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Question:

March 13, 2019

Dove pair


I have an outside aviary with multiple pairs of doves and canaries. I am moving and now I have to sell most of them because I’m moving in a smaller apartment and I can only keep a pair. The pair I want to keep are two female fawn diamond doves. My question is how will the pair react to living inside for the first time in my new home?


Answer:

Hi Poppy,

First, you really should not split up any bonded pairs. These would be pairs that stay together all of the time and get along with each other. Splitting up pairs like that can be very stressful. Some bird pairs don’t really get along. But if they sit together, preen each other, feed each other and get along most of the time, they should be sold together. The same goes for the doves you want to keep. If the females each have a mate, then you should keep a male/female pair. If the females have mates and you split them up, then try to keep the two females together in a small cage indoors, they probably won’t do very well. If these are single females, there is no way to know how they will react to being moved to a small cage indoors until you try it. I’m not sure they will do well since they are used to being able to fly in a large cage with other birds. Diamond Doves are very flighty and can be high strung in the first place. A better solution might be to find good homes for all of your pairs – hopefully to other owners with an aviary – and then buy young birds that are used to being kept indoors or at least not used to free flying in an aviary. You might be able to find a Diamond Dove breeder who will trade you a baby for adult birds.

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda

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