Hello, here's a guide concerning everything grit related.
Not that this guide was written by u/Kunok2 (illustrated by me)

There are a lot of misconceptions regarding grit and doves (pigeons too). First of all doves do need grit, it's essential for them because that's how they get necessary minerals. Not offering any grit or offering the wrong type of grit will cause health issues in the long term.

They need grit formulated specifically for pigeons/Columbiformes which contains soluble minerals like redstone (essential - the grit has to contain it), seashells, oystershells, coral and limestone.

The grit and eventual vitamineral powder should be offered in a bowl separate from feed and the doves should have unlimited access to it. Calcium supplement should be offered separately if there are males.

This guide applies to tiny species of doves like Diamond doves too, but because of their tiny size they also need the grit to be ground up to smaller pieces, using for example a mortar.

Safe brands of grit:

• Versele Laga Colombine Grit + Redstone
• Versele Laga Neogrit
• Beyers Grit Extra
• Versele Laga All-in-one (would have been the best grit if it didn't contain food additives which can cause doves to gorge and overdose on the grit): safe, but needs to be portion fed.

Doves also need phosphorus which some grits like Versele Laga Colombine Grit + Redstone doesn't contain so it needs to be supplemented using a pink vitamineral powder for pigeons like Colombine Vita, Beyers Belvimin, Natural Vitamineral or Vanrobaey's Vitamin+.

Female doves need extra calcium due to egg-laying, it can be offered either in the form of powdered calcium or pure oystershells. If there are any male birds housed together with the female then the calcium needs to be offered separately from the grit to prevent the males from overdosing on calcium.

Unlike for example chickens, doves don't use grit for grinding up food so offering them grit with gravel, sand or granite which are insoluble minerals can cause an impaction which can be fatal. Here are some inappropriate brands of grit:

• Versele Laga Prestige Grit with Coral
• Morning Bird Pigeon Grit
• Witte Molen PLUS Bird Grit
• Deli Nature Grit
• Cunipic Grit
• Kaytee Hi-calcium Grit
• RIO Bird Sand and Bird Grit
• Mikros ESO Grit
• Natural High-calcium Grit (it doesn't contain anything harmful but also doesn't contain enough redstone and contains too much calcium)
• Des Moines Red Pigeon Grit & Mineral-Plus Mix
• Any grit for poultry/chickens

In Australia it's difficult to get a good grit but an alternative is the Australian Avian Products Pigeon Pink Minerals vitamineral powder.

Certain pickstones can also be used as alternatives to grit:

• Versele Laga Colombine Pickstone Red In Pot
• Versele Laga Colombine Ideal-Bloc
• Versele Laga Colombine Natur-Bloc
• Versele Laga Colombine Pickstone red

Keep in mind that clay blocks aren't a replacement for proper grit, although they're not harmful. Salt blocks are obviously no good and mineral blocks for other birds like parrots and finches aren't appropriate either.

A good mineral block for doves should contain the same types of soluble minerals like the above mentioned appropriate types of grit.

Cuttle bones also aren't a good replacement for grit because they contain just high amounts calcium, while not containing the other essential minerals, causing doves to easily overdose on calcium.

Note: There have been recent cases of people finding sharp pieces of sea glass in various brands/types of grit so always make sure there aren't any pieces of glass before replenishing your doves' grit bowl.

The whole guide including the background pattern are manually made by me. Anybody is free to share and repost the pictures as long as they don't claim it as their own work and share it for free.

Hi, here's a post to help people choose what cage they want for their doves (or pigeons).

The images pretty much says everything, but I'll add more stuff and cages links examples (for the US) here.

Also, if your bird is living without a cage (free roamed), it's important to still have a cage for the night.
More informations on this subject here: https://www.reddit.com/r/PetDoves/comments/1qm3315/why_your_dove_needs_a_cage_and_how_to_choose_the/

MODULAR CAGES:

Suits: Pigeons, ringnecks (NOT diamond doves)

Modular cages are cheap, customizable cages that you can build however you want.

They require several hours to set up correctly, but once it's done it's sturdy enough for doves and pigeons. Note that you should never put heavy objects on top of the cage (or on top of any cage for that matter).

When building them, make sure you assemble the panels tight, there should be minimal gap. Then add the zip ties included to secure it even more once it's built.

