Abstract
I would like to add a pair of fruit
doves/pigeons to my bird collection.
There are many questions I need
answered before attempting to keep
these exotic species. Are the fruit
doves/pigeons cost prohibitive to my
budget? Do I have to construct special
aviaries to house them? How hard is it
to feed these specialized eaters? How
big or small are the fruit doves /
pigeons? Are they really as hard to
keep as everyone says they are?
This article will hopefully answer
these and any other questions you
may be asking yourself. I have spent
many hours on the phone talking
with the limited number of aviculturists
and several zoos keeping these
species of birds. I have asked many
questions and found that everyone
was very willing to share their gained
knowledge with me.
I've been in the dove fancy some 12
or 13 years now and have always
wanted to add a pair or two of the
fruit doves to my collection of foreign
doves and pigeons. I never purchased
a pair because of the questions I
raised at the start of this article. These
fears have been erased. The next pair
of doves added to my existing collection
of 34 different species of doves/
pigeons will be the fruit doves.