Gouldians in breeding cages

[cranberry]

Hi folks,

My Gouldians have been setup in their breeding cages for a week now and they just don't seem to like it. I see my Goulds in the aviary having fun, flying around all day, investigating their nest boxes etc. but the ones in the cages seem nervous, flighty and uninterested in their surrounds. I wonder if I have done the right thing. These birds came from the main aviary to start with and I wonder if they are homesick (if that's possible). Should I release them back into the main aviary or should I persist with the breeding cages? The purpose to split them up was to breed Aus Yellow with Aus Yellow.

Has anyone else had this problem and how did you fix it?

[Diane]

Maybe try putting the cabinets in the aviary.

[gouldianpaul]

maybe you picked a pair that isn't quite ready to breed....maybe try a different pair or split this pair and change the cock/hen

[Fincho162]

What you describe is just a typical reaction of an aviary bred/reared bird when first introduced into a smaller cabinet/cage.
Nothing at all to worry about.
Ensure that the cage is somewhere that is quiet and that they can hide in the cabinet.........even hanging a towel over a portion of the cage gives them a "safe" place to go until they become acclimatised to their new environment.

Maybe even the nest box will give them a place to hide until they feel confident in their new surrounds............try to avoid your interaction with them until they have gotten over the fact that the huge person with the seed bowl is a lot closer than in the aviary!!
Drop of Vita B or Glucodin in the water for a few days..............

I had a pair of White-breasts years ago that were the same..........I made sure that I "announced" myself whenever going near or past them and they settled down and bred 16 in the lounge room on a book shelf...........after a couple of weeks they took no interest in me at all.....save as a source of interesting food stuffs

Mind u thus saying there are some rare finches that never fully adapt to smallcage life............but 98% do.

Unfortunately for a controlled breeding program u may have to bite the bullet and give them a bit longer to adapt to their new cage............
Good luck!!

[jusdeb]

Sometimes something simple like turning a nest box around to face a different direction or such little changes can make them happy . I was reading about Red Rumps not breeding year after year until the breeder removed a branch that was too close to the entrance ( predator instinct ) then they bred copiously .

Who knows what they are thinking , 1 would think they would feel secure in a breeding cabinet .

Try tweaking the cabinets a bit before you decide whether or not to put them back in to aviary.

Just my opinion , 1 week more at least to see if things work out oh and just an after thought ...are they closer to humans now ? Are they being watched more than usual now ? Is it a high traffic area ( kids , pets etc ).

[Diane]

Sometimes something simple like turning a nest box around to face a different direction

Debs right, I remember that happened to me last year, I had the box opening facing out so that I could see in easier, the hen wasnt happy at all, male just about doing handstands for her. So I moved the box so the opening faced along the length of the cabinet and the hen was in the box within minutes.

What you describe is just a typical reaction of an aviary bred/reared bird when first introduced into a smaller cabinet/cage.

Agree with this too, I have noticed birds brought in from the aviary to a smaller area will sit on a perch and "flick" their wings a lot. Takes a couple of weeks for them to settle.
Maybe the "halfway" solution might be the way to go for while, get them used to the cabinet while there is enough activity in the aviary to distract them.

[Buzzard-1]

Unless the two birds were bonded in the aviary they would be missing their mates. Time is the only healer.

[cranberry]

Thanks for the replies guys. These birds didn't have mates before being paired up. The 2 hens are from gomer who told me the birds were born in 2010 so they haven't bred yet. Their leg bands confirm this. They are in my garden shed so there is nobody around there except in the evening when I change their water and top up their seed.

There is an overhead shelter on their cages using a piece of particle board. So is it worth persisting with them? If they are compatible, how long do they usually take to settle down?

Here are a couple of pics of my setup:

cage 003 (Small).jpg

cage 004 (Small).jpg

[jusdeb]

Give them more time , love doesnt always happen in an instant....

[Matt]

For me, if a pair that are in breeding condition aren't showing signs of being interested in each other after 10 minutes I will swap the cock bird unless I really want to breed from that particular pair. If you have enough pairs to play with, this is the best way to get compatible pairs and young on the perch early.

The first thing I would do in your situation is put a screen between the cages so the pairs can't see each other. I'd give them another week and if their is still no action, split them up for a couple of weeks and try again.