too friendly..

25 Feb 2011, 19:37

Has anyone got any ideas on how to seperate a group that seem to have formed a commune? I have 4 gouldians,4 zebras and 3 maniquins ,all in a big portable avery with 9 nesting boxs or baskets ...they have all decided to live in the one nest box all add to the nest and groom eachother its all very sweet but short of actualy seperating them into other smaller cages will they move out eventualy and breed or what? its been like this for 3 months now, Its better than bullying but Im realy keen for them to breed

25 Feb 2011, 20:29

I don't think you have any option but to try and separate them if you want them to breed.
Zebs and mannikins are notorious for what you describe- getting too friendly. That's fine if you just want to look at them but if you'd prefer them to breed I think I'd at least put the Gouldians on their own.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

25 Feb 2011, 22:45

Years ago I had mixed aviaries - finches in with parrots and so on. I had zebs in with pale headed rosellas. I was shattered the rosellas made no attempt to breed, didn't even give the nest log a passing glance, as they were proven breeders before I got them. At the end of the season I took the log out to discover the zebs had filled it to the brim with grass - and this log was nearly two feet deep! That was the last season I bothered with zebs....

25 Feb 2011, 23:38

Provided you have 6 or 7 nest boxs for them to choose from and lots of nesting material I would think they will, when they are in condition, breed. How are they looking? Apart from friendly? My Bengos and Zebs get friendly in some boxs and breed in others. And the parrot situation is a different kettle of fish. If there had been 2 logs it probably wouldn't happen, but you would have needed to be aware of the risk in advance. Hindsight is such a wonderful thing.
LML

26 Feb 2011, 07:51

Normally, I would agree Finchbreeder but given there are 9 nest boxes or baskets in there and they are all camping in one nest, I don't know that extra nest boxes are the answer.

I agree about the parrots though. However, knowing how things work in aviculture, you'd still probably find that both the parrots and finches would want the same box!!

26 Feb 2011, 08:41

just to clarify, are these 'mannikins' bengalese/society finches, or are they munia/nun/mannikin species?

26 Feb 2011, 19:24

hi they are the brown and white bengalise ,I love them for their happy nature and I also read they often help raise gouldiens .I guess I should just be gratefull they get on ..It is a sweet sight to see all those little faces in the one box!!!
I will try the gouldiens in a cage for a while .The zebs did raise 2 eggs/chicks in the box at xmas time ,I had no idea till I realised I had extras...