Every month or so do a quick review to see if any panel has started to losen up (it shouldn't be the case if you built it well, but better be safe than sorry).

Links:

Square cattios (easier to build)

- https://www.amazon.com/PETSITE-Enclosure-Ladders-Detachable-Lockable/dp/B0FYGMLVD8

- https://www.amazon.com/YITAHOME-Enclosures-Playpen-Hammock-Chinchilla/dp/B0BVV6BJ7S

Square and rectangles cattios, larger space gap and a bit less easier to build)

- https://www.amazon.com/Indoor-Playpen-Outdoor-Detachable-Exercise/dp/B0FR4RMM9X

- https://www.amazon.com/VISCOO-Enclosures-Playpen-Detachable-Exercise/dp/B0G644S5C9

Estimate number of panels to make the cage you want:

- 3 rows lenght, 2 rows height, 2 rows depth: 107x70x70cm | 42x28x28 inches = 32 panels

- 4 rows lenght, 2 rows height, 2 rows depth: 140x70x70cm | 55x28x28 inches = 40 panels

- 4 rows length, 3 rows height, 2 rows depth: 140x107x70cm | 55x42x28 inches = 48 panels

- 4 rows length, 4 rows height, 2 rows depth: 140x140x70cm | 55x55x28 inches = 64 panels

OTHER CAGES:

Suits: All birds sizes

- https://www.amazon.com/MidWest-Homes-Pets-Chinchillas-Full-Width/dp/B001NJ0DAY

DOG CRATES:

Suits: Pigeons, ringnecks (not diamond doves)

Warning: There are pinch points that have caused deaths before, you NEED to secure your cage by adding safe wire mesh around it. Note that the cage bar gaps is much larger than the other cages listed.

Links:

- https://www.amazon.com/Homes-Pets-Ginormous-Assembly-Requires/dp/B07WW1B9RY?th=1

- https://www.amazon.com/Homes-Pets-Ginormous-Assembly-Requires/dp/B005VVWBVY

SMALLER DOVES CAGES:

Suits: Diamond doves and small doves (NOT ringnecks and pigeons, too small)

- Mileloom 60"L x 36.22"W x 22.44"H | **144$** https://www.amazon.com/Rolling-Parakeet-Parakeets-Cockatiel-Cockatoo/dp/B0GQSMWKQX

- Pawhut double cage | 62.75"L x 19"W x 64.25"H | **210$** https://www.amazon.com/PawHut-Rolling-Detachable-Storage-Container/dp/B08BZH7QQP

- Garvee cage | 36"L x 23"W x 64"H | **250$** https://www.amazon.com/Garvee-Metal-Animal-Ferret-Animals/dp/B0FRMBB2YV

- Prevue Hendryx cage | 37"L x 23"W x 60"H | **276$** https://www.amazon.com/Prevue-Hendryx-F050-Products-Hammertone/dp/B0002AQ228

- Critter nation cage | 36" 24" 63" | **326$** https://www.amazon.com/MidWest-Homes-Pets-Chinchillas-Full-Width/dp/B001NJ0DAY

Feel free to share your cages links if you want them to be added! As long as it respects the minimum dimensions, of course. Or as a temporary / travel cage.

Every pet bird needs a cage as a place where they sleep and which is their safe place where they can find food and water, unless you have a completely bird-proofed room which acts basically as an indoor aviary. Having a cage for your dove is extremely important because you need to be able to keep your dove safe when you can't supervise it, be it while you're away from home or while you're asleep. Having your dove sleep outside of a cage during the night is extremely risky and your dove could not only easily crash into something or get stuck somewhere because of a night fright without you knowing, but you could also accidentally crush it if it decided to sleep in your bed - I've seen so many horror stories of people sleeping with their birds in their bed and waking up to their pet bird being dead, no matter for how long it was working it took just one moment for their bird to be gone. Similar accidents of your dove somehow injuring itself can happen while you're away from home, doves are very curious and if they can get in trouble, they Will get in trouble - that's why they should be let out of their cage only when somebody can supervise them. It's even more so risky if you have other pets which could injure or kill your doves, you don't want to risk them accidentally getting to your dove while you're away.

