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What live food do Red-Faced Parrot finches like?
Posted: 31 May 2010, 22:14
by cranberry
Meal worms or maggots (gents)?
Re: What live food do Red-Faced Parrot finches like?
Posted: 31 May 2010, 22:30
by Matt
I haven't tried maggots but they will absolutely gorge themselves on mealworms if allowed to. Some pairs on the other hand, wont touch them if they weren't raised on live food until they have young of their own.
Re: What live food do Red-Faced Parrot finches like?
Posted: 01 Jun 2010, 11:51
by Diane
Mine will be the first at anything I put out in the aviary. Mealworms are a favourite, they also like those little flies I have been catching. I have seen them zooming around in hot pursuit of a moth that got into the aviary too. Green seed heads too.
Re: What live food do Red-Faced Parrot finches like?
Posted: 01 Jun 2010, 18:26
by Pete Sara
just be careful with the mealies. apparently i have read that the skins can cause a few problems in red face..i have a few pair of redface and have only seen one pair eating the mealies.......pete
Re: What live food do Red-Faced Parrot finches like?
Posted: 01 Jun 2010, 22:13
by SA Parrot Finch Man
All the Parrot Finches i have had in the past were masters of eating out the inners of mealworms without even ingesting any of the skins. All that is left is a hollow shell of the mealworm which has had all contents squeezed out so i don't think Parrot Finches will have any problems...
Mick.
Re: What live food do Red-Faced Parrot finches like?
Posted: 02 Jun 2010, 10:40
by Diane
poitta wrote:just be careful with the mealies. apparently i have read that the skins can cause a few problems in red face..i have a few pair of redface and have only seen one pair eating the mealies.......pete
what was the problem with the skins?
SA Parrot Finch Man wrote:All the Parrot Finches i have had in the past were masters of eating out the inners of mealworms without even ingesting any of the skins.
My parrot finches do the same, its amazing how they manoeuvre the mealworm back and forth and leave the casing totally empty.
Re: What live food do Red-Faced Parrot finches like?
Posted: 02 Jun 2010, 20:02
by SA Parrot Finch Man
Diane, Apparently the skins can be toxic if consumed in a large amount or so i have heard...I have never had a problem in the past...
Mick
Re: What live food do Red-Faced Parrot finches like?
Posted: 02 Jun 2010, 21:56
by Mickp
my parrotfinches dont eat the skin, they squeeze the mealworms and get the juicy bits out that way.
its almost like watching a kid squeeze the toothpaste tube
Re: What live food do Red-Faced Parrot finches like?
Posted: 03 Jun 2010, 10:02
by arthur
Dont know if toxic or gum up the digestive system either way if they kill the bird result is the same
Many softbill chicks will succumb to too many mealworms in their first 7 days but are happy with them after that indicating that skins are hard for the tiny nestlings to digest
Some successful breeders will only feed the small white-skinned mealworms . . Others will feed no mealies at all
Young wrens seem to have no problems at all