Monthly Archives: September 2011

Information on how to breed zebra finches

Choosing the right zebra finches for breeding

If you want to begin breeding zebra finches, it is better if you call a vet so that he can help you to assess if they are in the right health for breeding. They should be free from any physical defect and over one year of age. The breeding zebra finches have to have enough room for flying around and to exercise. If you can get a bigger cage, then the better it will be for the zebra finches. You can add in the cage a woven nest or traditional a small box. If the finches cannot go to look for the nesting materials at their own, then remember to add the nesting materials in the cage such as shredded papers. Breeding zebra finches will also need a staple food like a pellet mix and finch seed. You can also supplement it with the vegetable and slices of fruits. Fresh sprouts are also nutritious and are good for the breeding pair. To prevent egg binding, you have to add the calcium supplement to the food you give your breeding zebra finches.

 Prepare where you will keep the babies

Normally you can expect to get at least 8 eggs at maximum for one clutch while the minimum can be 3. The female lays an egg every day until she finishes and she will begin incubating immediately after the last egg has been laid.

Normally you should begin to look for the babies in 12 to 15 days after the day the last egg has been hatched. If the egg is not hatched within 20 days, then you should begin to consider it infertile. You should let the breeding zebra finches to handle their babies at their own without any disturbance. Before you begin breeding zebra finches, you have to keep the following in mind. You have to select only suitable couple who are in the best condition to breed and to place them in the same cage.

Taking good care of the breeding zebra finches

When visiting breeding finches, let them be aware that you are coming so that you do not frighten them. Do not force them to leave the nest if they do not want to. Get ready with the nestling food so that you can begin to feed it to the breeding zebra finches as soon as the eggs start being hatched. You can buy the nestling food from the pet shop or you can make one yourself. In case you want to identify the birds later, you can fit them with a coded ring when they are at least 10 days. After two weeks, you have to get rid of the nest so that the breeding zebra finches  will not begin another clutch. After a month and a half, you have to get the babies out especially if you need another clutch from the parents. Sometime the parents also can begin to chase the babies out of the clutch by plucking the feathers. When the feathers begin to change colors, you will be able to differentiate the females and the males and to keep them apart if you want to. You should avoid inbreeding at all cost if you want to keep healthy zebra finches for long.

 

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Information on how to breed lady gouldian finches

The basics in breeding lady gouldian finches

Before you think about breeding lady gouldian finches, you have to prepare yourself in terms of money, time and space needed for them. You should also prepare first the place where you will keep the babies after the breeding. The babies have to be kept away from the parents after they have been weaned. You have also to decide if you will keep the babies yourself, sale them or give them to a friend or a relative. Once you have taught about the above, then you should be ready to learn more about breeding lady gouldian finches.

How to choose the finches to breed

Look for the males that you want to breed. You have to look for mature finches with at least 6-9 months old. Do not mix the type, look for the one which are of the same species. The breed also should be between the finches which are not related, do not try the inbreed. Choose the finches that look physically healthy, not too obese or too thin. It is good also if you look for the finches with the feathers that look alert and bright. Do not breeding lady gouldian finches, with any genetic defects and look for the finches that are already bonded to one another.

The best time for breeding lady gouldian finches

After choosing the finches for breeding lady gouldian finches, you will have to choose the place to bring them together. The finches normally breed in winter or fall, therefore you should not try to breed them during any other seasons.

Before breeding lady gouldian finches, make sure that the finches are eating diet with enough protein and calcium. The diet where you can get enough of these nutriments is in the chopped egg shell but after boiling it and chopped vegetables. This diet has to be given to breeding lady gouldian finches, from the time the first egg has been laid until the babies have finished their molting

Breeding lady gouldian finches in colony or alone

You can choose breeding lady gouldian finches, in colony or one pair for every cage. Each option has its own advantage and disadvantages. If you breed only one pair for a cage, then there will be no disturbance and no fighting and you will be able to control careful the birds to mate. However this option can make the pairs to fail to breed since there is not stimulation offered by the colony. If you choose breeding lady gouldian finches, in colony, you will be encouraging the breeding which is normally stimulated by the colony. The disadvantage is that you will not be able to control the mates you want to breed which may lead to aggression among the males.

Before you begin the breeding lady gouldian finches, remember to clip the finches toenails to avoid accidentally puncturing the eggs by the birds. Look into the cages everyday to change the water and the food. Look if there is any egg laid and keep the record of the dates they have been laid. However, you should check the eggs from a far since the disturbance can frighten the breeding lady gouldian finches and they can abandon the eggs.

