r/PetDoves

Image 1 — Advice needed to rescue a baby mourning dove
Image 2 — Advice needed to rescue a baby mourning dove

Advice needed to rescue a baby mourning dove

i dont know if this is the correct place for these kinds of questions, apologies if not, but there was a mourning dove that made a nest on the balcony of my fourth floor apartment, i live in a medium sized city, we don't use the balcony much so other than putting out a bit of seed and water for her, we mostly just left her alone to roost. i noticed she was sitting on eggs a week or two ago and didn't really think much of it, but yesterday i went out to the balcony and found one dead baby and another one just sitting on the ground with insects all over it but it was still clearly alive. i didn't see the mother anywhere and when i checked the nest it looked like it had been torn apart. i didn't want to interfere, but the nest was ruined and i didn't think it was safe to try and put it back up there and i couldn't leave it on the ground either, so i got a box and lined it with paper strips and a towel and set the baby in it on a table very near where the nest was. i kept checking for the next couple of hours to see if the mother returned, but she never did.

i didn't really know what to do and the baby was clearly not doing well so i brought it inside and cleaned it up and looked up what food i could give it in an emergency and several sites said cat/dog food mashed up and warmed could be a substitute in a pinch so that's what i gave him and he seems to be doing better now. there aren't any wildlife rescues near me but i am planning on taking it to one a couple hours away once the weekend comes. until then though i bought some baby bird formula and a syringe and i'm going to start trying to feed it with that.

my real question is, is there anything else i need to know or do in order to give this little guy the best chance at surviving until i can get him to the wildlife rescue? i've been feeding him every 2-3 hours and i've been checking his crop before and after feeding. he's been sleeping A LOT but seems comfortable. right now he's in a small cardboard box with a heating pad underneath half of the box and i keep a blanket over half the top of the box unless i'm feeding him.

how often should he be eating? how much should he be eating based on his current growth? should i or shouldn't i feed him at night? if anyone has any info or general advice i'd greatly appreciate it!

u/cutach133 — 10 hours ago
▲ 6 r/PetDoves+1 crossposts

How are ringneck doves as pets compared to rock pigeons?

Hi everyone, I've had a wonderful rock pigeon as a pet before and recently I've been looking into getting another bird. How different are ringneck doves from rock pigeons? My boy in particular was very cuddly and affectionate, is this generally different in ringneck doves? Are they louder? Thanks.

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u/Due-Coffee-7290 — 10 hours ago
▲ 73 r/PetDoves+2 crossposts

Bay Area CA, white released dove needs home

We're assuming she either escaped or was released at a wedding. Her leg band says "FTK 1275". Currently in Vallejo with no interest in leaving the shelter my friend set up. We are aware of the local rescues, but they're just going to need to find a home for her too. Anyone know of someone who can take this sweetheart in? She is too tame to survive out there.

u/schweitzer9 — 1 day ago

Questions about a rescue

​

So basically, today, I found a dove that was attacked by a cat. This isn't 100% confirmed, but I have seen the cat in a hunting esque position (going low and slowly towards something), and after it got scared away by a car passing by I saw the dove jumping around injured.

I took it in because it could barely run away (it did try and did resist as I was putting it in the box).

I have noticed that its right wing (or at least i think so, don't want to bother it atm by checking around) is injured while the other is good (aside from the ruffled feathers). I have found a wound but it's under the wing that's not strained/broken and works just fine, the wound is rather small but it's edges have something black on them. The dove reacted when I found the wound and tried to fly off.

I've contacted vet stations around me and government institutions, but none of them could take it in. I'm still waiting on a response from one of the authorized ones, so that's why I'm on here looking for help.

At the moment, the dove is in a box with some water. I have the box covered with some fabric as I dont have any dark rooms to leave it in.

For its behavior, it's breathing normally (as in it's not super loud, infrequent, etc.), keeping its eyes open but it's not moving around (Im aware that the current box doesnt have much space but I havent heard any movement other than a few scratches before i put the paper below). It flinched away when I came near to pour the water and that's about it.

I've read a bunch on here and I'm ready to take care of it in case the organization doesn't end up responding, however I'm wondering if there would be a possibilities of reintroducing it to the wild. Because the vet station near me thinks that the wing is probably not going to be functional even if it heals, so in that case I assume it's not possible to reintroduce it.

Mainly, I'm trying to see if my current setup is good or should I look for a bigger box/put it in a cat transporter I have?

