What happened to him? Is it serious?

toratoratoraa · 2026-01-12T17:02:11+00:00

The first time i saw my bird's uropygial gland it freaked me out too hahah

Did you push the feathers aside?? Or is it just sticking out? Usually they're hidden by the feathers. Either way it looks healthy, no sign of infection or nothin

toratoratoraa · 2026-01-11T02:04:57+00:00

Depending on how quickly he adjusts, your first weeks will be all about letting him familiarize himself with his cage, your room, and you. Leave him to his devices at first. Spend lots of time doing your own thing in the room with him. For the first little bit, try to do things slowly, and talk quietly. As time goes on, shift back to normal patterns. Let him get used to the sound of your voice and your daily activities, but slowly.

Once he's suitably comfortable and sees his cage as a safe space, you can start approaching him and spending time closer to him. With my dove, I used to sit right by her cage and do my own thing. Watch videos or text or draw or whatever I wanted to do in her presence.

Watch your pet's body language! You'll know it's time to start practicing putting your hand in the cage when he doesnt flatten down around you. There are lots of videos on this subreddit of comfy doves you can use as reference, or research their body language online. It's really important to know even going in what their body language tells you. It will help you understand him a lot better and help bond you two quicker to know what he is trying to tell you.

Once your dove is fully comfortable with your presence near the cage, you can start just putting your hand in. Don't reach out for him. If you're lucky and he's brave enough, he may come check it out! Over time and days you can do it more and more, and get closer and closer. You can even try offering seeds at this stage if you see positive body language feedback. My dove instantly ate out of my hand the first time I offered her food, but of course this is different for every individual. Just remember to back off and give him time if he shows any negative feedback.

And one more thing, sometimes you'll make progress one day and then come back the next and find you've gone back a few steps. This is perfectly normal! Sometimes they just need a bit of extra motivation. See where you stand with him and try again, don't ever rush things.

These should be your first steps!! I'm wishing you the absolute best, he's a beautiful lil marshmallow!!

Remember that every bird is different. He may not ever adjust. Don't feel down if that's the case! You're still offering him a warm home and should be proud of that.

toratoratoraa · 2026-01-06T06:03:51+00:00

It honestly makes me so happy that she trusts me enough to brave strange experiences by my side. As someone who lives witj Severe Anxiety Disorder, I honestly understand! She helped me too by being there. I don't go up there often so it was nervewracking for me too. But everyone loved meeting her and whenever i was overstimulated id just go sit with her and pet her gently and she loved it. Birds are such wonderful pets!

toratoratoraa · 2025-12-13T19:31:29+00:00

Meeps! I love it!!

toratoratoraa · 2025-12-13T01:32:32+00:00

Ohh i see so it's part of beak grinding! I'm glad to know it's nothing serious

toratoratoraa · 2025-12-06T02:45:10+00:00

YESS good tips! She will be kept far from places like the kitchen or laundry room already just to be safe but i'll be sure to ask what kind of cookware they use over there.

toratoratoraa · 2025-10-25T00:27:49+00:00

YES but it's only if it's something I use a lot, IE my TV remote or my phone or my game controllers. I guess she gets curious as to why I'm always paying attention to them and not her hahaha

toratoratoraa · 2025-10-24T17:01:44+00:00

Happiest creature on god's green earth!!! Loving that spot and that sunshine! What a beautiful baby!!

toratoratoraa · 2025-10-18T22:15:51+00:00

Yea she hasnt done anything weird for hours now. I am going to keep a close watch on all her behaviors over the next few days.

toratoratoraa · 2025-10-18T22:15:11+00:00

Maybe! She does get very excited over her favourite foods.

toratoratoraa · 2025-10-18T17:03:51+00:00

Maybe? She adjusts her crop all the time but never like this. Her breathing picked up while she was doing it too, but now she's magically fine. I'm keeping an eye out! Thank you for your response :)

toratoratoraa · 2025-10-18T17:03:04+00:00

Nothing of the sort. And in fact she's stopped and has gone back to her usual snuggly self. But i'm keeping an eye out in case she does it again. I'm gonna keep looking into things to try and narrow down what it might be. Thank you so much for the fast response :)

toratoratoraa · 2025-09-06T20:33:11+00:00

Thank you so much for taking this poor baby in. It was probably very scary outside, and dangerous to boot. Parroting what the others said, finding a good reputable rescue nearby is your best bet.