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How to keep finches in your home

Features of house finches

keeping house finches is like keeping any other bird, what you have to know is to get all the necessary requirements and guidelines to keep them. The house finches thrive well in America climate and it is believed that the birds will grow in numbers in this area. The house finches have different features from other finches. The house finches have a narrow shape but they can be measured up to six inches. You can find the finches with different color such as buff, brown, gray and white. Before you begin keeping house finches, you should also learn on how to differentiate male and female. The male finches do have marking of orange in place of a red car. The females have the same colors and the one of the males but their façade is unmarked or just plain.

Diet of the house finches

Keeping house finches will not require you to have expensive diet since they eat plants, insects, fruits and sap. The house finches are friendly and they can sing any time of the day. When the birds perch or fly, you can hear them making a raspy and a sharp sound that resonate all over the place.
When you begin keeping house finches you should never try to separate them during the breeding season since they like to stay together. This is because they are normally loyal to each other. The female is the one to sit to the eggs while both parents will help each other to nurture the children when they have been born. The finches can have three different breeding seasons in one year.

Where to keep the house finches

In the winter season, you can find the finches together with other birds such sparrows, goldfinches and pine siskin. You can think about keeping house finches in your backyard since they will be able to be energetic and noisy as they want without any problem of noise to you. If you are keeping house finches and you still have the hanging basket, the house finches can use them for their nests. This can cause mess because of the droppings while the plant can also get damaged in the process. Therefore here are some tips which will help you to protect your plants during the house finches breeding season.
Since the house finches like to hang nests in the area where there is shelter, you can move the hanging basket from such areas. Do not put the hanging baskets near the place where you are keeping house finches or under the eaves or porch. Use reflective paper or fake snakes in the basket. The snakes and the light will help you to keep away the house finches. You have to provide a home to the finches when you begin keeping house finches and you can also use bird’s spikes in the hanging baskets to keep the finches away. You can also use the compact disk to scare away house finches from the hanging basket or any other places you do not want the finches to go.

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Get the best Gouldian finch for sale

 Booking for the finch you like

gouldian finch for sale is now easily available since many species are now breed in the captivity. However, since there is a high demand of this species, it is better if you identify a reputable company to place your order before the hatching so that you can be able to get the gouldian finch for sale you need as soon as the finches are hatched. Even if the gouldian finches are breed in great selection, they usually sell faster and if you did not book for the color and the types you want, you can miss out. If you want to be put on the list, then you have to send the email to the aviary with the facts about the finch you want. After the children have been hatched, they will have to stay a little longer to know which color they will be before they are sold out. For the cold season it may take longer than necessary to have the babies turning into the adult color. When the babies have the colors, then the orders will be filled out from the person who is on the top. You will get the chance to get your finches as early as you are on the list. Since there is no guarantee on the colors that the breed will have or how many babies will be hatched or survive, the company should not take any deposit for the gouldian finch for sale. You have to pay for the finches when they have confirmed your order.

 The Gouldian finch for sale diet

Normally the finches can grow up to 5 inches by if they are taken good care of in their captivity they can grow up to the 6 inches. The gouldian finch for sale originated in Australia where they lived in dry Eucalyptus. They normally feed on the ripe sorghum but they can also eat other things such as spiders, termites and beetles. If you are considering having the gouldian finch for salefor keeping as pets, then you should remember that you will have to keep them in humid place with enough space for flying around. They get stressed when they are kept in small cages. Since they are social bird, when getting your gouldian finch for sale, get more than just one pair of finches.

 Types of the Gouldian finch for sale

When looking into the gouldian finch for sale you can choose among the three subtypes according to their colors. There are red headed, black headed and yellow headed. When choosing gouldian finch for sale, you will find out that you will be required to pay more for a female than a male and you can pay around 100 dollar for one female finch. The male will cost around 75 dollar only. Consider to get the gouldian finch for sale in pair since you can pay for them 150 dollar therefore saving in the process. If you are looking for gouldian finch for sale to keep as pet, you have to keep in mind that they considered as endangered species, therefore you have to ensure that you give them the right care so that they can survive.

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Varity types of finches

Different types of finches that you can choose from

There is much Type of pet finches but the one which is the most popular is the zebra finch and society or Bengalese finch. This is because these types are easy to care for even to a new owner. There are some Type of pet finches such lady Gouldian which are beautiful but it is hard to care for and it is normally bred by experienced finches’ owners.

