Aussie Finch Forum

Hello there,

I'm just returning to keeping Aussie finches after a good couple of decades away - and hoping you can help me with a beginners question.

I'm going to keep pairs of Plumheads, Shafttails, Diamond Firetails and possibly Chestnut Breasted Mannikins. Do you have any advice on feeding, or the need to feed livefood to these birds during the breeding season. Years ago I tried small mealworms with various finches, but they were always ignored (even when cut up). I'm in the US and don't have ready access to good quality maggots, or other similar small livefood you have in Australia/Europe - but waxmoth larvae are available, and I wondered if anyone has had success feeding these? Or any other advice on livefood for the birds I mention.

All comments welcome!

Cheers, Neil

Keeping Waxworms here is frowned upon by the Bee keepers as they can invade their hives.
I have used them ages ago and found them an excellent form of live food.
As for the species you mentioned in my opinion they should breed on your normal seed diet
plus little extras.
PLUS soaked seed and/or heaps of green seeding heads.
Soaked seed is really good for birds feeding chicks.

Waxworms were brilliant livefood for my frogs/newts that i kept when i was younger, and i very much wish i could get my hands on some for my birds!