And what antibiotics would you recommend and if there are any replacements that are sold in regular pharmacies in case the vet ones dont have them :)

u/ToniBear7 — 1 day ago
▲ 7 r/PetDoves+1 crossposts

The Legendary Message to The Weeknd: Hey Abel,I saved your dove from 'Blinding Lights' video, so don't worry! 😂🕊️I even named him Milo.I’m Arthur from Scarborough,Toronto.In 2011, you released 'House of Balloons' and I was born that same year.

Part 2 Close up

I cant stop smiling hahaha i tried 2 time to make him move but he keeps getting back in the tiny nest

My only concern is for his own baby, i Hope he Will take care of them too

Anyone with a mix aviary with similar expérience ? Thanks

u/Sixelonch — 1 day ago

🥰🥰

They are figuring out the pigeon door. Between them and the parrots so many birds in the sky around the property. 🥰

u/Simple-Excitement412 — 2 days ago

Dove food

Hey y’all I wanted some advice on a good diet for my doves, my parents have some doves and they seem healthy but feathers are just a little dull so I asked them about diet and I’ll attach a photo of what they are fed. I’m more of a parrot girly so I’m not super educated on their diets but want to be. Of course I’m gonna do research but wanna ask if the seed is all they should get, is it a good brand based off what others feed their babies. Thank y’all 🤍

u/AlarmedBrick3936 — 2 days ago
▲ 2 r/PetDoves+1 crossposts

Baby dove found and helped

We found a 2 week old baby dove on the road and is now living with us. The reason I'm typing is because this dove doesn't make noise, has no inner mouth colors, and eats from a spoon instead of a dropper. Is this normal dove behavior? Ps it parents low key kinda dead, just saying. Texas heat cooked the other birds, only one survives

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u/Next_Dare_2641 — 2 days ago

Flump the beast guarding her seed

Here is flump the furious guarding her seed and red tag thing from pigeon ( the pigeon ) if you turn your volume up you can even hear her shouting at her but don't worry pigeon got her own seed pile after and flump was sentenced to some time back in her cage

And don't worry flump is never left alone with pigeon unless I'm there watching them both ❤️ and flump thinks she's very much a large parrot 😂

u/BudgieBlrd — 2 days ago
▲ 12 r/PetDoves+1 crossposts

HELP please sick eared dove

hi im sorry im reaching the first sub i can think of , ive been having eared doves live in my property and i cursorily feed them a little bit of millet and smashed bits of corn. i found a dove sitting around in my yard and it was sitting on its wing, it appears to be having some coordination issues, and it kinda looks like it threw up, and there were some of those larger things?? that you can see in the photo (i was first going to leave it some food nearby and the other doves got interested and ive found them to be pretty food aggressive so i took it away)

i’m having a really shitty terrible circumstances irl that not only is pulling me away from my home rn and i cant stay to watch over it and possibly take it to a vet or anyrhing but also interfered with me trying to find a more secluded place to habe it resting (theres hawks around and such) and they scared the bird and screamed while i was trying to relocate it somewhere it could habe its own food source and water. for a minute i was worried this led to the bird possibly dying sooner, but it showed signs of life as i was being pulled away. i currently dont know when ill be able to return home (itll be today but dont know when) so if its anything critical then i definitely wont be able to attend to it fast.

this is the first time one the doves around the place has shown up sick, is anyone aware of what this could be? like could be happening to it or potential causes etc. it might be too late for this little one.. if anyone knows something i could do for it please please id be eternally grateful, and if not, could this be smth that will affect the rest of the population and should i take any action?

if this is some kinda common disease or anything that no human action matters please id be grateful to know regardless. ive moved in recently (within the last few months) and im new to having a home with a yard and such. i consider these birds to be living with me but i dont want to keep them in a cage. i dont mind bringing them inside my house but they were living in the acerola trees in my yard when i got here, their nests are in the trees and probably in places in the roof. im in south america if its pertinent information wrt its health and im in a neighborhood full of birds and greenery, so this dove could not even be in one of my trees but i treasure all the animals i get to be in contact with, if theres something i can do for it so it can live, i really want to. ill try in the meantime to figure out if i got any vets in my area that take doves but im living a rly small town and im worried i wont find too much luck since its not a specific “pet” bird like a cockatoo.

sorry for the rambling first post im just really desperate, the circumstances i had to be taken out of my house today have me really upset. any help or just understanding words are appreciated, thank you

u/ktsumagari — 2 days ago
▲ 32 r/PetDoves+1 crossposts

Young dove out of its nest, what to do?

There is a nest of doves on my second level porch we’ve been watching as the babies have hatched. Now one of them has fallen to street level and I don’t think it can fly back to its nest and mom. Should I leave him or try to scoop him up and at least put him back up on my balcony closer to the nest? I’m scared he’s going to get snatched by a cat or something 😥

u/KSA_Dunes — 3 days ago

Male/Male pair?