 Think first about the cage before you bring in the pet finches

The finches are normally small but since they are active, they are also fun to watch. However, regardless of the Type of pet finches you want to keep, you have always to keep in mind that even if the finches are small, you will have to give them enough space to fly in when building their cages and you have to think first in terms of length than height. If you want to keep finches, it is better if you keep them in pairs and since they are normally social among themselves than to people, then you can also think to keep more than 6 finches. However, even if they do not like to have people handling them, they can be tamed and they can make you happy to see.

 Type of pet finches according to their colors

According to the Type of pet finches, you may expect to see the lifespan of the finches around 5-15 years. If you want to increase the life span of your finches, then it is better if you watch closely about its husbandry and diet.

Among the Type of pet finches you can keep, the most popular is the zebra finches. They are also easily found in American Pet trade. They are attractive species while the males are the most attractive of all of them. The females and males have orange beaks but the male one is brighter. However, as the zebra finches are kept as pet, they change the coloration and now they are available in a wide range of colors. You have also to keep in mind about the lightening of the finches cages. You will find that most of people like to use full spectrum lighting since it also contributes to the molting or breeding behavior. However, you can consider different type of lightening according to the Type of pet finches of finches you want to keep.

According also to the Type of pet finches, you can find out that they have different behavior according to their genera and subfamilies. There are some species which feed their children on the insects while others feed their children on the seeds.

 Common types of pet finches

The Type of pet finches is divided into the following subfamilies. The cardueline finches, the typical grosbeaks, The American Rosefinches, the Bullfinches, the Arid zone clade, Asian Rosefinches, Goldfinch canary crossbill clade and carduelinae incertae sedis. There are also Type of pet finches  known as the Hawaiian Honeycreepers and Euphonious Finches.

If you are keeping pet finches, then you have to know that the finches are normally vegetarian. You have to include buds, weed seeds and fruit into their diet. If you want to do finches bird watching, then you have to follow the sunflower seeds.

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Lady Gouldian finches

Lady Gouldian finches are the best finches you can keep

Lady Gouldian finches also known as the Rainbow finch or the Gould’s finch, is a colorful passerine bird found in Australia. Even if the bird is being bred in captivity, there is evidence that they continue to decline. People were encouraged to keep the Lady Gouldian finches in their homes after the declaration that they are endangered species in the wild. The bird has been named after the first person who described it John Gould during the year 1844. It is a member of the Estrilididae weaver finch family or is considered as a member of the subfamily Passeridae.

 The origins of the Lady Gouldian finches

The Lady Gouldian finches are believed to be of Indian origin and that it may have dispersed towards Pacific Ocean and Africa. The female and the birds are both colored in different colors such as marking, yellow, green and black. However, the females are not brightly colored as males. The difference between the sexes is that the chest of male is purple while the one of female is mauve.

The Lady Gouldian finches can be about 140 cm and the head can be black, red or even yellow. These colors were used to differentiate the types of Lady Gouldian finches kinds. However selective breeding can have different colors such as silver, yellow, blue and green on the back.

 Distinctive feature of Lady Gouldian finches

Young Lady Gouldian finches also have their own distinctive colors. The heads, necks and sides can be grey while their backs, tail feathers and wings look like olive green. The underside is pale brown. The beaks look blackish with a red tip. Feet and legs are light brown. The newly hatched Gouldian Finches are pink and naked until they reach 12 days old and the feathers will begin to appear. The beaks of young birds have phosphorescent beads that help their parents to recognize them in dark. The Lady Gouldian finches live in tropical savanna woodlands and they are move only within a small radius. They can change their habit only when the food or water has been reduced. Before the government of Australia put a ban on the Export of all Australian Fauna, Lady Gouldian finches were being exported in the whole world. This is why you will find many breeding population in different countries. This breeding in captivity has helped to breed the birds with many color mutations. The result is blue back, white breasted, yellow back, silver, pastel or even pure white birds.

 Lady Gouldian finches are endangered birds

Since the habitat of Lady Gouldian finches have been altered or decreased, the birds also begun to decline in number. The research has shown that the air borne parasite known as sac mite had been responsible for this decline. The birds are also known to be susceptible to different disease or viral infections. They are easily caught up by predators because of their bright colors. However, the Lady Gouldian finches  which are in the trouble are the one still in the wild. The ones breed for pet trade are popular and they have survived for long. The conservation methods include protecting their natural habitats.

