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Songbird
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Joined: 24 Jun 2024, 06:11
Location: United States

Hello! I bought a pair of Gouldian Finches a few mos ago. I was told they were a pair male/ female. It didn’t take me long to figure out I had two males. One red faced and one black face. Because I had no females they paired up. They even do the courtship dance with each other and take turns sitting in the nesting box as if sitting on eggs. So I bought two females and put them in with the males hoping they would figure out that they should pair up with the proper sex. It hadn’t worked!! The males still are acting as a mated pair. I have had the girls with them now for about a month. All was well until recently and the males began acting like they are nesting again and have become very aggressive towards the females. My question is will the males ever figure out they are males? Once paired will they always stay that way or will they eventually pair with a female? Right now it does not look promising. They will only court each other. They don’t even try to display to the females. I will try to take the nesting boxes out and see if they straighten up. Any advice would be helpful as I am new to finches.
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Craig52
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So you accidentally bought two males and they have paired up and know no difference to each other. This is what happens if the two have been partners for a while and it's very hard to break other than to set-up as separate true prs into aviaries/cages.
If you can't do this you might need to move a true pr on but keep what you think is the best true pr.
Remove the nest box and let them get to know each other and start to display. The hen needs to come into breeding condition and her bill will turn black that's when you replace the nest box with some nesting material placed inside formed in a fisted hollow bowl shape. Hope that helps 🙏
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finchbreeder
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Joined: 27 Jun 2009, 20:00
Location: Midwest of West. Aust. Coast
Location: Midwest of West.Aust.Coast

Naturally you will also provide 3 nest for 2 pairs, so each lady gets a choice.
Not doing so tends to = failure in the breeding stakes as they are too busy arguing over who gets which nest due to lack of choice.
We ladies gotta choose.
LML
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Songbird
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Joined: 24 Jun 2024, 06:11
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Craig52 wrote: 24 Jun 2024, 12:07 So you accidentally bought two males and they have paired up and know no difference to each other. This is what happens if the two have been partners for a while and it's very hard to break other than to set-up as separate true prs into aviaries/cages.
If you can't do this you might need to move a true pr on but keep what you think is the best true pr.
Remove the nest box and let them get to know each other and start to display. The hen needs to come into breeding condition and her bill will turn black that's when you replace the nest box with some nesting material placed inside formed in a fisted hollow bowl shape. Hope that helps 🙏
. I have removed the nests. The males have quit chasing the females and , of course, they are not trying to nest. I did not know females beaks would turn black. So far that has not happened to either female. That is good to know. So for now I will see what happens. Thanks!!
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Songbird
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finchbreeder wrote: 25 Jun 2024, 11:11 Naturally you will also provide 3 nest for 2 pairs, so each lady gets a choice.
Not doing so tends to = failure in the breeding stakes as they are too busy arguing over who gets which nest due to lack of choice.
We ladies gotta choose.
Yes, I did have 3 nesting boxes. 😁
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finchbreeder
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The beaks will not be all black - just blackish on part of the beak.
Good luck for when they are all in breeding condition.
LML
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Songbird
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finchbreeder wrote: 26 Jun 2024, 18:19 The beaks will not be all black - just blackish on part of the beak.
Good luck for when they are all in breeding condition.
Ok. Thanks for the info!!
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