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Andrew Zuber Inner circle Los Angeles, CA 3014 Posts |
I've always been fascinated by dove magic but I don't really have the need to produce a whole bunch of birds...I would love right now to just be able to produce one.
I'm wondering if it's common to have just one dove, or do they live better in pairs? I've read various threads about males fighting and such...I'm just wondering if the dove can be happy on its own or if it needs a mate? While I love magic, the needs of the animal will always come first for me (I'm a big animal lover) so I want to make sure the bird is happy and taken care of. Any thoughts/suggestions would be wonderful. I'm also looking to obtain several elephants and a half dozen Bengal tigers for my act. If anyone knows of a zoo with lax security standards please keep me informed. That is all.
"I'm sorry - if you were right, I would agree with you." -Robin Williams, Awakenings
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Alexo Regular user Long Island, NY 112 Posts |
Let me just let you know for most people all love you have for those animals will disappear at 8 in the morning. Lotta noise, lotta feathers, lotta mess. But as you said you love animals so that may good, but I've owned mice, rats, hamsters, gerbils, guinea pigs, lizards, and snakes and I gotta say they are the highest maintanence animals I've ever owned.
My suggestion is to learn as muck as you can about dove magic before you get the actual animal. A good DVD for the tricks you want is Tony Clark's Unmasks 2 Easy Dove magic. This is dove magic without being a dove act. With my birds the one in a single cage is just as happy as the ones in pairs. If you get a single try to get a male, females tend to get a bit unpredictable when they're about to lay eggs. If you get a pair get either two females or one male one female. never two males in the same cage. |
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Andrew Zuber Inner circle Los Angeles, CA 3014 Posts |
Thanks for the tips Alexo! Tony Clark is actually my teacher here in L.A. so I know he'll be an excellent resource when I sit down with him...I just like getting information from lots of different perspectives which is why I love the Café.
I own a cat who wakes about at about 5 AM and a husky puppy who starts to howl around 6, so the noise shouldn't be too much of a problem. What size cage do you have? I've read a lot about aviaries with tons of room for the bird to fly, and while I have a good sized house and back yard, it's built into a hillside in typical L.A. fashion so building something like that would be tricky, whereas a cage would be much easier.
"I'm sorry - if you were right, I would agree with you." -Robin Williams, Awakenings
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Alexo Regular user Long Island, NY 112 Posts |
I have three cages since for me an aviary isn't an option. Two are made by prevue hendrix which is the best maker of price to own cages. One's 2' by 3' and the other is 2'by 4'. The one with the single is a little smaller but he's the toss production bird so ends up with the most exercise and it balances out. My main problem with outside aviaries are weather(I live on long island, we get cold winters) and wild animals. It may be worth it if you can weather and animal-proof it but for me the cages are the best option. The other big animal in the act is a Ball python but she just keeps to herself.
Also a tip is to try to get birds about 3 months old. Pet stores like Petsmart and Petco you're out of luck since everything in those places are so rigid but places like Petland and mom and pop stores might be able to hook you up with ones the right age if you ask. Ideally you should find a bird farm but forming a relationship with a small petshop may be easier to do. Good luck on the road to dove magic. peace. |
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Andrew Zuber Inner circle Los Angeles, CA 3014 Posts |
Thanks for the advice! Much appreciated.
"I'm sorry - if you were right, I would agree with you." -Robin Williams, Awakenings
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Dave Scribner Assistant Manager Lake Hopatcong, NJ 4849 Posts |
Andrew, there is nothing wrong with keeping just one dove. It doesn't matter whether it's a male or female. I know several local magicians who have just a single dove and they are just fine. As for laying the eggs, some females never lay eggs. I know one guy here who has had a female bird for over 6 years and never got an egg.
I'm jealous and happy for you that you have Tony as a teacher. Might as well learn from one of the best. Alexo, doves will always coo when it is light. In the darkk, it very seldom happens as they tend to go to sleep in the dark. One bird will not make enough noise to disturb anyone. As I've mentioned several times in this forum, I used to have 31 birds in my basement and even then, the noise level was moderate.
Where the magic begins
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Andrew Zuber Inner circle Los Angeles, CA 3014 Posts |
31 doves? Were you running a factory?
Tony is an excellent teacher and I've really enjoyed working with him. I'm sure he'll have some excellent advice regarding dove work. It's good to know one dove can be happy on its own! It'll fit in well with the zoo of animals we already have here.
"I'm sorry - if you were right, I would agree with you." -Robin Williams, Awakenings
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Alexo Regular user Long Island, NY 112 Posts |
I'm an extremely light sleeper
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magicodine Loyal user italy 202 Posts |
Quote:
Alexo, doves will always coo when it is light. In the darkk, it very seldom happens as they tend to go to sleep in the dark. One bird will not make enough noise to disturb anyone. As I've mentioned several times in this forum, I used to have 31 birds in my basement and even then, the noise level was moderate. I so disagree... I don't know if Italian doves are different from Americans but I used to keep mine in a dark room (yes, dark room, those that photographers use to develop photos, not a single ray of light would get into it when I shut the window) and doves would start cooing at about 5 am anyay, and one dove cooing would make me wake up and keep me awake. Get a female dove!!! |
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Andrew Zuber Inner circle Los Angeles, CA 3014 Posts |
I'm sure different animals react in different ways depending on the living situation, diet, personality, etc. In all of my years with animals I've never once found it to be a black and white issue. I own three dogs - one is mellow, one is in between, one is hyper. While there may be a tendency for certain breeds to act certain ways, there is always slight variation.
