I've had my ringneck dove since November and I had been feeding him the blend of dove food that the pet store that I got him from had been feeding him until just a couple months ago when I noticed weevils crawling all over the food. I have decided to now buy specific seed types in bulk and mix them myself. Does this sound like a healthy blend? I give him safflower seed, milo seed, canary grass seed, and cracked corn in his main food dish. I understand millet is fattening so I do not provide any millet in his main food dish but sometimes I give him some red spray millet in a spray millet holder. He also has some high-calcium grit in a different dish. Please share with me your thoughts, thanks
ringneckdoveowner
I have only had my Ringneck Doves since January this year, so just sharing my experience so far, and anyone can please chime in to improve on my remarks.
The seeds/grains you mention are suitable ones for your doves. Mine also like grey striped sunflower seed and canola/rape seed as regulars.
It is healthy to give them fruits and veggies as well so that they get more nutrients. My doves (so far) eat chopped up baby spinach leaves, cooked carrot, and apple. They wouldn't accept fruit or veggies at first, until I gave them dried fruit/veg mixes from the supermarket; now they love the fresh stuff as well.
If you can't get your doves to eat the fruit/veg, perhaps start them on a multi vitamin? But do keep persisting with offering the fruit/veg, because they might reject it a hundred times and then take to it on the 101st time. And keep trying different varieties. (Do a quick check first though, in each case, to ensure the item is non-toxic for birds.)
The seeds/grains you mention are suitable ones for your doves. Mine also like grey striped sunflower seed and canola/rape seed as regulars.
It is healthy to give them fruits and veggies as well so that they get more nutrients. My doves (so far) eat chopped up baby spinach leaves, cooked carrot, and apple. They wouldn't accept fruit or veggies at first, until I gave them dried fruit/veg mixes from the supermarket; now they love the fresh stuff as well.
If you can't get your doves to eat the fruit/veg, perhaps start them on a multi vitamin? But do keep persisting with offering the fruit/veg, because they might reject it a hundred times and then take to it on the 101st time. And keep trying different varieties. (Do a quick check first though, in each case, to ensure the item is non-toxic for birds.)
No, they wouldn't eat fruit/veg out of a feed dish for me at first, either. (They would now, but I think it's not recommended to mix the fresh with the dry food.)
The way I got it to work (as well as getting them used to the more seed-like dry chips first) was by scattering it on a plate when they are out of the cage and making it look like something I am eating myself, and including some seeds there. I also scatter it on a clean section of the cage floor, towards the end of the day so that there isn't too much mixing with their droppings. (I'm wary of the potential bacteria risk there, but I weigh up the pros and cons and give them regular probiotics to cover all bases.)
The brand of the dry fruit/veg mixes that I get from the supermarket is Trill, a reputable pet food brand that you can also get in pet stores. Some of the larger chips I do have to cut down a little smaller, but that's no drama. There are some nuts, dried herbs, and treat seeds like sunflower and sesame thrown in. Hopefully you can find something similar, as that certainly helped me a lot.
The way I got it to work (as well as getting them used to the more seed-like dry chips first) was by scattering it on a plate when they are out of the cage and making it look like something I am eating myself, and including some seeds there. I also scatter it on a clean section of the cage floor, towards the end of the day so that there isn't too much mixing with their droppings. (I'm wary of the potential bacteria risk there, but I weigh up the pros and cons and give them regular probiotics to cover all bases.)
The brand of the dry fruit/veg mixes that I get from the supermarket is Trill, a reputable pet food brand that you can also get in pet stores. Some of the larger chips I do have to cut down a little smaller, but that's no drama. There are some nuts, dried herbs, and treat seeds like sunflower and sesame thrown in. Hopefully you can find something similar, as that certainly helped me a lot.
Yes, it’s a bother when something good isn’t available in your part of the world.
I hoped mention of the dried Trill mixes, anyway, might be a good guide to finding something comparable in your neck of the woods. The veggie mix in particular is a nice one, including some combo of pumpkin, carrot, potato, capsicum, spinach, cabbage or celery, as well as some herbs. It is certainly handy to be able to add a variety of fruits and veggies to the daily menu in a format that is both quick and easy to dispense and won’t spoil - particularly if you’re going to be away for any length of time. And of course in your case the main, hoped-for advantage would be that your Dove will take to it better than he has to the fresh stuff (being more seed-like) - at least for starters.
I have today been in discussion with Doves Witness (a key contributor to this forum) about the dried fruit and veg component of a dove’s diet. He has alerted me to the potential for moulds or fungi to be present in dried fruits and sent a link to a study based on the US market: Fungal Presence in Selected Tree Nuts and Dried Fruits
Just so you are aware. It highlights that pineapple and papaya/pawpaw are the safest bet, and raisins the worst. But he also mentions that there are naturally anti-fungal foods you can feed your Dove to counteract the possible adverse effects of this, in case you are concerned.
