Aussie Finch Forum

Just wondering if I should take my pair of bh gouldians out of my large bird cage, as they have been in there for a couple of months now and are showing no sign of breeding.

Could I separate the pair for a few days (they are in a large cage with zebra finches and a canary)

Is the hens beak fully black?
It wont do any harm to separate them for a while, make so they can hear but not see each other.

[quote="bluebutterfly213"]Is the hens beak fully black?
Her beak is a grey colour.
The male is singing, but she pays no attention him.

There is a chance they are not a compatable pair. Have you got another hen or cock you could switch them around with?

No I only have the one pair

Based on the picture you posted in the other thread, I'd say the most likely reason your Gouldians are not breeding is overcrowding. The Zebs in particular can be quite pushy and will commonly monopolise all available nest sites.

Mmm, but there's many nesting places
I separated the female and they are chatting to each others, which is the first time they have communicated.

many nesting sites won't matter. gouldians i find like a bit of space around their nests, some bossy hens especially, so the zebs being the nosy birds they are may stop them breeding, regardless of number of nest sites. bigger aviary or even better a separate one for the goulds completely would be my suggestion.

Ok I will move them into a new cage

The number of nest sites isn't really so much of an issue in this case. Birds stake a claim to an area around their nest site as their territory. The size of this varies, but a good rule of thumb is at least 50cm in all directions. In your case, the poor Goulds would have no territory they could call their own without the zebs invading it constantly. Think of it this way: Say you moved into a new home only to discover that the bogan neighbors would come around whenever they liked, let themselves into your house, help themselves to the contents of your fridge, sit on your couch, watch your TV, sleep in your bed, use your bathroom and make a mess of your yard. You wouldn't feel very secure would you? Your sex life would certainly suffer if one of the neighbors might walk in on you at any time. That's something like what it would be like for a pair of Gouldians living cheek-by-jowl with a rowdy bunch of Zebra Finches.