safer life now. I think under most circumstances if time and care is taken a single dove or pigeon can be tamed fairly easily. It may be a bit more difficult if they come from a crappy home or have lived in a cage as a pair for the majority of their lives. Wild doves / pigeons also seem to perch on people if they are fed frequently enough, more-so pigeons then doves though. Great story nonetheless and I shall keep you updated! If it's not too difficult I'd love to see a picture of your dove. Thanks for kind words.

Oh and also as The Snark mentioned, PVC pipe stands need a little bit of friction on them or they'll slide off.

The Snark: Don't worry I learned that pretty quick, she was only on one of the stands for two seconds and I realized her grip wasn't too good so I covered it in duct-tape. You can see it if you look closely at the picture I posted. The duct-tape actually has quite a bit of texture and she seems to grip it without much difficulty, only issue is it doesn't look incredibly professional. (Not that aesthetic professionalism matters in bird keeping lol, I just like to try and make things look nice). I also built a second PVC pipe and firmly wrapped cloth around it so that she has an even better grip on that one. I used some hot glue underneath the bottom to keep it tight and from unraveling. Whenever I use hot glue for any pet related thing I make sure there is no way that the animal can get to it, in this case it's underneath the perch and underneath the cloth so I think she'll be okay. I also researched hot glue and I've heard it's not a threat as long as it's dry and isn't ingested.

Thanks again for the responses!

Eric

 

[Chicken Farmer]

He/she's so pretty!! I'm not sure what the other name is, but vet wrap also works really good for wrapping the perch instead of duct tape. It can be changed whenever needed, and there is tons of colors.

 

[The Snark]

Dementedlullaby: Well I am definitely glad he's in your hands then, sounds like he has a much nicer / safer life now. I think under most circumstances if time and care is taken a single dove or pigeon can be tamed fairly easily. It may be a bit more difficult if they come from a crappy home or have lived in a cage as a pair for the majority of their lives. Wild doves / pigeons also seem to perch on people if they are fed frequently enough, more-so pigeons then doves though. Great story nonetheless and I shall keep you updated! If it's not too difficult I'd love to see a picture of your dove. Thanks for kind words.

Oh and also as The Snark mentioned, PVC pipe stands need a little bit of friction on them or they'll slide off.

The Snark: Don't worry I learned that pretty quick, she was only on one of the stands for two seconds and I realized her grip wasn't too good so I covered it in duct-tape. You can see it if you look closely at the picture I posted. The duct-tape actually has quite a bit of texture and she seems to grip it without much difficulty, only issue is it doesn't look incredibly professional. (Not that aesthetic professionalism matters in bird keeping lol, I just like to try and make things look nice). I also built a second PVC pipe and firmly wrapped cloth around it so that she has an even better grip on that one. I used some hot glue underneath the bottom to keep it tight and from unraveling. Whenever I use hot glue for any pet related thing I make sure there is no way that the animal can get to it, in this case it's underneath the perch and underneath the cloth so I think she'll be okay. I also researched hot glue and I've heard it's not a threat as long as it's dry and isn't ingested.

Thanks again for the responses!

Eric

I can see duct tape serving the purpose. You sure as heck wouldn't want to use the stuff for chewers like budgies or parrots. It's funny you mentioning the PVC pipe. I've got that on our phone and electric power wires to deter squirrels. They can't grip it very well and it's loose so it rolls. Royally pissed the whole family off as they now have to go down the papaya tree, skirt the dog in the jeep, zip to the back of the house, climb 50 feet up the silk tree, go on out to the end of it's branch and make a 4 foot leap to the roof.

 

[dementedlullaby]

My plan is to use one of those rope perches wrapped around the PVC. They are flexible ropes that you can snake around the cage as a perch. I'm probably not giving a good description so this is what I mean lol :

I'll snag some pictures later. I had a bunch of Sweetie/Lumpy the dove (2 years and can't decide a name LOL!) but can't find them now.

 

[The Snark]

My plan is to use one of those rope perches wrapped around the PVC. They are flexible ropes that you can snake around the cage as a perch. I'm probably not giving a good description so this is what I mean lol :

I'll snag some pictures later. I had a bunch of Sweetie/Lumpy the dove (2 years and can't decide a name LOL!) but can't find them now.

How much polypropylene does a bird need in their diet? Nut and seed crackers will inevitably gnaw things as that is how they keep their beaks in shape.

 

[Dark]

He/she's so pretty!! I'm not sure what the other name is, but vet wrap also works really good for wrapping the perch instead of duct tape. It can be changed whenever needed, and there is tons of colors.

Amelia is a she and thank you! I believe vet wrap would work excellently!

I can see duct tape serving the purpose. You sure as heck wouldn't want to use the stuff for chewers like budgies or parrots. It's funny you mentioning the PVC pipe. I've got that on our phone and electric power wires to deter squirrels. They can't grip it very well and it's loose so it rolls. Royally pissed the whole family off as they now have to go down the papaya tree, skirt the dog in the jeep, zip to the back of the house, climb 50 feet up the silk tree, go on out to the end of it's branch and make a 4 foot leap to the roof.

PVC is definitely some slick stuff, I am glad that it has managed to keep the squirrels at bay. Yea chewers definitely need different consideration. I tend to like to build the cages I use as well as the items inside the cages and I am always sure to consider the animal-in-question's traits before I make decisions.

My plan is to use one of those rope perches wrapped around the PVC. They are flexible ropes that you can snake around the cage as a perch. I'm probably not giving a good description so this is what I mean lol :

I'll snag some pictures later. I had a bunch of Sweetie/Lumpy the dove (2 years and can't decide a name LOL!) but can't find them now.

I don't think you have to use such an extravagant means of making the PVC more grip-able. If it is being used exclusively for the dove then duct-tape, gauze, cloth or vet-wrap should work perfectly fine. If it is being used for all birds then you could possible cut that rope perch to whatever distance you'd like and use it as a substitute to the PVC where they stand. Although a wooden dowel would be easier and cheaper and would require no wrapping / altering whatsoever.

Thanks for the posts folks, Oh and as The Snark said, polypropylene ingestion might be something to look out for if the bird in question is a parrot. (or seems to be able to ingest any of it)

Eric

 

[The Snark]

Just mosey on out this way. They'll be trimming the Lamyai trees soon. 1 to 2 inch branches by the ton, lots all twisty, and the wood is one of the strongest in the world. 2 or 3 2 foot branches makes an all evening campfire. I've often thought of aviaries when I see these huge piles teetering on the backs of trucks.

 

[dementedlullaby]

Yeah I'll use it for all my birds which is why I want to use that rope . I can also score them on the cheap . Should of mentioned, my bad! My wife is taking some shots of the dovie today so should have them up this evening.