Doves and pigeons are not parrots — they belong to the Columbidae family and require a completely different approach to care. Their gentle, quiet nature, ground-oriented lifestyle, and unique digestive system mean that parrot-focused boarding simply does not work for these birds. Our dove boarding service is built from the ground up around Columbidae-specific needs.
The single most important thing to understand about doves and pigeons is that they are not parrots. Everything about their care is different — their diet, their housing, their behaviour, and their health vulnerabilities. A boarding facility that treats a dove like a small parrot is setting that bird up for stress, nutritional deficiency, and potential illness. Doves are ground-oriented birds that spend most of their time walking, foraging on the floor, and perching on low, flat surfaces. They do not climb, they do not chew toys, and they do not need the complex enrichment that parrots crave.
At Avian Haven, we understand the Columbidae family intimately. We know that doves swallow seeds whole and need grit to digest them — something no parrot requires. We know that a dove sitting quietly on the cage floor may be perfectly content or critically ill, and we can tell the difference. We know that their soft, rhythmic cooing means contentment, and that a dove pressing its body against its mate is a bonded bird that must never be separated.
Every boarded dove and pigeon receives a tailored care routine designed around six essential areas of Columbidae wellness — none of which overlap with standard parrot care.
Doves are ground birds. Unlike parrots that climb and perch high, doves spend much of their time on the floor — walking, foraging, and resting. We house doves in wide, spacious enclosures with flat perches set at low heights, ample floor space, and easy access to ground-level food and water dishes. Tall climbing cages designed for parrots are completely wrong for doves. Our setups give them the horizontal space and floor access they naturally prefer, with soft substrate for comfortable ground resting.
Doves are fragile, gentle birds that should be handled minimally and with great care. Unlike parrots that can grip with strong feet and powerful beaks, doves have delicate bones and soft, weak beaks. They can be held — and many pet doves tolerate handling well — but they are easily injured by rough or forceful contact. Most pet doves are fully flighted, and we do not clip wings. Our handlers are trained in the specific two-handed hold that supports a dove's body without compressing its chest or restricting breathing.
Dove and pigeon nutrition is fundamentally different from parrot nutrition. Doves are granivores that thrive on a high-quality dove and pigeon seed mix — not parrot pellets, which are formulated for a completely different digestive system. Critically, doves require grit or fine gravel for digestion because they swallow seeds whole without hulling them. The grit sits in their gizzard and physically grinds the seeds. We also provide cuttlebone for calcium, finely chopped dark leafy greens, and clean fresh water in shallow dishes placed at ground level.
Doves and pigeons are particularly susceptible to canker, also known as trichomoniasis — a parasitic infection caused by Trichomonas gallinae that affects the mouth, throat, and crop. We monitor every boarded dove daily for the telltale signs: yellowish, cheesy lesions in the mouth or throat, difficulty swallowing, regurgitation, a distended or sour crop, weight loss, or reluctance to eat. Early detection is critical because canker progresses rapidly. Any suspicious finding triggers an immediate call to your avian vet.
Doves form deep, lifelong pair bonds that are among the strongest in the bird world. Bonded doves must stay together during boarding — separating a bonded pair causes severe distress, persistent calling, refusal to eat, and depression that can lead to illness. We house bonded pairs together in the same enclosure at all times. We also understand that some doves are bonded to their human owners rather than another bird, and these single doves receive additional gentle interaction to ease the separation.
Doves are among the quietest companion birds — their soft, rhythmic cooing is a hallmark of contentment. They are also easily stressed by loud environments, particularly the screaming and shrieking of parrots. We house doves in a separate, quiet area of our facility away from noisy parrot species. This is not optional — a dove kept in the same room as a screaming cockatoo or macaw will become chronically stressed, stop eating, and decline rapidly. Our dove boarding area is calm, softly lit, and peaceful.
We board all dove and pigeon species. Pigeons are essentially large doves — same family, same care approach, with adjustments for size.
The smallest commonly kept dove species, Diamond Doves are tiny, delicate birds with striking orange eye rings and subtle spotted wings. They are quiet, gentle, and do well in pairs. Diamond Doves are particularly fragile and need careful temperature management — they come from warm Australian climates and are sensitive to cold. During boarding, we house them in draft-free areas with consistent warmth and provide fine-grade seed mix appropriate for their small beaks.
The most common pet dove in North America. Ring-necked Doves (also called Barbary Doves or Ringneck Doves) are gentle, easy-going birds with a distinctive black collar and soft fawn plumage. They are among the easiest doves to care for and adapt well to boarding when given a quiet environment and their bonded partner. Available in many colour mutations including white, pied, tangerine, and silky. Their calm temperament makes them ideal boarding guests.
