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Pigeons vs Ringneck Doves as Companions

Fawnia

Meeting neighbors
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12/1/18
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22
Hello,
currently I have 2 budgies who are a joy to watch, but don't like to be to be held, which I understand.
I really want a bird that I can hold and get along with though.
Sadly, with my busy work schedule, I feel like getting a parrot would not be the right choice, for I know they are very needy.
Thus, I know pigeons and doves are much lower maintenance, and are very affectionate, so I feel like that would be the better choice for a person like me.

I know the physical difference between and pigeon and ring-neck dove, but can someone give me the difference between the two as pets?

Which one do you think makes a better cuddle companion?

Also, nobody seems to hand raise pigeons/doves here, so are parent raised pigeons/doves easy to hand tame?


Thanks!!!
 

BlueDoraBarry

Walking the driveway
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12/20/18
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Barry
before getting my IRN, I wanted to get a pair of pigeons, so I've done a bit of research. There isn't much of a difference between their temperament, and; just like parrots, everyone is an individual. If you are to get a parent raised pigeon, make sure you get one that is very young, 1-3 months maybe. I've been told by another pigeon owner on a different forum, that adult pigeons and doves (for the most part) won't tame. After hearing this you may want to hand raise them, but since they get special digestive enzymes from their parents in the first 3 days of their life, you would need to find these enzymes and supplement them, otherwise, they won't be able to digest their food. The best time to get a pigeon/dove is when they are at their pinfeather stage which I believe is around 10 days old. I've been told that "You can feed pigeons any parrot formula, but a formula for seed eaters is best. If this isn't available to you, you can get Cerelac instead, just make sure it is vegetable flavored and doesn't have any milk powder." I am not sure about the Cerelac but people say it gives good results. I, too, think a formula for seed eaters is best, like canaries for example; since they both have similar mainly seed diets.

BTW, I prefer pigeons over doves because if they fly away they can find their "nest" back, doves, unfortunately, do not have this ability.
 

csnake91

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Chris
BTW, I prefer pigeons over doves because if they fly away they can find their "nest" back, doves, unfortunately, do not have this ability.
I have a dove who "flew the coop" and came back without help the next day. I think they do have the homing ability but Pigeons are way stronger since many breeds were bred for that purpose.
 

Imogena

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Joanna
Sorry off topic question. What is the difference between dove and pidgeon? I thought those words are synonims. Now I see they aren't but I still don't get the difference.
 

sunnysmom

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I think it may be a language thing to according to this article. They come from the same "family" . According to the article in other languages there often isn't a distinction. Which is interesting - I didn't realize that.

Columbidae - Wikipedia
 
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fashionfobie

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In English Pigeons are also called 'Rock Doves'. Oh hey the article you linked says that, easy!

I am always very impressed with pigeons. I went to a pigeon show in Ipswich because I wanted to know more about them. There were something like 400 breeds there. It is very interesting. They have a very long history with humans and are a truly domesticated animal like a chicken. They were used for food 'squab' for a long time. Even in polish the gołąbki '"cabbage roll" is named after the size of a dead pigeon. I have polish heritage and I grew up with a polish grandmother who always made lovely meals.

My friends has two indoor pet rock doves. They are fantastic pets. Very easy in care compared to parrots, much more forgiving. Hers are so cute and follow her around the house and are always up to little pigeon adventures. Very endearing pets. I think someday I may have a king pigeon, but not for awhile.
 

fashionfobie

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Some other fun pigeon/ rock dove factoids I enjoy

1.) They create a mucus in their crop that is a perfectly balanced diet for their chicks. Both males and female parents create it. So they can forage whatever they can find and basically make 'Pigeon milk'. This is part of why they can raise their chicks so quickly.

2.) They can suck. They are one of the only birds that suck, fascinating! No need to tilt their heads.

3.) They have very rustic nests. They do not have nesting material. This is why they can easily reproduce in cities. They don't really need much. Also why they are called 'rock doves'. Typical to find a chick simply on a stone surface.

4.) The birds are typically bonded for life.

5.) They are very good at navigation, which is wildly known. Less known is that every time they return they improve their route and get faster. They have been documented following human made clearings such as roads, railways etc. It is still debated in the scientific community exactly how they navigate. There appear to be several factors at play including their beaks.

There are so many cool and interesting things about them, but when I first learned about them in more detail these were some factoids that I found extra awesome.
 
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