I hope your Dove likes the rape seed. Incidentally, I started mine on chia seed today and they gobbled it up. Interesting, your experience with the grey-striped sunflower seed. At first, my two Doves couldn’t ingest this seed either, and I habitually removed it from their mix as a potential choke hazard. After they were treated for trichomoniasis, though (a nasty parasite they brought with them from their birth aviary, which can cause lesions on the oesophagus), they had no trouble with it. And safflower - yes, seems to be a favourite across the board.
I hoped mention of the dried Trill mixes, anyway, might be a good guide to finding something comparable in your neck of the woods. The veggie mix in particular is a nice one, including some combo of pumpkin, carrot, potato, capsicum, spinach, cabbage or celery, as well as some herbs. It is certainly handy to be able to add a variety of fruits and veggies to the daily menu in a format that is both quick and easy to dispense and won’t spoil - particularly if you’re going to be away for any length of time. And of course in your case the main, hoped-for advantage would be that your Dove will take to it better than he has to the fresh stuff (being more seed-like) - at least for starters.
I have today been in discussion with Doves Witness (a key contributor to this forum) about the dried fruit and veg component of a dove’s diet. He has alerted me to the potential for moulds or fungi to be present in dried fruits and sent a link to a study based on the US market: Fungal Presence in Selected Tree Nuts and Dried Fruits
Just so you are aware. It highlights that pineapple and papaya/pawpaw are the safest bet, and raisins the worst. But he also mentions that there are naturally anti-fungal foods you can feed your Dove to counteract the possible adverse effects of this, in case you are concerned.
I hope your Dove likes the rape seed. Incidentally, I started mine on chia seed today and they gobbled it up. Interesting, your experience with the grey-striped sunflower seed. At first, my two Doves couldn’t ingest this seed either, and I habitually removed it from their mix as a potential choke hazard. After they were treated for trichomoniasis, though (a nasty parasite they brought with them from their birth aviary, which can cause lesions on the oesophagus), they had no trouble with it. And safflower - yes, seems to be a favourite across the board.
Good news on both items 
This extra variety will be welcomed by your Dove; and it's great you know now that he will eat fruit after all.
Re the papaya sticking - oh dear. (I have found that pieces of raisin sometimes stick to my birds' feet and I have had to remove them a couple of times, but I haven't seen them sticking to the bill.) I'm not sure what to recommend except to try a less sticky dried fruit - perhaps pineapple? Incidentally, the pawpaw in the mix I buy isn't sticky. Can you get a packet of dried papaya pieces made specifically for birds? - see this one (in Australia) for reference: Pet Shop Direct - Premium Bird Treats Dried Paw Paw 500g
This extra variety will be welcomed by your Dove; and it's great you know now that he will eat fruit after all.Re the papaya sticking - oh dear. (I have found that pieces of raisin sometimes stick to my birds' feet and I have had to remove them a couple of times, but I haven't seen them sticking to the bill.) I'm not sure what to recommend except to try a less sticky dried fruit - perhaps pineapple? Incidentally, the pawpaw in the mix I buy isn't sticky. Can you get a packet of dried papaya pieces made specifically for birds? - see this one (in Australia) for reference: Pet Shop Direct - Premium Bird Treats Dried Paw Paw 500g
I'd bet that the major factors in whether or not the papaya is sticky are water, and sugar. So I searched the web only to discover that it is very difficult to find full product nutrition info for dried papaya. Even where some info is provided, they conveniently fail to include the water content. I did find some brands info at myfooddata.com which includes water, sugar, and added sugar.
Some brands have half the water content, so they would be drier (and a better value nutritionally.) The fourth entry disclosed "added sugar", and yet the total sugar and calories are about the same as those where "missing data" is listed. That would appear to indicate that all of them have added sugar. These products are intended for human consumption, and I couldn't find full nutritional info for any papaya products for pets, which is a bit frustrating.
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tools.myfooddata.com
Some brands have half the water content, so they would be drier (and a better value nutritionally.) The fourth entry disclosed "added sugar", and yet the total sugar and calories are about the same as those where "missing data" is listed. That would appear to indicate that all of them have added sugar. These products are intended for human consumption, and I couldn't find full nutritional info for any papaya products for pets, which is a bit frustrating.
Nutrition Comparison of Free Range Snack Co - Papaya Dices vs Paramount Snacks - Dried Papaya Chunks vs Giant Eagle Inc. - Dried Papaya Chunks vs Eillien's Candies Inc. - Dried Papaya vs Papaya Dried
Nutrition Comparison of Free Range Snack Co - Papaya Dices vs Paramount Snacks - Dried Papaya Chunks vs Giant Eagle Inc. - Dried Papaya Chunks vs Eillien's Candies Inc. - Dried Papaya vs Papaya Dried. Compare carbs, fat, protein, vitamins, minerals, and more between different foods or serving...
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