Issues in red-eared firetail management

Includes Species Profile.
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mattymeischke
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Posts: 862
Joined: 25 Jul 2011, 20:25
Location: Southern Tablelands of NSW

Hello.
When I recently picked up a REF cock in the Hunter, the fellow I bought it from had some interesting ideas about management of REFs, some of which I hadn't heard before. I would be interested in the views of the forum on these points.

(i) Need a large heavily planted aviary.
- seems many people are keeping them in smaller (down to 1x3m) aviaries, some with success. It seems this requirement has been a little overstated, or perhaps the captive-bred pirds are more tolerant. In any case, mine went down in quarantine in a space much smaller than that usually recommended for REFs.
(ii) Must be kept as single pairs with no other birds.
- I have recently seen a couple of mixed collections including REFs, in both cases the breeders said they had had no trouble. The man I got the cock from says he always keeps them with a pair of redbrows, as the REFs (and also apparently the beautiful firetails) sometime stop feeding their chicks around day 5, and the redbrows will reportedly feed them if the parents don't. He ascribed this practice to D. Myers.
(iii) Need constant Nilstat to prevent death from fungal infection
- this was a new one on me. He mixes it with the seed, and quoted the vet known as Myzo on this forum as recommending same. i would be concerned that this would lead to development of resistant fungal agents and the possibility of untreatable disease. Further, some of the people who I know have bred them successfully do not give antifungals at all ever.
(iv) Aniseed in the seed
- he reckons they have trouble getting enough protein intake, so he uses aniseed oil through the seed as an appetite stimulant. I note that they don't get insect food. He does also feed greens. I did wonder if the routine application of Nilstat to the seed was what made the aniseed necessary. My feeling on REFs and insect food was that they do not take moving food, but have taken various forms of inanimate insect food for me. Mudgbreeder has some that take maggots; I think that would be a great help in ensuring an adequate breeding diet.

The man I got the birds from is hugely respected by many birdos, and I do not doubt his skills. Some of the practices described above were new to me, however, and I would be grateful for anyones thoughts or experience on these points.
Avid amateur aviculturalist; I keep mostly australian and foreign finches.
The art is long, the life so short; the critical moment is fleeting and experience can be misleading, crisis is difficult....... (Hippocrates)
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TomDeGraaff
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Posts: 1024
Joined: 25 Jul 2012, 11:04
Location: Melbourne

Hi Matt.

My only comment is about constant use of antifungals as a preventative. It is not wise imo because of resistance issues that may arise. I have never kept the species but constant use of any of these drugs is not wise in the long term.
Also, wormers should be regularly changed, making sure the active ingredient is the thing changed. This is for the same reason.
Tom
PS Bulbuls doing fine!! :)
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firetail555
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Joined: 26 Oct 2012, 13:24
Location: Botanic ridge Vic

Hi Mate, I know of the fungal problem that Myzo diagnosed (not the whereabouts though). It appears to be a problem in the damper conditions and I am not sure that he would have recommended constantly dosing them up with it. And they are not the only birds that they are seeing these fungal problems in.

When I first got my firetails about 15 years ago, the seller recommended keeping them in a breeding cabinet for a month or so to help quieten them down. This I feel was successful as I then went on to breed them in a 3m x 1m DRY aviary.

I would be inclined to get the birds tested for fungal infections before I dosed them up with Nystatin (it is a pain to mix anyway) which can be done by dropping samples to start with.

David
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mattymeischke
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Posts: 862
Joined: 25 Jul 2011, 20:25
Location: Southern Tablelands of NSW

Good idea to quieten them, I think, though I'd not heard that approach before. Mine mostly go through a smaller quarantine aviary first, which might have a bit of the same effect...
Interesting that you bred them in a 1x3m space 15 years ago; the idea that they need very large aviaries seems very persistent.

Tom, glad to hear the bulbuls are going well; I do miss the sound of them in the morning.
Avid amateur aviculturalist; I keep mostly australian and foreign finches.
The art is long, the life so short; the critical moment is fleeting and experience can be misleading, crisis is difficult....... (Hippocrates)
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Bruffy62
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Posts: 12
Joined: 08 May 2016, 11:03
Location: Dwellingup

Dont want to rub in in too much but i live south of Perth, Dwellingup, we have a group of about 15 or more that come and feed within 3 mtrs of us as we have a coffee, my ageing mum feeds all the birds as she wants their company when no one is home ( finch/parrot mix)
From what ive read , theyre a drama to breed - so i'm happy to watch them. ( ive never seen any aggression when they share food- no doubt when confined any traits may be seen
At a guess i would use 1 pair to a huge aviary ( not economical unless u've got a well paying job)
NB: they dissapear about november to january? Maybe too hot and go to the valley creeks where it is cooler????
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