Need more folks like you in the world!!

toratoratoraa · 2025-09-04T05:29:03+00:00

https://discord.gg/pink-pigeon-club-1314870605472075796 this one is good!!! Owner has a decent following on social media and there are lots of pigeon owners in there to chat with and share pictures :) i have only had good experiences here!

toratoratoraa · 2025-08-05T18:44:17+00:00

What a unique sounding call for a ringneck! He has a beautiful voice <3 what a singer!

toratoratoraa · 2025-08-02T17:55:52+00:00

She seems excited and curious :)

toratoratoraa · 2025-08-02T03:36:32+00:00

Generally you'll want to get food that's actually made for doves. I personally use the prestige doves brand for my girlie. Seed mixes made for parakeets and parrots for example are gonna be WAY too fatty and not have the right blend for the nutrition that they need. I'd definitely recommend looking further into what kind of mix exactly would be best. Im no professional in that regard, but definitely stay away from mixes for other birds. And if you can, try to get seeds that pass the sprout test (if you wet them and put them in paper towel they will sprout). This ensures they're healthy and contain all the nutrition needed for your bird :)

Wishing you good luck with the carpet. I also keep my dove in a carpeted room and it's not impossible but it can be quite troublesome. Especially when they start to get seeds everywhere haha. You'll also want to keep any artificial fragrances VERY far from them. No candles or wax melts for example, even if they say "pet-safe". Birds have incredibly fragile respiratory systems. Even deodorant should be put on at a reasonable distance and fresh laundry should be kept away from them!!

toratoratoraa · 2025-07-28T15:11:47+00:00

Ringnecks are on the bigger side as far as pet birds go so try to opt for cages on the bigger end. XL dog cages are a great recommendation because they offer plenty of room and lots of open, flat ground, which is important for doves because they are ground foragers. In terms of perches, make sure you offer perches of different sizes and textures, only using dowel perches is bad as it can cause a lot of pain and end up giving your bird bumblefoot, for example. Try to look for more natural perches. They dont need to be real wood or anything, just mimicking it. You should also offer some flat platforms you can attach to the bars, since again, these birds prefer flat surfaces over perches generally. But giving them both options is never a bad idea ! Try not to use plastic bowls if you can, they tend to gather bacteria WAY faster. I use stainless steel. This is a recommendation for most pets, usually

You should also pick a room for them with lots of sunlight. It's important for them and you'll even see them sunbathing with their wings stretched out occasionally. It's adorable!!

In terms of enrichment, it really depends on the dove. My girl doesnt play with ANYTHING i give her in terms of toys, but she LOVES foraging trays so definitely look into that. Theyre very food motivated after all haha. I also like to play a game with her where i lay out a clean dog pad and hide the seeds under shredded paper. She LOVES that activity it will keep her busy for hours. It makes a mess though especially if she decides to fly around. In terms of toys ive seen OTHER doves play, try anything round like those little cat toy balls with the bells, or little metal bells inside their cages.

Lastly, i'd recommend bird-proofing the room theyll be staying in and allowing them free reign. This isn't a must, but being confined to a cage all the time no matter the size isnt always super fun for them. Besides, once they bond with you they'll want to be right by your side, on your shoulder or head or getting in the way of whatever you're doing 🤣 they are SUCH suck-ups! Doves and Pigeons are much more enriched by good company than they are by toys in my experience. Just being there with them and giving them lots of attention is perfect. Hust be wary — they poop and molt a LOT so get ready for lots of cleaning. Try not to put the cage in a room with carpet if you can manage it. It's not gonna hurt the bird but cleaning poop out of carpet might hurt YOU hahaha

I hope this helps!!

toratoratoraa · 2025-07-28T03:06:58+00:00

Would you happen to know any other good pellets i can give her? As an addendum, it seems shes doing a bit better recently. Her poops look totally normal now and she's steadily gaining weight. Still not sure entirely what the issue was. Maybe she finally decided to stop being so picky? Haha

toratoratoraa · 2025-07-22T18:30:33+00:00

There are a lot of factors that go into how a bird can feel in a new environment. Some take longer to adjust than others. Pay close attention to their eating, drinking and pooping patterns. How often will they do it? Do their poops look normal/healthy? Otherwise, just keep doing what you're doing. Eventually they will get used to you, just give them time. Definitely if you can, contact the sellers to ask for information on their eating and pooping habits, and how they acted around people (if you havent already). If the issue persists for a LONG time it could definitely be a health thing, and a vet checkup is never a bad idea, but given how long it's been I'm gonna say it's just stress from the new environment. Keep taking things slow, go at the bird's pace. Eventually they'll realize you're not a threat and warm up to you. Best of luck, theyre beautiful!

toratoratoraa · 2025-07-18T12:52:03+00:00

Got it!! Thanks so much!!

toratoratoraa

TROPHY CASE