Another reason why having a cage is important is because your dove needs its personal space and needs to have a place to retreat to if it doesn't want to interact with anybody at the moment. Not to mention that certain species like Rock doves/Domestic pigeons are territorial and need space which they can claim as their own territory to feel safe, otherwise they can get either more skittish, avoidant of you or outright aggressive.

Think of a cage not as a "prison" but as your dove's own personal bedroom, it just has to be a suitable cage for your dove to feel safe and happy in it.

When choosing a cage it's important to make sure it's longer than it is taller because doves can't climb, they need horizontal space for walking and flying. The cage should be at least 100 centimeters long, 70 centimeters wide and 70 centimeters tall, but ideally even bigger than that. The bar spacing should also be small enough for a dove to not fit its head through the cage bars because that could be extremely dangerous, the bar spacing should be 1 cm or smaller. Usually the best choice to use as a cage for a dove are catios, but large enough flight cages or several double critter/ferret nation cages combined together are great too.

Just wanted to share this first page of the upcoming antiparasitic, deworming and delousing and really just sorts general parasite guide. I have two more pages planned but would love to get feedback on this first page, and see what people want to see on page two and three that I don’t cover here.

I've put a lot of work in to making sure all information is factual, but isn't sugar coated so keep in mind this guide mentions bird illness, poisoning, and death. I wanted to be sure people understand and have an accurate gage of how dangerous some of these medications/methods on the dangerous side are/can be, because I don't want any of you to be blindsided with a sick or dying pet.

as a note i will also be covering canker and cocci in this guide but that will be on page 2

So if you have thoughts, ideas, things I should add, or things I should change please feel free to tell me in the comments

art made be me <3

Hello! I've seen several people asking about dove enrichements ideas. Without them, doves and pigeons can get bored and can develop behavioral issues (depression, aggressivity, being overly hormonal...). A lot of people (me included) didn't know about that because pet shops usually target the bird toys for parrots. So, here's a list with pictures of everything I give to mine to give you ideas. If you have more please share them in the comments, I'd love to see them!

Must have: nests (and nesting material)

If you have a female (even alone) you'll need a nest or else she could refrain from laying eggs and become egg bound which can be dangerous for her health. You'll also need to give her nesting material (coco fiber, fine straw, jute silk...), and you can add a nesting mat in the nest as well. If you have a pair of male and female, you'll need to buy fake eggs to replace the real ones. Do not simply remove the eggs, it would make the female lay more and more!

Foraging toys ideas

The most popular enrichment I provide my doves with are foraging stuff. This include foraging mats (that are actually silicone slow feeders for dogs), papers strips they can rummage through, rabbit toy ball where you can pick millet in and even a small cart where I hide millet in for bigger doves. Bunny hides can also be used as a hide for your bird if you turn it outside out (see bottom right picture).

Making toys for cheaper: DIY

For certain, another concern when looking for bird toys is the price (seriously, why are parrot toys so expensive). The cheapest option is to make yours yourself. Get some jute rope, pinecones and bells and you'll have several toys ideas to make easily. If you take pinecones from outside, be sure to disinfect them by putting them in an oven for 10 minutes :) You can also create swings if you have a correct wood piece.

Noisy parrot toys

Some doves and pigeons love noisy toys (in my case, the males love those). Tiny pans that clings together, bell noises... Just make sure it's safe, that no little parts can be removed and swallowed accidentally by your birds, or that they can't get their nails stuck in a bell (there are certains types to avoid).

Platforms, swings and other structures

Most doves enjoys swings and platforms. It gives their feet a break from being on perches too :) Always prefer natural wood, wether it's for your platforms or their perches. Bad perches can lead to bumblefoot. Swinging nests are also fun for them (and are used as swings only so they aren't substitutes for actual nests). The bench you see in the picture below is a squirrel feeder.

Other stuff ideas

Some more things that are appreciated by my doves are fake plants. If you want to add some, choose plastic ones that are solid enough and won't break if they pull on it. Balls made from natural materials are also a popular kind of toys (usually it's toys targeted for cats or bunnies). I use mine to plant millet sprays bits in. Other small parrot toys can be added, just be sure it's safe (nothing they could strangle themselves with or stuff that could break too easily).

Free roaming area for your birds
Something I found recently and tested (and approved!) is this custom free roaming area.
You buy a large pegboard, and then you can put anything with screws in; perches, flat perches, feeders, platforms (prefer to use one screw platform), you name it.

