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Some help giving Azzy his best life? -Ringneck Dove-

JJ_is_Not

Moving in
Joined
2/21/21
Messages
14
Real Name
JJ
Hey hey,
So I'm just looking for some advice with Azzy, he's content but I'd like to make him as happy as I can, you know? I have a few questions and whatnot, but I have to kind of make a list because I'm bad a stringing my thoughts together coherently sometimes... sorry about that.

- I've considered getting him a companion, I haven't yet because I have some concerns. I've never had to introduce doves, and have no idea if he'll be happy or threatened or what really. I've had two bonded pairs in the past (when I was a kid), but we got them that way. Is there a proper way or a bad way to introduce doves?

-He has a pretty good cage now, but I don't know if I'd need a lot more room to put a second dove in? It's a rabbit cage customized for him, since doves need horizontal space instead of vertical.

-Lastly, he came from a bad place... I don't know what happened or if they just didn't care, but I do know they didn't care. My mother somehow heard that someone wanted to 'get rid of' a dove, called the woman, and was told to come get him. My mom left immediately and when she got to the address she found him in a small (maybe finch?) cage, on the porch, in the sun. It was hot out, and not covid times. He stayed with my mom for a bit, I set up a cage for him and brought him home.

I've been working for a long time just to convince him that I'm not after him every time I stick my hand in his cage. He's gotten to the point where, if I'm cleaning his cage, he knows I'm not going to touch him, so he's chill as long as he's watching me clean. The only time I am 'after him' is to move him to a temporary location while I deep clean his cage. I would love to be able to snuggle with him, or at least hang out with him and not make him nervous. So basically I need some advice on gaining more trust from him? I know doves aren't particularly intelligent, especially considering how smart most birds are, but he certainly remembers, and is maybe on his way to trust, but I don't know how to show him more obviously.

For the record, we are near him constantly, my partner is permanently disabled and I work overnight, so we spend quite a lot of time near him, talk to him and all that, I just want him to live his best life. Also, his favorite creature in our home is our kitten, Frankie, which is honestly perplexing and unhelpful in all the ways. ^_^ Thanks in advance for any help!

Oh yeah, and also, would introducing a companion make him less likely to care to learn to trust me? Or would it be helpful to see a bird that's more trusting (I hope)?
 

tjc

Walking the driveway
Joined
10/17/18
Messages
201
Location
Lubbock, Texas
Real Name
Tammy
I’m not familiar with Doves, except the ones in my backyard, but thank you for giving him a good home. Others will be coming with knowledge and answers.
 

Pat H

Rollerblading along the road
Joined
9/27/19
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Apple River, IL
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Pat
Do you coo at him? Ours is a Mourning Dove, so not really the same... But still would consider somewhat similar, the two breeds...
How long have you had him now?

We rescued our baby at about 1 1/2 wks old, after the nest was accidentally destroyed by workers. She reacts differently w/ my husband and I when we put our hands into the cage. Tho I'm the one to feed and clean, he holds her alot more tightly, snuffles in her chest [makes noises and kisses], and just interacts so differently than I do. It's just a matter of time...
But I would guess you might not be able to have that kind of intimacy w/ your dove, since he was wild instead of hand fed.

It's so sad [and MAKES ME ANGRY] when people treat our God Given Animals with that kind of disrespect and negligence...
 

JJ_is_Not

Moving in
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2/21/21
Messages
14
Real Name
JJ
I’m not familiar with Doves, except the ones in my backyard, but thank you for giving him a good home. Others will be coming with knowledge and answers.
Thank you ^_^
He's not our first critter from a bad situation, I just love them all.
 

JJ_is_Not

Moving in
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2/21/21
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14
Real Name
JJ
Do you coo at him? Ours is a Mourning Dove, so not really the same... But still would consider somewhat similar, the two breeds...
How long have you had him now?

We rescued our baby at about 1 1/2 wks old, after the nest was accidentally destroyed by workers. She reacts differently w/ my husband and I when we put our hands into the cage. Tho I'm the one to feed and clean, he holds her alot more tightly, snuffles in her chest [makes noises and kisses], and just interacts so differently than I do. It's just a matter of time...
But I would guess you might not be able to have that kind of intimacy w/ your dove, since he was wild instead of hand fed.