White Doves are typically white Ring-necked Doves or white homing pigeons — they are the birds commonly used in release ceremonies. Many White Doves that come to us for boarding are retired release birds or rescued strays that cannot survive in the wild. They are gentle, trusting, and often very comfortable with human handling. We treat White Doves with special care, as many have been through stressful situations before finding their forever homes.
Mourning Doves are a native North American species with a distinctive mournful cooing call. Most Mourning Doves we see are rehabilitation birds — wild doves recovering from injury or illness that cannot be released. They are more skittish than domesticated doves and require minimal handling, a quiet environment, and patience. We house rehab Mourning Doves in enclosures with natural perching and enough space for short flights, and we coordinate closely with wildlife rehabilitators on care plans.
Fancy Pigeons encompass dozens of breeds developed for exhibition and companionship — King Pigeons, Fantails, Modenas, Jacobins, Pouters, Tumblers, and many more. Each breed has unique physical characteristics that affect their care: Fantails may have balance challenges, Jacobins have feathered hoods that need to stay clean, and King Pigeons are large birds that need spacious floor-level housing. We tailor our care to each breed's specific needs and physical quirks.
Racing and Homing Pigeons are athletic, intelligent birds bred for endurance and navigation. They are larger and more active than most pet doves and need spacious enclosures with room to stretch their wings. During boarding, we provide ample space, a high-energy seed mix appropriate for their metabolism, and fresh water for bathing — racing pigeons enjoy frequent baths. We understand the specific needs of performance birds and maintain their condition during their boarding stay.
Doves have unique health considerations that set them apart from parrots. Understanding these is essential to providing proper boarding care.
Doves are creatures of routine and adjust best when surrounded by familiar items. Here is what we recommend bringing for the smoothest boarding experience.
Please let us know if your dove has any history of canker, respiratory issues, or chronic egg-laying so we can plan their care accordingly.
Dove and pigeon boarding is priced at our small bird tier. All rates include food, grit, daily health and crop monitoring, cage cleaning, and photo updates. Bonded pairs housed in the same enclosure are priced per cage, not per bird.
Doves and pigeons both belong to the family Columbidae and are essentially the same type of bird. The distinction is largely one of size — smaller species are typically called doves and larger ones pigeons — but there is no scientific difference between them. At Avian Haven, we care for both doves and pigeons using the same Columbidae-specific protocols: ground-oriented housing, seed-based diet with grit, crop health monitoring, and gentle minimal handling.
Doves and pigeons are granivores that eat a seed-based diet — this is fundamentally different from parrots. We provide a high-quality dove and pigeon seed mix as the dietary foundation, supplemented with finely chopped greens and small amounts of fruit. Critically, doves require grit or gravel for digestion because they swallow seeds whole rather than hulling them like parrots. Cuttlebone or mineral supplements are provided for calcium. We follow your established diet precisely and monitor food intake daily.
Absolutely — and we insist on it. Bonded doves must never be separated. Doves form deep, lifelong pair bonds and separating a bonded pair causes severe stress, calling behaviour, refusal to eat, and depression in both birds. Bonded pairs are always housed together in the same enclosure during boarding. If you are unsure whether your doves are bonded, look for mutual preening, sitting pressed together, and cooing to each other — these are clear bonding behaviours.
Doves are prone to specific health issues that require vigilant monitoring. We check daily for signs of canker (trichomoniasis) — yellowish cheesy lesions in the mouth or throat, difficulty swallowing, regurgitation, or a swollen crop. We also monitor droppings for colour and consistency changes, watch for respiratory symptoms like tail bobbing or open-mouth breathing, and observe overall behaviour. Doves that become fluffed, lethargic, or stop eating trigger an immediate veterinary consultation.
Most pet doves are fully flighted and benefit from supervised out-of-cage time in a bird-safe room. However, doves are ground-oriented birds — they spend much of their free time walking on the floor rather than perching high like parrots. We provide safe floor space for walking and gentle flight opportunities. For doves that are not comfortable outside their enclosure, we ensure their cage is spacious enough for short flights and ground-level exploration.
Egg-laying is common in female doves, even without a mate present. Females will lay infertile eggs periodically. During boarding, we do not remove eggs immediately — sudden removal can trigger a replacement clutch, which depletes calcium reserves. Instead, we allow the hen to sit on the eggs for a few days before removing them, or we substitute dummy eggs. We monitor calcium intake closely for laying hens and ensure cuttlebone and mineral supplements are always available.
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