Ring-Necked Doves – Food, Lifestyle, And Health Care!!
The ring-necked dove, also known as the cape turtle dove, is a large dove species in east and south Africa. They are primarily inactive birds with a large variety of habitats. Ring-necked doves are about 12 inches long and come with a black ring round on the back of their head. Their eyes are brown.
Ring-necked doves are gentle birds they do not attack or harm, they are very socio-friendly birds. The ring-necked dove and pigeons share a similar vocal speech. The ringed-necked dove can breed before 12 months of age. Ring-necked doves need frequent napping to keep them clean and healthy. If you are looking for a companion bird with good nature, and easy to be handled the ring-necked dove is your best bet.
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How Long Does A Ring-Neck Dove Live?
Ring-necked doves require a high fiber content meal compared to other birds. A well-cared ring-necked dove can live more than 10 years. Their diet plan and resting time provided after breeding are key factors in their lifespan. Since they are good at breeding, breeders show the temptation to breed them year-round. This will make the bird in an exhausted and weakened state. So most breeders advise them to rest for a few months after two or three clutches.
Evolution Of Ring-Necked Doves
According to many studies, the ring-necked bird originated from rose gray species a thousand years ago in northeast Africa. These birds performed magical acts since biblical times. During the end of the 1800s, the ring-necked bird was widely studied and used for genetic research. At present, the ring neck dove has more than 40 varieties of color patterns.
A major of these birds are seen in the wilds of southern states such as Georgia and Florida. They are usually seen in pairs, they always need a companion to spend time with, it might be their owners, a dove of the same or opposite sex.
Are Ring-Necked Doves Good Pets?
Ring-necked doves are social birds they are excellent pets. The most common doves kept as pets are the ring-necked and diamond doves. The ring-necked dove has bred more than 40 color mutations, white, peach and apricot are some of them. They are also called s laughing doves. Ring-necked birds are often very gentle in character and they do not attack or harm you.
Ring-necked doves can be easily handled and bred. They do not sing. so if you are looking for a pet that is quiet and gentle this is surely the one for you. They share the similar vocal speech of pigeons. Ring-necked doves are usually seen as pairs in wild, so a ring-necked dove must have a proper and consistent companion. It can be their owners or other birds of the same or opposite sex. Ring-necked doves are very dependable, they do not like to spend time alone.
Ring-necked doves are very amazing and active so if you have kids in your house the ring-necked dove will provide entertainment at its best. Another specialty of this amazing creature is that it is very friendly and mingles with humans so fast. They will start trusting you within a few weeks and they will quietly start sitting in your hand, finger, and shoulder.
During the 1960s only two variants of these birds were available as domestic pets, but now there are over 40 that are developed and sold as domestic pets. Because of their calm and gentle mentality, the ring-necked dove is one of the most demanded domestic pets around the world.
Food Habits Of Ring-Necked Doves
The ring-necked doves that live out in the wild consume a wide variety of foods, they include insects, snails, and seeds. Since these creatures are wild animals even living with humans they are very interested in finding trash. If you are bringing a new pet into you’re life first contact the breeder from which you bought the pet and feed the same meal which is familiar to the pet. If you are trying to add an extra element to his diet provide it in a smaller quantity. Ring-necked dove’s diet plan includes pellets and seeds. Only provide specially designed pellets or seeds for dove consumption. as for most pets providing occasional treats can be a very good choice, it can help you nature the bond and trust between the owner and the pet. Ring-necked doves love eating some of the foods that are created for human consumption. Some of their favorite human treats are eggs, rice, sweet potato, and veggies like carrots. Most birds admire and love to eat human foods.
Diseases Affecting Ring-necked Doves
Ring-necked doves are particularly attacked by red mites.red mites are pets that are harmful to both animals and humans. Red mites hid during day time and come out at night to feed on birds’ blood.
Roundworms and tapeworms are also harmful to doves. Canker, a respiratory disease that shows swelling in the dove’s throat and cheesy-looking growth around its mouth is the most fatal disease encountered by this bird. They could be fatal if not treated at the right time.
The ring-necked doves can breed at the age of 12, some beginner breeders misuse this ability and cause a risk of death in birds. Experts advise that to give a resting period for birds after breeding. Breeding multiple times in a year can cause fatigue and even the risk of death in this bird. It is also necessary that we should clean our hands after cleaning feeding doves because bacterial infections like chlamydia and salmonella can transfer from birds to human beings.
The Bottom Line
In this article, we discussed the food, lifestyle, and healthcare of ring-necked doves. They are also known as cape turtle dove is the most active members of the dove family. It can breed at the age of 12. They exhibits a gentle character, it doesn’t harm you. They can grow up to 12 inches. In the beginning, there were only two varieties of ring-necked doves available as domestic pets, now there are more than 40 color mutations of ring-neck doves. They are one of the most attractive and demanding domestic pet birds. If you’re looking for a friendly and amazing pet it is sure that you will not be disappointed with the ring-necked dove.
Also Read:- How To Train A Pet Lovebird? Tips For Beginners