I stupidly got a pair of doves shipped because I wanted some rare colors. The shipper was dishonest and instead of sending me a violet neck hen she sent me a tangerine pearled bird that i assumed was a female. This was in January. still no eggs. My tangerine female was exhibiting male behavior and saw “her” mating with my assumed male in the picture. My curiosity got the best of me and I did a DNA test on the bird in the picture sent to me as a male but exhibiting female behaviors. He is in fact a male so from what I have surmised is I have 2 males. I know they can be bonded and thrive I was just a lil bummed. I don’t want to breed but I don’t have the ability to let them free fly and fear they will not be truely bonded or if they get older and will fight. I believe the boy in the pic is about 6-9 months. Should I embrace my boy/boy couple or seek out a girl before they become bonded? I think I know that most will say and they will probably be ok. I’m just worried if anything happens to one or both I can’t hatch their offspring. thanks

u/Plus_Care8669 — 4 days ago

Widdle babeee dovey

It finally hatched. It's hard to believe something this ugly turns into something so beautiful.

u/crzychckn — 4 days ago

Advice Needed!! Lots of questions!

I found a baby dove 2 days ago (he was being attacked by a grackle) and still cannot pinpoint his age. I believe he's about 7 days old today? Not sure about how much i should be feeding him. I found a post that said 2-4 ml and another that said 5-10. And should the formula be watery consistency or applesauce like? When should i start introducing seeds? Do i soften some and mix into formula? or do i put some in his cage for him to figure it out? I am very paranoid about overfeeding/ sour crop/crop stasis so i might not be feeding him quite enough. How fast should he be gaining weight? Im using kaytee exact brand formula and keeping him in a room around 80-85° First picture is from when i found him and second is from today

u/DifficultResult4545 — 5 days ago
▲ 123 r/PetDoves

Not even doves can resist a good fiddle

(Sorry for the explosion when he landed on my phone. 😔)

Don't let his beaking and desperate fluttering fool you, he doesn't want his baby food/to get hand fed anymore. Trying to give it to him just results in a scathing side-eye.

u/lt_church — 5 days ago

Bonding tips?

Hi fellow dove owners! I’ve had my (presumably) male ringneck dove, Malaika, for just about a month, and I was wanting to know if there are any tips to bond with him faster? I’m able to change his food, water, grit, and puppy pads in his cage mostly without him freaking out(he makes a noise that sounds like fear to me?) and I;ve gotten him to step up a few times for a few seconds, though he still seems to be afraid of my hand some. Any tips would be appreciated!

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u/MeowMeowBiatchhh — 4 days ago

Homemade perch

It's a work in progress still but my brave skittish boy had to try it out (I'm so pround of him aaah)

For context he hate anything new and changing and this is new and changing so I am so surprise he was the first to try it out

u/Expert_League_7709 — 5 days ago

Advice on potential rescue dove

A good friend of mine is in her 70s and at a point where she can no longer care for the 3 doves she shared with her late husband. Their care has gone dramatically downhill since he died, and I have been helping her care for them over the last 2 years. Still, they deserve much better care and more interaction, and she is at the point where rehoming them is the best option. I have been trying for well over a year to help her feel comfortable surrendering them and she is finally open to the idea.

I’m not worried about 2 of her birds with outgoing personalities finding a good home. Her third dove is an incredibly sweet and shy senior girl with an injured eye. She has been bullied by the other birds (who are allowed to free-fly) and she and I have bonded; she usually sits on my shoulder while I’m cleaning and snuggles into me for hours. My friend keeps trying to send her home with me and it’s harder to say no every time.

I live in a home with 2 cats and I am considering whether what I could offer this little girl would be sufficient. I have an office with a door (I work from home) where my lizards live, and she would likely be in my office with me during the day and come out for supervised socialization in the evenings. This little girl is used to going days without human interaction (something I very much want to change) and will never be alone with the cats for her safety. We are gone overnight maybe once every couple of months and have an experienced pet sitter and an excellent exotics vet in our city. We are already close to pet capacity in our home and she would be the only bird.

My question is: does this sound workable or is it a disaster waiting to happen? I don’t want to let my bond with this girlie overtake common sense. I love her very much and would be excited to give her a better home life, but not if it would be taking her out of one bad situation and putting her into another. I have a background in zoology and have cared for/lived with many animals over the years, including birds, but I have never owned a bird before. I am also considering whether it’s better for us to simply foster her to get into a better situation before she is ultimately adopted into a new home.

What are your thoughts, dove gang? Opportunity to give this lady a new home or taking a gamble that’s not worth it?

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u/frogparty247 — 6 days ago