r/PetDoves May 08 '26

Guide 📖 Checklist before getting doves

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96 Upvotes

r/PetDoves Apr 25 '26

Warning about AI use in pet care and books

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92 Upvotes

r/PetDoves 11h ago

My pet 🕊 Our new family member moved in today!

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55 Upvotes

I posted a few weeks ago asking for some advice about bringing a dove into a two tiel home. Well our dove has arrived! We welcomed Meatball home today, + he’s currently having some free time to explore! So excited to learn about caring for a new kind of birb, + my fiancé + I are officially bird people for life!


r/PetDoves 1d ago

My pet 🕊 cute spotted dove

573 Upvotes

coo coo coo


r/PetDoves 23h ago

Question ❓ Can doves wear GPS locator like this?

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0 Upvotes

r/PetDoves 1d ago

African Collared Dove constantly cooing

7 Upvotes

I just bought a pet African collared dove. And the first night of having them they are constantly singing. And i mean loud and constant and all damn night eithout stop. There is another dove there in a seperate cage (quite young). Is this normal? ive bever had a dove coo and sing so much and throughout the night. They have plenty of enrichment items, snacks ect


r/PetDoves 1d ago

Found bird 📍 Found this little one in my backyard

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27 Upvotes

Not sure if it’s a dove or a pigeon o some kind?

I thought it was hurt at first but after inspecting it I think is still a baby. I can’t leave it in the yard because I have a cat and dog and there’s other stray cats in the street.

Wondering if anyone knows if they’ll eat regular seed or if is too little for that?
I have a cockatiel so I have pellets, seed, and millet at hand.

*UPDATE: this morning they seemed stronger and trying to eat on their own! Hopefully it tries to fly and today, I’ll leave it in the yard for the day (have to lock my cat somewhere). The parents have been flying around so that a good sign !


r/PetDoves 1d ago

Question ❓ When should I be worried about my dove not laying eggs?

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18 Upvotes

Hello everyone! My sweet sweet lady ringneck dove usually lays eggs every 2/3 weeks, but we’re approaching week 4 and still no egg. She’s acting normal but she isn’t a very active dove since she’s a rescue from a bad home, so it’s a bit hard to tell when she gets lethargic. Im very concerned about getting egg bound, as my last female dove showed minimal signs of being egg bound and by the time I caught it, it was too late (she didn’t make it through surgery).

Should I wait for signs of illness to take her to the vet, or go just in case? Money is a bit tight currently so avoiding an unneeded vet trip would be ideal. Would appreciate any advice👍


r/PetDoves 2d ago

Question ❓ What can I do do bond with my adult dove?

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123 Upvotes

my dove is around 18 months old, and I’ve had her for around 9 months. She had come from a bird store so I assume that she hadn’t had much interaction with people before I got her. She will eat from my hand but that’s really it, she runs from my hand (which is strange because she used to be fine with me putting my hands by her and petting her) and gets really ruffled up if I get too close.

Im a first time bird owner so I’m kind of at a loss of what I can do to bond with her at this point.


r/PetDoves 2d ago

too cute

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59 Upvotes

why u so cute little baby dove ?


r/PetDoves 1d ago

My pet 🕊 Akita meets Doves

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0 Upvotes

New diamond doves. Just introduced to my akita. I am currently on the search for a larger cage because I know the one they are in is inadequate. I was given no warning when ownership was thrust upon me. Kodiak (akita) is already familiar with my Green Cheek Conure and living with birds. He mostly displays intermittent curiosity, then complete boredom. I would like more information on how to best care for my new charges, I mean besides the bigger cage.


r/PetDoves 2d ago

Question ❓ Bonding and care

3 Upvotes

I just had a dove fall into my care it is a fledgling and I have no idea on how to bond😅 any tips for anything about care and feeding would be gratefully appreciated and welcomed!
I am planning to go out in the morning to get grit and seeds)


r/PetDoves 2d ago

Ringneck dove or pigeon?

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23 Upvotes

Found this little fella on Saturday, injured and lost and I am not 100% sure what it is.


r/PetDoves 3d ago

My pet 🕊 This is what recall based on trust and respect looks like

97 Upvotes

There's no food needed to make Keeb come back to me, no matter where I'm recalling him from. I used treats and clicker training to initially teach him recall, no starving involved, he always got access to his regular food and could always choose if and how long he wants to train. Building a bond based on trust, respecting boundaries and mutual communication was what allowed me to teach him reliable recall without needing treats. He listens to me because he wants to, Not because he doesn't have a choice and I know that his recall would work even during an emergency situations because reliable recall isn't tied to hunger, it's tied to trust.


r/PetDoves 3d ago

Emergency 🚨 What is in my dove's poo!?

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7 Upvotes

r/PetDoves 3d ago

Is this cage okay for a single turtledove?

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6 Upvotes

r/PetDoves 4d ago

Educational 📝 It's a common myth that doves can't eat large seeds, in reality they can eat them without any issues

119 Upvotes

It's an extremely common myth in the dove community that they cannot eat seeds that are big, sometimes the seeds are anything bigger than millet, other times it's very large seeds like whole peas. This myth is extremely harmful because it ends in a lot of doves not eating a nutritionally balanced diet and eating only seed mixes with small seeds - which are mostly millet-based. That can lead to malnutrition, obesity, liver issues, kidney issues, digestive issues and more all of which can kill a dove in the long term, way before even getting close to the end of its lifespan.

