Dove Question!

[Inverted Hammerhead?]

Hello! I'm a novice dove owner, it's true. And I've got me a question.

My little bulleyed cock, Kernel, appears to be adapting well to his new home. He's eating, drinking, and passing waste material like a normal bird (the right colors, etc).
He's also moulting at the moment.

But he sits around floofed up an awful lot. I'm keeping my office a toasty 70 degrees just for him, and he's not shivering or anything (he trembles a little sometimes, but that's more of a fear thing when he sees something going on he's not so sure about). And when he floofs he's not really trying to cover his toes like he's cold.

So, is that just a normal thing for a dove to do? I notice he'll do it a lot at night when he's perched and ready to snooze. And he'll do it on my hand after I've preened him a little. Or even on the desk perch while he's watching me study (or browse the internet). My guess would be this is his comfy posture. But I've read that a bird constantly floofed on the perch is sick (though these are always never species-specific sites, to be sure). Or maybe he is feeling a little under the weather, but that's because of the moult?

Any thoughts from the experienced dove enthusiast out there? It's kind of hard to find information on them sometimes.
And I will be taking him to the vets office sometime this week to see the avian specialist, just to get a base line and some advice on feed and so forth. But I'd rather let his stress level drop a little bit before I shake things up again.

 

[BraveheartDogs]

Do you mean kind of hunkered down and fluffed just a little? Is he active and moving around most of the time or some of the time?

 

[Inverted Hammerhead?]

Do you mean kind of hunkered down and fluffed just a little? Is he active and moving around most of the time or some of the time?

Yeah, he'll sit back on his haunches (Haunches? Definitely not the right term for a bird...) and fluff up, kind of like a bird in a nest.

He's fairly active, it comes and goes. He'll move about and explore the office, and take an occasional flight. Fly from perch to perch. Then he'll have quiet periods where he'll sit and watch. It's about 70% active/preening/flying, 20% sitting around - about half of that fluffed. This is during the day. At night he'll sit on his flat perch fluffed and go to sleep.

 

[Inverted Hammerhead?]

Woah, I just realized I did bad math.

When I was holding him on the back of my hand this morning I'd scratch around his neck and he'd floof up and close his eyes. Then he'd keep floofing until he looked like a little cotton ball.

 

[BraveheartDogs]

I think he is just fluffing up when he is relaxing. Doves will kind of hunker down to cover their feet. And, they do fluff a little when content. If he wasn't healthy, he would probably remain fluffy and not as active most or at least more of the time.

 

[Inverted Hammerhead?]

Sweet, that's what my hunch has been. I just wanted to double-check with some folks who have been observing doves a lot longer than I have, you know?
Thanks!

 

[Inverted Hammerhead?]

And just because we were talking about it, here's the floofmeister in at about 3/4 fluffed.

 

[Chicobo]

My Dovey used to do that -- when he was comfy he'd look like a little cartoon, totally round. It was pretty funny. When he was SICK, he got sort of...flat and fluffy, if that makes any sense. He didn't perch as much, preferred flat places, and got a very obvious tail-bob. My a-vet also mentioned that sometimes, when a bird moves to a new place, they have a slight change in their condition -- e.g. they will try and keep slightly warmer to ward off infection or other issues in the new place? I'm not sure I'm explaining that correctly...

I can't say for SURE, because Dovey had signs before I realized what they were. But if he's vocalizing, eating, moving around, etc normally, I think you're okay. But always trust your gut.

 

[Birdbabe]

He looks content, and relaxed. My Chloe sits like that too, she looks like a cream colored puffball. Im glad you taking him though, just for a wellness check probably. As long as he is eating, drinking, cooing normally with no tail bobbing or other odd signs, then I think your good. Great of you to notice though, and ask.

 

[BraveheartDogs]

Yes, absolutely, I think we should always double check if there is any question and sometimes it just makes you feel better and relax

Sweet, that's what my hunch has been. I just wanted to double-check with some folks who have been observing doves a lot longer than I have, you know?
Thanks!

 

[Inverted Hammerhead?]

My Dovey used to do that -- when he was comfy he'd look like a little cartoon, totally round. It was pretty funny. When he was SICK, he got sort of...flat and fluffy, if that makes any sense. He didn't perch as much, preferred flat places, and got a very obvious tail-bob. My a-vet also mentioned that sometimes, when a bird moves to a new place, they have a slight change in their condition -- e.g. they will try and keep slightly warmer to ward off infection or other issues in the new place? I'm not sure I'm explaining that correctly...

I can't say for SURE, because Dovey had signs before I realized what they were. But if he's vocalizing, eating, moving around, etc normally, I think you're okay. But always trust your gut.

Yes, I'm certain now he just loves to puff up when he's happy. He'll just keep inflating, I never know when it'll stop.

By the end of today he'd really gotten to see me as 'part of the flock' and regularly would fly over to hang out and get some lovin.' He eats and drinks and poos and sleeps, and will hop around his cage if I'm in the room and he wants out. When he is out he'll fly from perch to hand to perch to desk to shoulder to perch, and sometimes do laps around the room just for the heck of it. And then he'll settle down and cuddle for a while.

Here I was thinking I was getting one of the 'dumb' birds. And yes, in a way, he's a little reptile dense. But at the same time, he's so emotionally perceptive it's blowing my mind. Like, it took me a good 6 months before I really bonded with my cat. With him it's been three days and I already feel like we have an understanding.

My goodness!

Thanks for your responses, they are insightful. I'm sure I'll have more questions in the future. You can do all the research in the world, but you never really know until you're there.

I think Kernel will be nice and settled in a few more days, and then we can take a little drive to the vet to get the first check-up.

 

[Chicobo]

That is SO true of doves! My guy would get really upset if we laid down to sleep or if I cried -- he'd just coo and coo and coo in this panicked distressed way, it was so heartbreaking. He was a great, loving little bird. Totally unlike a parrot, and wonderful in all the ways that parrots can't be (not to say anything bad about parrots, I love them, too!).

But he was such a doll baby. I hope you have many wonderful years with your Kernel!

 

[Birdbabe]

He will amaze you daily, Doves really are sensitive and loving. Chloe is very receptive to my headaches, and if Im laying down, she comes over to cuddle in my arms and makes this little "Emmmm" noise, then I get dovie kisses.

 

[Chicobo]

He will amaze you daily, Doves really are sensitive and loving. Chloe is very receptive to my headaches, and if Im laying down, she comes over to cuddle in my arms and makes this little "Emmmm" noise, then I get dovie kisses.

My vet told me this is what they do with other sick doves -- they think "laying down" is a sign of illness, and they try to "care for us" when we're "sick" by cooing and pecking at us to "encourage" us to get up!

Doves are great