Aussie Finch Forum

A HUUUUGE thank you to VR1ton for sending over a pair of BBBQ for me, and finding another unrelated pair elsewhere and sending them over at the same time!!! The box you knocked up is great, did the job perfectly. All birds arrived safe and sound, and have started settling in well, besides the pair that started fighting (have been separated for the time being to let the female mature, as she was the one being picked on)!

I'll get some pics when the birds have settled and the weather is a bit better, been cloudy most of today, and windy as anything!

congratulations spanna

Congrats Spanna Hope they breed for you

Hooray!! How exciting! :D

Lack of sleep (sun isn't even up over here) means you flockers get a photo!
Not the best pic, but they're still quite timid, slowly tempting them out with live food. I'm sure I'll have many questions over the coming weeks, but because you're all dying to answer more questions, I'll ask some now.....
I'm feeding them live food twice daily, though I'm not sure if this is a necessity. Should I only be feeding this when they are breeding? My concern is that obesity will result if I keep feeding as much as they want. Is their diet more of an opportunistic type (ie if there is live food they will eat only live food, if not they will take seed), will they stuff themselves like Mr Creosote, or should I be limiting their diet to more seed, some live food and some greens? I am also planning on making a finch cake today, so may give them some of that too.
All I can find on diet tells me what they eat, but never how much of what! so instead of trial and error, why not ask my handy experienced online community?

Cheers

What a beautiful bird

Thanks J, I do agree, was trying to tempt them out with mealworms this arvo with a little bit of luck no I just need to throw mealworms with one hand and take photos with the other...

Any comments or suggestions on diet? Anyone?

Well, I don't know if I can really say much as I only have a male little ATM, but they go nuts for live food. I know littles have a large beak for dealing with seed, and the beak of the bird in the picture is much thinner in comparison suggesting a broader more insect based diet perhaps? They're real earth movers, so at also points to a high-insect diet. I'd be happy to send through some scans from books if you want.

Thanks J, I'm a sponge for any bird info, will PM you.

With the amount of digging that a black breasted does (brace yourself for it - you'll think mice with backhoes have moved in) they musy be the fittest, hardest working birds in aviculture - a few extra mealworms is fine to keep this stamina up and won't cause obesity. Keep seed/chick starter out but put it in a cat litter tray or it will be consume in the avalanche. You may be laughing now but get back to me in a week.