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Greetings, information needed.

Dove or parrotlet?


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    2

Nazguul

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ive been browsing this page for a while now on my journey to learn as much as possible before getting my next bird.
All the information is very useful and I can usually find the answers I'm looking for.

So my birds in mind are either a Parrotlet or diamond/ring neck dove.
I've read the most information about the plet as it seems it takes somewhat more complex care than a dove. Mostly What I've read on doves is they need seed, some veggies, may or may not need grit, and can be left to roam the house with its own sleeping quarters. Although I am not sure if diamond doves require more special care than ring neck.

Are ring necks and diamonds similar in care? And what would be the pros and cons between having either a plet vs a dove? Do you prefer one over the other? Also are there people who own either that would be willing to answer questions periodically? Is one a better companion than the other? What about mental stimulation for doves?

I'm not one to delve into something without knowing as much as possible beforehand.

Also I've owned a cockatiel in the past, just for reference.

Thank you to anyone willing to help it is eternally appreciated.
 

Calpurnia

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Welcome to the forum!!:)

Parrotlets and dove are so crazy different from one another (in both personality, lifestyle, and care) that's it's pretty hard to compare the two. They are basically apples and oranges.

We have had parrotlets and a feral pigeon that we raised into a tame "pet". As you know from owning a tiel, parrots in general can be very needy, noisy, messy, and bite. They require lots of physical, mental, and social stimulation every day. Of course the upsides are their sociability and their intelligence. Doves/pigeons on the other hand (like many softbills) are much more independent. If tame they will appreciate hanging out with you whenever possible, but they aren't hanging off your shirt, screaming, or chewing on your fingers because you are ignoring them. Our pigeon was a male so he did coo a lot during the day but obviously this is less intense than parrot squawking. In general, softbills tend to be less interactive and intelligent than parrots. They also don't have big strong beaks that can destroy your property.

Now onto parrotlets in particular. These guys are small, but they can be feisty. Our first boy was super smart, stubborn, out-going, bossy, and territorial. Very typical p'let. Our second boy is much more timid and mellow, but still has his stubborn moments. I'd say the majority of p'lets are going to be like the first description. I think if you are interested in getting a p'let you have to be ready for a lot of spunk and personality in a tiny package. So many people complain that their p'let screams for attention, or is nippy, or is aggressive and territorial. And a lot of this has to do with the fact that even though these guys are small they do need firm training. For example, good habits established early on can mitigate some of their bossy personality quirks.

I love all of my birds so I can't say one is necessarily better than the other. So which species you choose really depends on what kind of companion you are looking for. Are you looking for a bird that will be fine without direct attention most of the time or sit with you calmly why you do your own thing? Or are you looking for a fun challenge that is a lot more interactive, but also a lot more needy? Does noise bother you in particular? How much socialization time do you expect to have per day?
 

WendyN

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Nazguul

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Welcome to the forum!!:)

Parrotlets and dove are so crazy different from one another (in both personality, lifestyle, and care) that's it's pretty hard to compare the two. They are basically apples and oranges.

We have had parrotlets and a feral pigeon that we raised into a tame "pet". As you know from owning a tiel, parrots in general can be very needy, noisy, messy, and bite. They require lots of physical, mental, and social stimulation every day. Of course the upsides are their sociability and their intelligence. Doves/pigeons on the other hand (like many softbills) are much more independent. If tame they will appreciate hanging out with you whenever possible, but they aren't hanging off your shirt, screaming, or chewing on your fingers because you are ignoring them. Our pigeon was a male so he did coo a lot during the day but obviously this is less intense than parrot squawking. In general, softbills tend to be less interactive and intelligent than parrots. They also don't have big strong beaks that can destroy your property.

Now onto parrotlets in particular. These guys are small, but they can be feisty. Our first boy was super smart, stubborn, out-going, bossy, and territorial. Very typical p'let. Our second boy is much more timid and mellow, but still has his stubborn moments. I'd say the majority of p'lets are going to be like the first description. I think if you are interested in getting a p'let you have to be ready for a lot of spunk and personality in a tiny package. So many people complain that their p'let screams for attention, or is nippy, or is aggressive and territorial. And a lot of this has to do with the fact that even though these guys are small they do need firm training. For example, good habits established early on can mitigate some of their bossy personality quirks.

I love all of my birds so I can't say one is necessarily better than the other. So which species you choose really depends on what kind of companion you are looking for. Are you looking for a bird that will be fine without direct attention most of the time or sit with you calmly why you do your own thing? Or are you looking for a fun challenge that is a lot more interactive, but also a lot more needy? Does noise bother you in particular? How much socialization time do you expect to have per day?

This is VERY useful! I did read about the attitude of a plet and the training required for polite behavior. I am at this point leaning more towards the dove as I am usually just sitting around doing my own thing lol.
 

Milestone

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I agree with @Calpurnia about parrotlets. Ring neck doves and diamond doves are defiantly different. Quite personally I would get a Ringneck because they are more hardy then a diamond. You can stroke a Ringneck and hang out with it ( if tame )but the diamond is more fragile I think, kinda like a canary.

And welcome to AA!
 
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Milestone

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Have you considered another Cockatiel? Since you had one in the past, and they do love to just chill. Or is the dander a problem?

How about a budgie, they are such little characters. Lovebirds are very similar to parrotlets so that's probably a no.
 

Tiel Feathers

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Cynthia & Percy

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welcome
 

sunnysmom

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Welcome! All the birds you're thinking about are great birds. :) I recently almost fostered some diamond doves and in preparation, started doing some research on them. They ended up getting adopted so I didn't get to foster them but I'm quite intrigued by them. So that would be my vote. :) However, they are very different from parrots so it really depends on what you like. :)
 

Nazguul

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Couple quick questions. I'm seeing some people mentioning a pelleted diet along with seed for doves, how do they eat the pellet being a soft billed bird? And is pellet necessary? Also the two I am looking at one is a male and one a female, if I can't take the male how likely are female doves to lay unfertilized eggs/end up egg bound?
 

Sarahmoluccan

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Great questions! I like that you're really thinking this through. Unfortunately I'm not much help as I don't have much experienced with doves. But I just wanted to welcome you and say hi.

:welave:
 

Cynthia & Percy

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Calpurnia

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Couple quick questions. I'm seeing some people mentioning a pelleted diet along with seed for doves, how do they eat the pellet being a soft billed bird? And is pellet necessary? Also the two I am looking at one is a male and one a female, if I can't take the male how likely are female doves to lay unfertilized eggs/end up egg bound?
Yes a pelleted diet with some seed is best for doves. Just like parrots they can develop nutritional imbalances if fed an all-seed diet (without plenty of supplemental vitamins, veggies, sprouts, etc). As for how they even eat the pellets.... the same way they eat whole seeds without hulling them! :)

All birds have a two-part stomach, and one of those parts is called the gizzard. In some species (e.g. turkeys, emus, pigeons, and doves) this gizzard is large and muscular for grinding up hard foods like seeds, nuts, or pellets that are swallowed whole. While they're eating food from the ground they also pick up little bits of rock and grit that they then store in their gizzard to help grind up these foods. So you're dove will benefit from some crushed oyster shell with their diet.

As for getting a pair, I would REALLY recommend against it unless you are looking for lots and lots of eggs. If you are looking for a single bird, I'd just get a male so you don't have to worry about egg laying at all.
 

iamwhoiam

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Welcome to AA.
 

expressmailtome

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Welcome, and enjoy the site!
 
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