Aussie Finch Forum

Finally, my Gouldians are interested in breeding. I've witnessed their beaks change colour, the bizarre mating ritual and now I'm watching them searching for a nesting place.

This seems to be causing some stress. Despite having a range of different options - open front boxes, open front boxes with overhang and dividers, array of different nesting baskets, a wire circular basket and the traditional boxes with entrance hole at front - both divided and undivided - she is hopping from place to place and has even built a nest on a ledge in the aviary. She has deserted this and continues to search for a nest spot. She is really pulsating - as if ready to lay an egg - but seems quite stressed, bouncing from nest box to nest box, stopping briefly to look but not going in. She has been most interested in one of the boxes with the hole in the front but just wont go in.

Is this normal behaviour? It stresses me watching them and the male just tags along with her and I can see he is getting stressed also.

Any advice appreciated - I should point out that none of my birds has bred yet (no matter what species) so this is new to me.

Sounds normal to me, Have you put a small amount of grass in the nest boxes? This will help, but she will be the one to choose, quite often the cock bird will go in and call the hen.

Okay. I've put some nesting grass in a couple of the boxes. Hope that makes the process easier for her. Thanks.

They like to think they are building a nest for themselves but are not very good at it. A box with a bit of grass stuffed in it and plenty more for them to finish the job is the go. I can't tell from your description if you've done this.

They won't use a basket, they prefer more space. L shaped boxes are among the most popular offering for them.

http://www.aussiefinchforum.net/viewtop ... t=L+shaped

The only nesting box I don't have is an L Shaped nesting box! Oh well, they'll have to make do. I thought I'd covered every combo!!!

I wouldn't worry too much about it.
I have 3 nest boxes in one aviary with a single pair of gouldians in there. Both of them have been popping in and out of all the boxes like yo yos.
Got a Mike Fidler design one, a quite large budgie box, one a normal size budgie box and a smaller one....at the moment it seems they have chosen the smallest!

Your right. Nothing to worry about. She has chosen one of the boxes and the male is busily collecting nesting materials. Stuffing some grass in the box did the trick