Pigeons vs Ringneck Doves as Indoor Pets

[sourland]

You are being closed minded discouraging one of the best adapted indoor pets of any species available by fear mongering a rare disease caused by poor husbandry.

The presence of this condition among racing homer enthusiasts disproves your assertion that poor husbandry is the root cause. Due to the nature of their sport extreme sanitary conditions are the norm. It is indeed a condition brought on by prolonged exposure to pigeon dander that not everyone will develop. To not admit to the possibility, and warn of it is dereliction.

 

[Serin]

The presence of this condition among racing homer enthusiasts disproves your assertion that poor husbandry is the root cause. Due to the nature of their sport extreme sanitary conditions are the norm. It is indeed a condition brought on by prolonged exposure to pigeon dander that not everyone will develop. To not admit to the possibility, and warn of it is dereliction.

I think you have answered your own question - show racers keep lots of pigeons and they keep them in lofts. They spend time mucking out those lofts and all the debris from all those pigeons gets air borne.

Not relevant to a house pet. Indoors, only very poor husbandry would let one birds' mess build to the level seen in a loft of many pigeons.

 

[sourland]

To the OP. I see no problem with keeping a house pigeon. Just be aware of the possibility of health issues. Good luck in your decision. I am exiting this thread.

 

[perchie.girl]

It does not happen to all people. Generally those with extremely reactive immune systems are more likely. I made a career working in an animal care facility and developed reactions to rats, rabbits, and guinea pigs. With my pigeons as long as I used a canister particle filter while working with them I was okay. Without the filter I had problems. I mentioned this simply so that you would be aware.

wow even Guinea Pigs?? thats really sensitive...

deb

 

[emulhall]

? I'm a little confused as to why diseases have more than a passing mention here without answers to the question really, since it's not what the OP asked about.
Cat scratch fever is real too but people still keep and love their cats. Severe salmonella from turtles is deeply common. Plenty of arthropods and reptiles have semi-venomous bites or stings, etc. but still make fine pets if you like them. Some can kill you but are still loved.

It's been mentioned. Duty done. All animals have risks so...? It happens sometimes? Mind your health if you own a bird?

OP, I agree with Serin that doves are a little... Bland. But VERY easy to handle. I think pigeons are more interesting but maybe not as easy to handle. Doves can be pretty cuddly. They're all pretty closely related so it's hard to go very wrong either way. Doves are maybe a little more delicate with regards to their environment than pigeons.

Thanks for your reply! I definitely want a pet bird that will return my affection more instead of just sitting there lol

 

[emulhall]

I had a ringneck dove before I got my pigeon, I raised him from a chick without caging him, and so I think he was a little more social and was exposed to a wider variety of things in youth so he seemed to be a bit smarter than the average dove. He would come when called for a food reward and learned to navigate the house with no trouble, but I've heard other people say their doves are so dumb as to get stuck in corners! He let you pick him up and liked his wings petted but he spent most of his time doing his own thing and just sort of acted indifferent to people. He was fun. But he wasn't very clever. He was only slightly less messy.

I recommend a pigeon over a dove, but would suggest certain breeds over others. Most people end up with ferals or homers, and these can be loving if you get them young but are more aloof and nervous as a rule than fancy breeds bred for show. I have a German owl and her temperament is ideal, she tamed in a few days and is highly affectionate and so smart it's scary. She is part of the family, not just a pet like my dove was.

Interesting. Did you purchase your pigeon or did you rescue it? I was looking at rescues and they’re all pretty much Kings I think. I really like the look of Chinese owl pigeons and I have read that they’re very tame.

 

[emulhall]

To the OP. I see no problem with keeping a house pigeon. Just be aware of the possibility of health issues. Good luck in your decision. I am exiting this thread.

Thank you for letting me know about the possibility. I appreciate it I would hate to be blindsided.

 

[emulhall]

Interesting. Did you purchase your pigeon or did you rescue it? I was looking at rescues and they’re all pretty much Kings I think. I really like the look of Chinese owl pigeons and I have read that they’re very tame.

Hi, just another question I wanted to ask yo

Yes but it only presents aas her wanting her wings stroked.

Pigeons are the best indoor companion birds and are not easier than parrots, coming from someone who has kept both in the house. Bird fanciers lung is not unique to piheon dander but any bird dust left to accumulate. Breeders who jeep dozens of budgies indoors are also susceptible. One pigeon or two is not going to cause problems unless you never clean.

There are pet pigeon facebook groups where you can see how well suited they are as house pets. Many there have had one or two birds indoors for ten to fifteen years without issue.

Hi I have another question if that’s alright. I don’t mean to bother you. You mentioned your pigeon is the only pigeon you have. How much time do you spend with her to keep her happy?

 

[Serin]

Hi, just another question I wanted to ask yo

Hi I have another question if that’s alright. I don’t mean to bother you. You mentioned your pigeon is the only pigeon you have. How much time do you spend with her to keep her happy?

My pigeon is rarely alone, for a few hours at most and through the night. She is out of her cage four to six hours most days minimum and there is never a day she is not out at least an hour. She is kept company by my retired relative most of the time during the day. If you are gone most of the day, two birds would be better so they were not lonely.

I bought my pigeon, but she was a cull from a show breeder and sold to a farm store for a very low price, so it was sort of a rescue.

 

[jak2002003]

OP. I keep both ring neck doves and white homing pigeons. For an indoor pet I would definitely say the ring neck doves are the preferred option.

As a pet they are much ore gently and calm. They really love being scratched and tickled on their necks when they are tame, and their smaller size means less poop and feather dust.

The homing pigeons make tonnes of poop, and a huge amount of dander and feather dust. They are also more 'bossy' and hurt a bit if they scratch you when they perch on your arm or neck with their sharp claws, and if they get annoyed they hurt if they wing slap you in the face, or peck and hold onto your skin if they think you are trying to get into their territory. They also really should free fly outdoors to stay healthy, something a ring neck dove should not do!!!

Both species can be noisy. The male ringneck doves can be annoying cooing over and over again loudly at night, like an owl, so females are preferred, or a mated pair will be quieter than a single male.

Good luck with whichever you decide to keep.