It's so sad [and MAKES ME ANGRY] when people treat our God Given Animals with that kind of disrespect and negligence...
I FORGOT ----- WELCOME to the Avenue!!! :bounce4:
Thank you! ^_^

I don't coo at him, my mum does. I do kind of sing at him softly, and there are songs that he sings back to (There's a girl on youtube, I swear he adores her, she created fan songs about a livestreaming D&D game that I watch and he always sings back at her. I'd be curious if your dove would too... her name is Lilli Furfaro, if you want to try ^_^)
We've had him for... about a year and a half.

He wasn't wild, the woman had other doves, and I'm not sure why she just had to get rid of him immediately, but she was clearly not a great person. I think she was a baby from her doves and she just didn't want him. I know we may not ever cuddle really, but I just want him to know I'm not going to do something awful if I touch him. I'm so glad you were able to save your baby, though ^_^

Yes, I get VERY angry when animals are treated badly. My pets are my babies and disrespect is not tolerated.
 

conureluv

Sprinting down the street
Joined
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Messages
487
Location
US
A cage tour would be nice. What do you feed him? Although I’m not an expert on doves, I think I could bring some assistance in those fields.
The best of luck with Azzy and welcome to the Avenue! :cheer:
 

Monaco

Rollerblading along the road
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@Sodapop&Co. Might have some insights for you.

Welcome to the avenue!
 

JJ_is_Not

Moving in
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Real Name
JJ
A cage tour would be nice. What do you feed him? Although I’m not an expert on doves, I think I could bring some assistance in those fields.
The best of luck with Azzy and welcome to the Avenue! :cheer:
Thank you! I will do a cage tour sometime, sure. He eats a dove and pigeon diet... I can't remember the name atm, but I'll look when I get home from work. I have tried giving him little pieces of fruits and veggies, but he's been completely uninterested. He is fond of millet, no surprise there though.

@Sodapop&Co. Might have some insights for you.

Welcome to the avenue!
Thank you ^_^ I appreciate it~
 

dovemom

Meeting neighbors
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Outer Banks, North Carolina
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Haley
the cage sounds about the size of my dove's cage, and should be able to comfortably fit two doves. now, if you get another dove, it must be a female or they could fight. The problem with that is...they like to reproduce. A lot. So unless you are able to also house babies, I would not recommend getting him a companion.
What species of dove is he?
To gain his trust, attempt to hand feed him. If he is hungry, that hunger will win over fear. Eventually, he will see that you aren't trying to hurt him and actually helping him. Another thing you have to do to bond with a dove is handling. You have to handle them multiple times a day.
 

sunnysmom

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Welcome to the forum! Thank you for helping this bird. :)
 

camelotshadow

Joyriding the Neighborhood
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:grpwelcome:
 

tacotaco

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Jeremy
Sorry for the late reply but I can give some insight with introducing doves. I had a single male dove. We hand fed and raised him. His sister unfortunately is no longer with us so he was the king of the house for almost 2 years. He was particularly attached to my best friend whom he followed everywhere. But as time went on he wasn’t getting as much human attention as he once was due to work and life events. So we planned on getting him a female for quite some time. It actually took us forever to find a female dove (as sexing ringneck doves is near impossible!). So we took a leap of faith when purchasing a pet store dove who the owner told us he had a hunch it was female lol. It worked out for us.

The first month was rocky. He was aggressive as he still felt hormonal towards my best friend and wasn’t looking for a new “mate”. He chased her around all day. Pecked her nonstop. I think what really did it for us was when I installed a spot in the cage for a nesting site. It gave her a place to go where he couldn’t ambush her, as well as maybe helping our male figure out where he should be directing his hormones.

After they established the pecking order they began grooming each other, cooing together, courting. All was well.

My advice is definitely get your dove a friend. They are extremely social as they are not very good at stimulating their brains or entertaining themselves lol. They keep each other occupied all day. The best part is watching the sweet moments a human can’t provide. Like grooming the way doves like it or watching them sleep next to each other.

Now we’re on our second clutch of eggs. Although we replaced the eggs with dummy eggs, we will be letting these babies hatch out as I have some homes lined up!

Keep in mind however..... if you have plenty of time to spend with your dove outside the cage, keeping one is acceptable. They can bond with people quite well

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