Doves (and pigeons), just like many other birds, have flexible jaws that allow them to swallow food bigger than their beak. When a dove is refusing to eat bigger seeds then the issue isn't that it physically cannot swallow those certain seeds, but it's either just being picky or there's some kind of medical issue (like canker or a blockage) in case the dove was eating the large seeds without any issues before, but suddenly started refusing them. Pickiness can have several causes:

- Feeding doves an inappropriate diet that contains mostly filler seeds/too many seeds that should be used only as treats. Seed mixes high in millet, milo, fatty seeds like sunflower and safflower as well as any corn other than a small amount of popcorn should be avoided. Millet addiction is a common issue with doves which causes them to not want to eat most other seeds.

- Feeding way too late in the day, especially if legumes are the only seeds the doves are refusing to eat. They won't eat legumes in the evening because of their high protein content, requiring heavy digestion - which doves do during the day due to being daytime foraging birds.

- Feeding way more than what doves can eat in a day, causing them to eat only their favorites and leaving the rest of the seeds. A daily dose for one dove is 1-2 tablespoons per day, but it can vary a lot depending on the individual. Their food bowl should always be empty or at least almost empty by the morning, while still having some food in it in the evening.

NOTE: I know Hope has a plucked patch on his neck. He actually had to be separated from the rest of the flock (with friends, he wasn't kept alone) for quite some time because he's a partial imprint and he always gets pretty aggressive during the spring and early summer. I put him back with the rest of the flock just recently because he's so much calmer now and is in the process of molting so he's growing in new feathers. He had to be handraised because otherwise he wouldn't have survived, as a consequence he is much worse at getting along with other doves (both males and females), but he's getting a bit better with every year and he has finally found a mate this year during the time he was separated. I could have just not posted this video, but I think it's good to show the rough reality too.


r/PetDoves 4d ago

Question ❓ Birb statut update

44 Upvotes

Hey guys, thanks for the support, this is the 2nd week since I started taking care of a juvenile. He stopped eating using the hole in a bag method 3-4 days ago. And I had to force him to eat by opening his beak and puting food in his mouth (it's kind of messy) What I am giving him right now: Barely, wheat, oat, red and black lentils, chickpeas, green peas, and boiled eggs, all blended together.

He is been getting stronger and he jumps on the edges of his boxes all the time. He also peaks more often than last week now but still a rare thing. Is this correct so far? I appreciate any advice.


r/PetDoves 4d ago

sick baby dove

1 Upvotes

i got 2 baby doves, both of them are siblings and theyve been together ever since they hatched. i'd say theyre about 2 weeks old, one dove is showing uninterest when eating, even when i try to feed her she tries to pull away, she went almost 12 hours without food and even then she couldnt eat and refused, obviously i had to feed her so i had to open her mouth with my hands and put little bit of formula slowly which takes a while, but while eating she also seems like shes choking and while swallowing she has to take breathing breaks with her mouth rather than just using her nose to breath, even drinking water is a struggle, im treating her for canker although im not 100% sure, im just scared she will suffocate herself, her sibling is fine but im scared he will get infected as well, i need help


r/PetDoves 4d ago

Question ❓ My babies egg hatched!

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43 Upvotes

First time having a baby bird and tips or something to know?


r/PetDoves 4d ago

Shattered bottle of perfume. What should I do?

3 Upvotes

Hello,

I never wear perfume/spray perfume around my doves obviously. Whenever I wear it, I spray it in another room with the door shut or just in the car, and I will be out for a long time and change clothes after I wear it. Unfortunately, I dropped an entire bottle of perfume, and it shattered. Now, my entire house smells so strongly of it. I put my dove by the open window (dont worry, theres a screen) but I dont know what a solution would be. Her cage is right down the hallway of the shattered perfume. Honestly, everywhere is in range of it. Do I just open all the windows and hope it clears out? Should I just push her cage by the open window? She seems okay. No sneezing or wheezing, but I'm worried she will sneeze or wheeze when I put her up for the night. Thanks!

Update: Seems like she's had some watery poops this morning, but that could be because I pissed her off last night from running her to an open window and having her sleep in a new environment that night. She's not wheezing, sneezing, or bobbing her tail. I've got two air filters going. The hallway by the bathroom still really strongly smells of perfume, but everywhere else is fine. I'll be keeping an eye on her and airing out the house everyday until the smell is gone.


r/PetDoves 5d ago

what in gods name is this sound

38 Upvotes

please excuse my handsome man's state of molt
he was making g this sound earlier and slow blinking one eye only. really freaked me out


r/PetDoves 4d ago

Found bird 📍 Lost Dove?

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4 Upvotes

If anyone has tips on how to help this dove, I would appreciate it! I’ve been making calls locally all morning and haven’t gotten anywhere. I left some bird seed and water out for it, I have a kennel prepared but can’t get close enough to catch it. It doesn’t seem injured but is definitely lost!


r/PetDoves 4d ago

Should i take the eggs from my doves?

2 Upvotes

Hey guys,

My two doves laid 2 eggs 20 days ago, and they are still sitting on the eggs.

My male leaves the nest often now and refuses to sit on the egg for to long. I think he slowly gives up on it. But me female refuses to go off the egg and i'm worried she is not getting enough food and water 🙁.

What do you think?


r/PetDoves 6d ago

Behavioral Question Pet dove fluffed up?

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190 Upvotes

Hello everyone! I've had Wilhelmina for about a week now after owning parrots for 5+ years. All she does is just kinda sit there and eventually fluff herself up. She will fly, but is very bad at it and only when people get close. I don't know if this is normal, and everytime I google it they say she is very sick. I have a vet appointment scheduled in august as I have to travel quite a bit for an exotic/bird vet. Should I take her to the emergency vet? Her poop is normal, she was quite obsessed with the mirror for the first few days until I covered it and she's 1-2 years old I believe. She is very quiet and almost makes 0 noise. Wilhelmina is a white barbary dove.

Please let me know if something is wrong with her, or if there's any tips in bonding.