Can doves learn to not be ground feeders/drinkers?

[Thalia]

I just set up my flight and have a ring necked dove in with 2 Gouldians and a canary. I put dishes on the floor of the cage with water, pellets, seeds and grit, then I have suspended feeders and waterers on the sides of the cage adjacent to perches. This morning I was watching the birds and I saw my dove pecking at the supendended waterer, at first I thought he was just pecking, but then I got a little closer and he was drinking! Has anyone had success getting their doves to just use suspended feeders and waterers? Obviously I won't be taking away the ground dishes any time soon, but I will be monitoring how quickly the water level goes down.

[David]

Congrats! Your Doves even can drink water from the drinker! I don't have any Doves at home but only finches I was training them to use the food dispenser which takes about a whole week before they use them, but they only eat seeds from there, not water tho. I still provide ground feeders/drinkers for them just in case, overall finally they know seeds are from the dispenser feeder not just the ground feeder lol. Next time I will try to train them to use the drinker as well, but it takes time because sometime they are not that good when explore new items in their cages. Not hurt to try tho since I have ground feeders and sometime I hang them on the sides of their cage so they can learn it first!

[MiaCarter]

I've seen them drink from those little cage/mounted waterers and feeders. So I know it can be done, though I've never tried it myself.
It just had to be low enough for them to access it comfortably while standing on the floor.

I think it's the same as you'd do for a finch or whatnot in terms of letting them get acclimated to it.

[Gráinne Barrett]

When I bought my diamond doves I gave them a bit of seed on the floor of the cage and they eat readily from suspended feeders!

[DanteD716]

I never even knew they were bottom feeders. I just put regular feeders and both my pairs use them

[fluffydust]

My diamond dove (and when I had others too) all drink out the drinkers and hoppers attached to the cage, I always put some food in a dish on the ground anyway as the finches enjoy a bit of variety and I change the water dish on the ground every day as they use it as a bath.

But yeah theres no reason a dove cant drink from hoppers and gravity drinkers.