Can't really disagree with Dave - I'm sure he's not falsifying his experience with birds
"I'm sorry - if you were right, I would agree with you." -Robin Williams, Awakenings
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Dave Scribner Assistant Manager Lake Hopatcong, NJ 4849 Posts |
Magicodine, Andrew is right. There are always exceptions to every rule. To a dove, 5 AM is not the night whether it is dark or not. The won't sleep 24 hours a day and when they wake up, they will coo. They do have an instinct. If your room or sleeping area is right next to where the doves are, then yes, they might wake you up. I have my birds in the garage now and although I here them coo once in awhile, they are no more noisy than any other noise in the neighborhood.
By the way, you may not know it but females coo as well as males. They don't bow and show off but they do make a cooing noise. Some make a noise like they were laughing. Andrew was looking for one bird. A single male normally will not make a cooing noise. The coo is to show off for the female and if there are no females around, the cooing isn't necessary. Andrew, with 31 doves, some thought I had a factory. At that time, I was using more birds in my act and I was selling them to magicians so I always had a supply. I'm sure you've read some of the posts by Bob Sanders. If you think 31 doves is a lot, you might be overwhelmed by learning that Bob has or had over 100. He likes to keep a spare just in case
Where the magic begins
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Andrew Zuber Inner circle Los Angeles, CA 3014 Posts |
If Bob had them all trained I bet he'd make a few bucks when Universal decides to do a remake of The Birds. I would assume since he's a professional that all of his birds are SAG.
I noticed a link to a site that sells doves and ships them. I don't question the practice since I'm sure they know what they're doing (I believe you posted the link in a similar thread, Dave) but it made me very curious as to how it's possible to ship a live bird across the country? Are they that self sufficient? Or do the folks on the other end simply show them my house on Google Earth and say "go there?" I'd pay extra for a bird that can do that.
"I'm sorry - if you were right, I would agree with you." -Robin Williams, Awakenings
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MattMagician Regular user Erie, CO 190 Posts |
Mine lives in my magic room (in my basement) where there is no light. I have a light installed with a timer (costs about ten bucks) which is set for approx 8:00 to 8:00, so I never have problems with it cooing too early. Sometimes I adjust it to nine to nine or ten to ten to fit the days needs. Works like a charm. Oh, I just have one dove; I produce it in a dove pan and then vanish it in a take-apart vanish. After the show I put him back in his cage to satisfy the kids (they don't want him to vanish forever).
Matt
Matt Simonsen
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Andrew Zuber Inner circle Los Angeles, CA 3014 Posts |
Thanks for the thoughts Matt!
As of now I think I'd be keeping the dove in a cage hung outside in my back yard, unless someone advises me otherwise. I live in L.A. and we have a large shaded back yard...is that an environment that would be comfortable for the bird? I also have vaulted ceilings in my room so there's the option of perhaps hanging a cage from the ceiling or finding a spot in a corner to set one. I don't want the little guy to feel cramped in any way. Our garage is an option and it's used as a music studio (I'd take him out when we play so as not to bother him) but I would worry about him getting lonesome down there so we don't get in too often. Like I said I'm a real animal person. Any dove I acquire will be a pet/friend first and a co-worker second. Yes, I'm weird.
"I'm sorry - if you were right, I would agree with you." -Robin Williams, Awakenings
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Salah AAZEDINE Regular user Morocco 177 Posts |
I baught two doves a male and female about two months now, they make a lot of noise a loooot lol they always wake me up but I'm getting used to it. they are realy very fun .
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Dave Scribner Assistant Manager Lake Hopatcong, NJ 4849 Posts |
Dj, yes when a male and female are together, they will make noise. It's what they do. You hit the nail on the head by the way. You get used to whatever noise they make. I never considered it noise in the first place.
Andrew, doves can be shipped with no problem through the mail. Usual shipping cost is about $25. It's guaranteed over night. A little food and water in the box provided by the shipper is all that is necessary. I used to ship doves all the time and only had one problem. The doves were sent to the wrong state and temporarily lost. I worked with the post office and they worked all night to find them and get them where they should be. They actually arrived on day 3 and were just fine. For that reason, I always include extra seed and a water system (wet papertowels in a seed dish) to cover all possibilities but as I said, this only happened once in all my experience.
Where the magic begins
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Andrew Zuber Inner circle Los Angeles, CA 3014 Posts |
Very good to know, Dave!
Any thoughts as far as indoor vs. outdoor living arrangements for the bird? As I said I'm in southern California.
"I'm sorry - if you were right, I would agree with you." -Robin Williams, Awakenings
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Dave Scribner Assistant Manager Lake Hopatcong, NJ 4849 Posts |
Andrew, indoor or outdoor is really up to you. If you have them outside, you have to build an aviary. They can be any size you want but you must be sure they are secure against predators. Racoons, snakes, mice, squirrels and cats are all enemies of the dove.
You also have to be sure the bird is out of a draft or at least has a partial shelter within the aviary to get out of the draft and any inclement weather. For only one bird, I would suggest the indoor cage. It's easy to maintain and you don't have to worry so much about predators.
Where the magic begins
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Andrew Zuber Inner circle Los Angeles, CA 3014 Posts |
That makes sense. I have a cat but I would have the cage elevated inside...and the cat is also extremely easy going and has been around birds, dogs, etc. since he was born so I don't worry too much about him, especially since I would have the cage well out of his reach.
Thanks for the tips!
"I'm sorry - if you were right, I would agree with you." -Robin Williams, Awakenings
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Dave Scribner Assistant Manager Lake Hopatcong, NJ 4849 Posts |
I bring my birds inside to practice and my cat roams around free in the same room with no problem. I wouldn't leave them alone together in the same room but as long as I'm there, there doesn't seem to be a problem
Where the magic begins
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