I do productions with my hamster. Do I need a dove? My friend got one and they get great reactions, but they also cost a good amount. Are they worth the money and the upkeep?

Well, there's really no way to tell you if you need a dove or not... I don't know how you were phrasing "they cost a good amount", but they don't cost much at all... I got mine for a measly $30.. lol.. I must say that they do get great reactions! They are definitely worth the one and upkeep!

Get one, they're great!
-Vinnie

I saw your vids on Penguin and it got me to thinking that perhaps I should actually do the Dove production box with a dove. (I'm using a hamster now). How much upkeep to you have to do?

If you are already questioning how much time and up keep you need to have a dove I would suggest perhaps you wait until these are not a concern what so ever...
to own doves for just for the fact they get a "great reaction" is not the right mindset.
seriously
John

That could work..

The upkeep:
He does poop quite a bit... the good part though, is that MOST of the time he goes in his cage... Only once in a while does he go to the bathroom outside of his cage... Another good think is that it is very easy to clean some off of the rug or something like that... And as for the cleaning of the cage, its a breeze... All ya have to do is fill the bottom tray with dove/bird littler/bedding, and dump it out every 3-4 Days... The only pain in the neck thing is when you have to clean the bars on the bottom that have poop on them... But all that takes is just a wet rag, and about 5 mins. of your time!

Hope this helps!
-Vinnie

PS... Which video(s) are you taking about? [Did ya like em? ]

Upkeep is much more than cleaning the droppings and the cage bars. Besides the bird seed, you need grit, vitamins, treats, visits to the vet regularly, not just when a bird seems sick. There's also the time you need to invest not only in training but in bonding and general attention. If you don't have the time to work with your doves at least an hour a day plus the cleaning etc, then doves are not for you.

As Johnnie mentioned, getting a dove because of the reaction you get is not a good reason to start working with them. They are hard work and require a dedication that is not easily come by. Remember, they are you assistants and not just a prop to put in a box or pull into a silk.

There are several topics in the Polly forum concerning the care and feeding as well as the training requirements for doves. Try searching for them. There are several of us on this forum that have contributed many posts in this regards. Try searching for post by Bob Sanders, Dakota Rose and myself. I think we've answered almost every dove question you could have. Don't misunderstand, none of us have all the answers but we've got a tremendous amout of experience in the field of dove magic.

Your other videos were good, but what got me thinking about doves is the video of your dove. I thought that it was quite impressive to have a dove jump from hand to hand after only like a couple months of training. Nice work!

There I also a product outthere called "Poop Off" or "Poop Away" or something. I use(d) it on my parrots cage and doves when I had them. It works great. I think it's like $5 / bottle. It's worth it though, just to get those places that require a great deal of scrubbing. A simple Yahoo search should turn up the product.

Haas

Thanks... You said "A couple months of training"... Not to brag or anything, but I've had him for a week...

Also, read Dave's post... He is 100% true, and upfront! You should really take that into consideration!

-Vinnie

That is pretty good for only a week. I thought that it had to be a couple of months:).

LOL... Nope, only a week... Thanks though! :-D

As mentioned in a previous topic, although Vinnie has only had his dove for a week, it is an adult bird. It may have been partially trained before he got it. I don't know where he got if from but a new bird will take about 6 weeks of training to get it to do what his is doing now. It won't happen in just one week.

Jumping or flying from one hand to another is really a natural instinct. The dove will jump to the first thing it sees in most cases. The farther apart the hands, the more likely the bird will fly away for a bit. Very few will instinctively do the fly back or toss and return.

Haas, the name of the product is poop off. It comes with a plastic brush attached to the cap and you're right, it's great for those hard to reach areas. I use it on the perches, bars and sometimes on the cage bottom if necessary. At least once every 3 or 4 months, the cages should be thoroughly washed down with bleach and rinsed to kill all the bacteria.

Here's a tip for a treat that is totally off the subject of this topic but since we're talking about taking care of the birds and treats etc, for a treat with the seed once in awhile, pour in a little Song Food treat for canaries. It smells like licorice and doves, at least mine, go crazy over it.

Dave, how much is a dove to buy grand totaled? With the cage, food, and treats? Also, About how much does it cost a week? I just want to know if I can support it.

Depending on who you purchase your dove from, it can cost anywhere from $10 to $30. Don't under any circumstances buy one from a pet shop. Try to find a magician or dove breeder. Dakota Rose is a member here and he's supplying quite a few doves. Give him a shout.

The cage also depends on how big and where you buy it. For budgeting purposes, figure about $50 plus for a good size cage. Treats are up to you. The doves love them but don't need them to survive. They like apples, bread, leaf lettuce, frozen peas, and hard boiled eggs, but just like humans, too much of a good thing isn't good.

I buy my dove seed in 20 LB bags and it costs $20. It lasts about two months and I'm feeding 12 birds right now. Vitamins are about $4 but a bottle of wheat germ lasts for a long time. So that should give you an idea of the cost. Oh, and don't forget about the vet bills. You should have them checked out several times a year.

Hope that helps.

So to buy a dove it is about 80-100 dollars? And almost nothing a day? This could be the pet for my show... Thanks for the info Dave.

That's about right. After the initial expense to get set up, it's just a maintenance issue. Oh one other thing you need to get is a bird protector. That's a small can that you hang on the side of the cage to keep the mites and lice away. You have to replace that about every 6 weeks or so. They come in different sizes depending on the size of your cage and they cost about $5.00 or so.

OK Palmern,

It has been a few weeks now. Did you get a dove?

Bob Sanders
Magic By Sander