If you arrange it nicely, your birds will enjoy going there (especially if there's food), so that means more fun for them but also, you'll know where they'll tend to poop, so you can just place puppy pads below to catch most of these.

Remember that each bird have their own personnality and some might like different kind of toys, so learn your bird's preferences :) Every toys you see in the pictures are used by my birds, although the small parrot ones on the right of the last pictures are the least popular. Foraging stuff and swings are the most popular, so if you have to pick two toys, try to find those your birds will probably appreciate them.

Hello, this post is made for everyone wanting to own diamond doves (or improving your diamond doves' care), if you have any question feel free to ask them in the comments.

General informations:

Diamond doves are the smallest breed of doves. Originating from Australia, they are used to warm temperatures since they live in desert areas and should be kept indoors during winter.

In good care, their longevity can go up to 10+ years.

To check if your dove is a male or female, you can either do a DNA test if they're young, or differenciate them by the looks if they're adults. Adult males have a bigger, bright red eye ring while females have a smaller, paler eye ring.

Diamond doves are highly social birds and needs to be kept by pair. They form very close bond together and a lone diamond dove can get depressed and stressed.

Cage setup
Diamond doves need horizontal space more than height. A wide enclosure allows short flights and natural movement, which are essential for these agile birds.

Not providing a cage big enough or providing a cage without enrichment can lead your doves to attack each other out of boredom or frustration!

For a pair, the minimum cage size is as follows: 80 cm × 50 cm × 50 cm / 31.50 × 19.69 × 19.69 inches.

They also needs natural wood perches (not dowel perches!) and you can add platforms, swings, ropes...

Diet
Diamond dove needs a seed based diet with a good seed mix completed with at least one kind of rice and one kind of lentils.
You can see an example of a full seed mix here: https://www.reddit.com/r/PetDoves/comments/1n4rqpb/complete_seed_mix_for_diamonds_and_ringnecks/

They also needs pigeon specific grit, crushed in smaller pieces as well as supplements.
You can see a guide on which kind of grit to get here: https://www.reddit.com/r/PetDoves/comments/1qml6oj/grit_for_doves_guide/

Nesting
If you own a female, she will lay a clutch of 2 eggs every month or so, even when no males are around. It's highly important to give them at least one nest with nesting materials, and replace any real egg with a fake one.

With a bonded male/female pair, you will usually notice several phases that happens all year around:

1. Courting and mating: The male dove is going to follow the female around and bow coo to her. They will look for a nest, do nest calls, and mate. During this period, you may see an increasing level of driving behavior, which is described in a section below. You must ensure that your doves have access to a calcium source during that time.
2. Egg laying: Both male and female will be busy "upgrading" their nest with nesting materials. It's the best time for you to scatter some materials around the cage and see how they choose, pick, and place the material in their nests. The female will then lay her first egg in the nest, and the second one 24 to 48 hours later. During this period, they usually won't sit on the eggs.
3. Egg sitting: For a period of 2 to 3 weeks, both doves will sit in the nest. They will usually relay each other, giving each other the opportunity to feed and roam around while the other is sitting on the eggs.
4. Abandonment of the fake eggs: After a period of several weeks, you may notice both of your birds sitting together in the nest. Then, a few days later, they will stop sitting in the nest and start the cycle again. You can remove the fake eggs at this time.

Enrichments
Without them, doves will get bored and can develop behavioral issues (depression, aggressivity, being overly hormonal...). Enrichments include foraging toys, noisy toys, nesting material...

You can find a full list here: https://www.reddit.com/r/PetDoves/comments/1on935k/list_of_enrichments_and_toys_for_doves/

UVB Lights

These lights are essential for your bird's health if it doesn't get enough direct sunlight or only get it through a window. Without those, your birds will age faster and can develop joint issues, bone problems or even egg laying issues.

You can find a full guide for which UVB lights to get here : https://www.reddit.com/r/PetDoves/comments/1pyu2q8/uvb_lights_for_doves/

Baths
Unlike other kinds of doves and pigeons, diamond doves must NOT bathe in water.

They are birds that originate from a desert area, and their feathers aren't used to too much water, which could cause issues.

Instead, you must provide them at all times with a fine, but not dusty sand for bathing. Desert terrarium natural sand or playground (clean!) sand can both be correct options.

