#ringneck doves

[rainyflock]

Gee Peachy how come your mom lets you have TWO boyfriends!

[vesperstardust]

Flapping enhances the bath

[fluffybird1]

Apricot and Icarus had a baby a few weeks ago!

[randomgreekfandomspals]

My brother's, @doodlealots' doves :)

[theriu]

Tis wooing time once again, a time when the doves are reduced to sharing one (1) single braincell.

[birdcoorner]

COLUMBID SPECIALISTS, I HAVE A QUESTION...

My frustration and anxiety about this has reached its limit.

I have two female ringneck doves, a white pied (Ambie), and a tangerine (Orion). I rescued both back in July 2015. They’ve bonded to one another, and are still together now. 

In November 2018, I began to notice Ambie losing feathers right below her beak/neck area. She’s had molts like that before, so I wasn’t concerned. Into the next year (2019), I noticed the patch growing bigger. Nothing was growing back, so I did some research, and read that the feathers sometimes take a while to grow back in. I gave it more time. 

What tipped me towards assuming something was wrong was when Ori started forming a bald spot on the back of her head. I reached out to their vet. And the vet said “it happens, and sometimes, there is no reason.” There were no bugs, or mites, and the fecal samples came back clear of parasites, ringworm was a primary concern. They never showed sickness symptoms, and were lively and well. 

I was frustrated with that answer, reluctant to believe there was simply “no reason”. So I reached out to another vet, in late 2019 who had known the birds well from when I first got them. Also, a specialist in columbidae... I was hopeful. They both had thorough examinations, fecal samples tested, and some extra nutritional supplements to potentially cover any essentials they weren’t getting enough of. 

Tests? Negative. Examination? Nothing noteworthy. Overall? Happy, healthy, pest free, parasite free, but getting more patchy. Ori’s head patch has grown, and Ambie’s neck patch has remained at large with little to no signs of regrowth. The vet didn’t seem terribly concerned, since they were doing just fine otherwise. But I mean... my birds are balding.......

Time to seek specialist number three! July 2019, I sent a message to the Ramsey Loft (theramseyloft(dot)tumblr(dot)com.) She’s wonderful. But even she wasn’t sure what it could possibly be, mentioning she hadn’t had experience with something of that sort.

She was the last one I mentioned it to. I was too frustrated to see or ask anyone else, and just gave up. They flap and fly, and perch, eat, drink, run around, take naps... there is just NOTHING out of the ordinary aside from the patches! 

So, I had a new thought... They’d been patch free three years into living together... it started so late. But what if they are over preening? Or plucking one another?

Ori always preens around Ambie’s neck, and Ambie always preen around Ori’s head. 

I started putting that in my head as the justification as to why they are looking the way they are. And I sat with it for a good while, a good year.

But I just let them out, watched them relax, and just... lost it. I’m losing my mind.

I started thinking about their ages. Ambie is about six now, and Orion maybe around eight. But even that research didn’t come up with feather loss being a thing in aging doves. I just... am running out of personal options, before I go to another vet.

They say don’t ask the internet for opinions. I’m just so tired of re-reading the same articles that say “it’s a molt!” “cocks pluck hens sometimes!” “parasites, or mites!” No. It’s not any of that! And I have tried separating them already, and all they did was panic when they couldn’t see each other. I can’t do that to them, they’re getting too old for that kind of stress.

So, Tumblr... anyone who may be able to give me another possibility that hasn’t crossed my mind... can you please tell me what I’m missing? There are no mites, no bugs, no parasites, no signs of illness. They have hard-shelled eggs, good droppings, high energy, alertness, and a good appetite.

This was April 2018.

This is Ori just this evening, March 2021.

This is Ambie, March 2021.

I’m desperate, and irritated, and just want to take care of my little birds...

[base-and-superstructure]

My soft little dough balls are growing up! Pumpkin (r) has been making his first proper adult three-note coo call recently, so I'm pretty sure he's a male. Kaspar (l) has been practicing giggling recently! They've really settled in now and i love them 🕊

[tofu-nipples]

Forehead kisses before bed 💕