Toys for doves

[Pat H]

I know, right? When I found him/her I did my best NOT to bond with him/her. We knew he was out of the nest a little early (there were actually two of them).

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There's a huge white winged dove population here so I just moved them from the driveway to the grass assuming their parents would take care of them. A while later I went to check and one had passed and the other one wasn't very lively. Upon further examination we saw that the top half of it's left leg was just a mass of bloody puss. I honestly didn't think it would survive the infection. We treated it with topical antibiotic. We kept it outside and I fed him Kaytee Exact baby bird formula. Later other doves would actually come and feed him through the bars of the cage. I took this through the screen door.
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I made great effort not to bond with Noki as I fully intended to release him when the infection was gone. As it healed, though, we realized how broken he/she was. If I had known the extent of his/her injuries, I probably would have had him euthanized. We talked to the Avian vet I take TD to and she said that was all we could do. Noki will obviously not be able to be released. She said Noki's probably not in pain anymore from the injuries. I talked to the wildlife rehab center in Albuquerque, but they were overrun with animals hurt during the Black Fire and said they would just put him down. Now I wish I would have bonded with him more when he was first with us. Now it's going to take some time to gain the trust. He's just this week started making the White Winged Dove signature coo-coo!

As our baby Mourning Dove [my hubby said there is a diff between ours and the White Wing] grew, I was apprehensive that she would EVER give us a precious COO [since she was so young when we got her] .. yet she did! When she hears us get up in the morning.. begins to hoo a welcome!

 

[Pat H]

What a beautiful dove and a lovely story. I love that doves fed him through the cage. My first rescue pigeon was very seriously injured when I adopted him and despite the care of an excellent avian vet and the support of volunteers from Palomacy, he died and I was distraught. My current pigeon was also found as a fledgling without parents and brought to a wildlife rehab center that could not keep her. I struggled with the whole bonding issue because it seems so unfair to the pigeon to have them bond with a human but my contact at Palomacy explained to me that a pigeon who was not taught to survive in the wild by adult pigeons really has no choice but to become a kept pigeon and since this one was a baby we decided she would be an indoor pigeon. It took 6 months of daily interaction for her to trust me and I had to be taught not to overly defer to her fear of my hands and to go ahead and pick her up, place her pigeon pants on so she could roam the house and fly freely in the house. Now she has started to fly to me and rest on my shoulder. It seems to me that you’re doing an amazing job of healing and caring for this dove. I hope you have many years together. Here is a photo of her with her plushie when she first came home in May. And also some of her in pigeon pants (which I thought were absolutely ridiculous…until I realized their benefit lol!) View attachment 419450 View attachment 419451 View attachment 419452 View attachment 419453

Never knew about 'pigeon pants' -- great idea! I always have to check my Senegals cage, to make sure he's had his 'morning poop'...

 

[Pat H]

She's adorable. The problem with keeping Noki is that it's against the Migratory Bird Act. I could technically be fined thousands of dollars for having this dove in my possession. I'm not overly worried about it here. I am aware of the content of the Bird Act, but I'm also confident in the intent of the Bird Act. The problem is really that we are in an RV park, and we're not planning on staying. If we were to get checked at a State border crossing they would confiscate Noki.

Getting any out of cage time with either TD or Noki is hard. I also have two dogs and a fiance in the RV. Not much room. With the freezing temps we're experiencing now, I can't expect the dogs to stay outside while I take birds out.

But, we'll figure it out. If I can't find a place for him we'll just take him with us. We'll hide him in the bedroom when we cross borders and keep our fingers crossed!

I love the poop pants! That's another issue with Noki. He cannot clean his vent area bcuz of the way his leg is. I need to get him to let me bathe it!

Yes.. Acquiring L.D. [little dove] at less than 3wks of age, there was no way she would be able to be returned to the wild. She just wouldn't know how to find food and stay safe. We find WAY TOO MANY bird feathers from the neighborhood cats.

 

[Alien J]

We find WAY TOO MANY bird feathers from the neighborhood cats.

I love cats, but wish people would keep them inside. Most don't realize that domestic cats have caused the extinction of several bird species. I've had indoor cats who were perfectly happy. They live about 4 years longer if kept indoors as well. And to be perfectly frank, just as no one wants to step in my dog's waste, I don't particularly want someone else's cat waste in my yard (if I had a yard)!

 

[Pat H]

Yes, several times gardening... and 'find a present'...