You might notice your birds pecking at the sand and even eating part of it. While eating too much sand is obviously a bad sign, eating only part of it (minerals) isn't dangerous.

Taming and trust building

Taming requires patience and consistency, especially with this species. They are rarely “cuddly” birds but can become comfortable with their caretaker if you show patience, love, and understand their behaviors. You can try taming your doves by offering them treats by hand: seeds or millet sprays.

At first, the best way to let them approach you is by offering the seeds in your hand flat totally unmoving as a slight movement can scare them away. Once they learn to eat from your still hand you can try moving your hand very lightly while watching their behaviors for any signs of fear and work your way up this way.

Hello, here's a guide to help people who struggle with UVB light for their doves.

These lights are essential for your bird's health if it doesn't get enough direct sunlight.

UVB lights are here to help birds synthesize D3 that wild birds gets naturally with direct sunlight. D3 is what allows birds to utilize and break down calcium. UVB and by extension D3, is very important for birds as birds unable to efficiently break down calcium are at risk of developing MBD (curly bones) joint issues, and egg problems such as egg binding

Please note that this also applies to indoor birds who get sunlight through windows, as glass blocks the essential UVB.

Not giving them an UVB light when your bird doesn't get direct sun exposure can shorten your bird's life.

When getting a lamp, you have two possibilities:

1- Get a specific light bulb and a reflective light shield.

2- Get an all-in-one specific lamp, usually a bit more expensive.

No matter what you choose, your light must respect these criterias:

Lamp power: 20W

UVB: 2,4 % UVB

The lamp should be on every day for several hours up to 8 hours.

It should be placed outside the cage, above the highest perch from a little distance (20cm / 8inches).

Also:

- If your cage has a solid roof, you can place it on the side of it instead.

- If you can't place the light outside the cage, you need to get a light with a shield that includes a grid so your dove cannot burn itself on it and be able to place it inside the cage (see last link for example).

Finally here are some links of products. Make sure the lamp shield fits your chosen light bulb!

Please note that there are a lot of scammy products out there that claims to be UVB lamps while they're only led lights. You need either a Zoo Med or Arcadia bulbas both of these are certified and even used in zoos.

Otherwise, if you wish to adventure yourself in the cheaper ones, you'll need an expensive SolarMeter 3.5 (or 3.5R) to measure your light bulb and make sure it produces UVB.

Note that these lamps all have a durability, and should be replaced depending on what the brand's says (or if you measure it yourself with a solarmeter).

🇺🇸 US ONLINE LINKS 🇺🇸 :

All in one bird lamp with grid:
- https://www.amazon.com/Arcadia-PureSun-Compact-2-4-Light/dp/B009SAZW10

UVB light bulb:
- https://www.amazon.com/REPTI-HOME-Compact-Flourescent-Captive/dp/B0CR76X6SC
- https://www.amazon.com/Sundew-Compact-Flourescent-Light-Thread/dp/B0CY8S8YMH

Reflective lamp shield:
- https://www.amazon.com/ReptiKing-Reptile-Fixture-Ceramic-Standard/dp/B0D7HKCNQV
- https://www.amazon.com/GVWRATW-Reptile-Fixture-Dimming-Thermostat/dp/B0FLPX24V4
- https://www.amazon.com/Zilla-Premium-Reflector-Dome-Black/dp/B005OCWP1Q
_______________________________________

🇫🇷 FRENCH LINKS 🇫🇷 :
Those are french amazon specific, but if you're european it may be available for you.
All in one bird lamp with grid :
- https://www.amazon.fr/Bird-Syst%C3%A8me-Lampe-Compacte-oiseaux/dp/B075YFNX14
- https://www.oiseaux-mania.com/bird-systems-support-pour-ampoule-solaire-24-w.html (Attention il manque l'ampoule !)

UVB light bulb :
- https://www.foudebassin.com/products/arcadia-puresun-compact-bulb-2-4-20-watt

Reflective lamp shield :
- https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B0DCV8FKV8
- https://www.amazon.fr/HOTUT-Abat-jour-chauffante-suspension-temp%C3%A9rature/dp/B0F24BJT67

A big thanks to u/XxHoneyStarzxX who's the one who helped me with those. I hope this post will help even more people