 

 

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How to keep gouldian finch as pets

The important information on how to keep gouldian finch as pets

Many people who keep the gouldian finch as pets , they keep them in colony even if the bird is not normally a colony bird. Outside breeding season, you can find the gouldian finch as pets with other types of finches such as masked finches or long tailed finches. This is one way of protecting themselves against predators. In the breeding season, they look for slopes since the vegetation is sparse and in dry season they move to any place where there is water or food.

When you keep the gouldian finch as pets , you have to know that this bird is normally a seed eater. In breeding season, the bird will feed on half ripe or ripe sorghum seeds. In dry season, they eat fallen seeds from the ground. In wet season they like spinex grass seed. It is believed that the bird only eats 6 types of seeds but there is not yet any indication that they eat insect.

 How to breed the gouldian finch as pets

The gouldian finch as pets makes their nests in a tree holes. If they are in the wild, they will make the nests near the water. They like to breed in the beginning of dry season when the food is in plenty. During the courtship, the male dance for the female and it is something fascinating to see. After mating, the female can lay up to 8 eggs and both parents help each other to brood the eggs in the daytime and females sit on the eggs during the night. When the babies are hatched, the parents will help one another to care for their children. The babies will begin to leave the nest from 19 to 23 days and they will begin to leave at their own after 40 days.

The gouldian finch as pets can also be reared by other species such as spice finches or society finches. However, the babies reared by the Gouldian themselves have a better chance of survival than others. Normally to ensure that the breed have the same number of sex. The Gouldian has to be matted with the Gouldian with the same head color. If you keep the gouldian finch as pets always keep in mind that they need vitamins, perches, cuttlebones, gravel, fresh water and fresh food everyday. Since some birds cannot produce the vitamins at their own, then you should ensure that they have enough vitamins everyday. You will have to change the gravel every month and to clean and to disinfect the cage regularly.

 The best climate for the gouldian finch as pets

Sometime it can be hard to keep gouldian finch as pets outside of the Australia natural climate but if you can regulate its climate conditions it will do well. Never forget to add cuttlebone and Grit to the finch’s diet. The gouldian finch as pets result in many mutations such as albinos, white, silver, blue, yellow and dilute Gouldian Finches. Beside the gouldian finch as pets kept in captivity, you can find the Gouldian finch in its natural habitat especially in the Cape York Peninsula, Queensland and Kimberley areas in Australia.

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How to choose the Zebra finches for sale

 Tips on buying the zebra finches online

If you want, you can buy Zebra finches for sale while they are still babies and while they are in pairs and you can choose the color you like. Even if you can buy the finches in the aviary near you, you can also buy them online. You can by according to the color you want in the sorted birds or you can just by the finches without taking too much care about the color. When buying from online store, you have to keep in mind the following. Do not ever part with your money if you are not sure about the authenticity of the goods you are buying. Since the sellers put the location where they are, then you have to begin to look for seller who is near you so that you can meet him personally or you can go to check what he is selling. When looking for the Zebra finches for sale, always keep in mind to buy them in pairs especially a male and female to help you in breeding.

 The reason why you can look for finches for sale

Before you begin to think about keeping the Zebra finches for sale, you have to learn many things to make sure that you have the best zebra finches. Learn all you can get about their cages or aviaries, about diet information and mostly about the breeding. You keep zebra finches for the mere reason to help you in breeding, but you can also keep them for Zebra finches for sale.

If you want to keep them for the reason of selling them, then you have also to learn how to help them in breeding easily. Normally the zebra finches are known to be aggressive builders and they like to use the bamboo for their nesting needs. When it is time for nesting, the males are the one to gather materials and to take them to the building area. If your zebra finches are caged, then you will have to bring artificial nesting materials for them when they need to breed. When the zebra finches begin nesting, their diet also has to change. The laying of eggs and the breeding may take approximately 2 months. If you are the one who breed the zebra finches in the first place, you have also to make sure that the finches that are related do not cross breed since it may weaken the offspring and the entire breed.

Where you can begin looking for Zebra finches for sale

When looking for the best Zebra finches for sale ensure that you buy the best zebra finches on an affordable price. You can buy the finches from private or business sales and it is better if you visit the finches you want to buy before you begin the buying process. If it is your first time to look for the Zebra finches for sale you should take an ex perienced zebra finches keeper to choose the right breed for you. If you want a particular type of Zebra finches for sale  you can also place an advert online and the owners will look for you.

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