Please help with aggressive ring-necked dove...

[JKH]

Hello everyone,

I am hopeful you can help me.

I am a new ring-necked dove owner. I bought a baby this past March. He turned out to be a male. Our first months together were so wonderful and I love him dearly. He sleeps in a cage at night but enjoys a spacious apartment. I work at home and he has my undivided attention. We have a very sweet routine and are quite bonded.

In the past month he has started relentlessly bow cooing. Sometimes I cannot get him to stop. The sound is very piercing. It has become a serious problem for the conference calls I do for my work. He also gets very aggressive (peckish) towards my phone and many things I touch. What is more, he is always trying to mate with my hands. I am starting to struggle with his behaviour. I did a lot of research before buying him and was under the impression this would be a more docile bird.

Out of desperation, I bought a female ring-necked dove a few days ago, hoping he'd settle into a relationship. She is presently in quarantine behind a mesh curtain. It appears the situation has only gotten worse, for he tries to attack her through the mesh. His attention to me has also escalated since her arrival. He will fly to make and make laughing noises or coos when I attend to her cage/room.

Do you think it is possible to change his behaviour, that is, to reduce his possessive and vigorous attachment to me and then settle with his dove partner.

I have a very heavy heart about this situation, for I am quite attached to him despite these difficulties.

I look forward to your guidance. Thank you,

Jenna

 

[sourland]

Unquestionably he is imprinted on you and regards you as his mate. He is also at a point where hormone levels are high and driving him a bit nuts - think hormonal teen ager. He may level our, and he may eventually bond with the female, but any introduction will have to be gradual and closely monitored.

 

[JKH]

Unquestionably he is imprinted on you and regards you as his mate. He is also at a point where hormone levels are high and driving him a bit nuts - think hormonal teen ager. He may level our, and he may eventually bond with the female, but any introduction will have to be gradual and closely monitored.

Thank you very much. Your message has given me some hope. For the last 48 hours I have stopped touching him. He is vigorously protesting! I am going to try to persevere and see if he can start relating to me differently. I have also been placing seeds between the barrier with the new female dove, and they have been eating in close proximity and pruning their feathers (separately). I am hoping this is dove dating! I will be very careful before allowing them into contact, thanks to your advice. Much appreciated.

 

[biophiliac]

I can recognize some of those behaviors as comparable to my pigeons and I can see how the two birds are creating a very interesting home/work environment for you!l
I have nothing to add to Sour's comment but wishing you good luck in shaping the behavior.

 

[JKH]

I can recognize some of those behaviors as comparable to my pigeons and I can see how the two birds are creating a very interesting home/work environment for you!l
I have nothing to add to Sour's comment but wishing you good luck in shaping the behavior.

Thanks for your supportive note, Biophiliac. I am going to give the situation some time, hoping that the neighbors in my building do not protest to the noise (which is mostly his coos in the morning). There are moments when I catch him doing mating/woo-ing behaviours with her, such as flitting his wings, so it might be moving in the right direction, slowly. I will keep everyone posted!

 

[-Kiwi-]

Wish you luck!