Aussie Finch Forum

Just wondering about the difference between these 2 types.which is preferable the price seems sort of similar .
I alredy have a pair of tanninbars would they cross breed or should I be ok with parrotfinchs in with the tanninbars?
The other question is if anyone has had them ,are they as sickly as gouldians? iv given up on gouldians as they seem to die on me and I was warned they are a delicate bird,someone told me blue faced parrot finchs are the only other bird that can be a bit like gouldians in terms of sickning fast and dying

Both will hybridize with Tanninbars, The Red face are hardier than blues but if you have Tanninbars you could handle both

thats good to know..its the red im favoring as they are ment to be dissapearing due to cross breeding,I just dont want to get anything that will die like those poor goulds have im down to one pair from 4 originaly and im just expecting them to drop off their perch anyday(although they seem to thrive)its an awful thing to see ..are tanninbars supposed to be hard?? mine are very nervous but seem fine,iv had them about 10 weeks

Treat them same as gouldians protection from drafts etc plenty of thick bush to hide in.

Hi Amalan,
How long have you had your gouldians ? If it is'nt very long then you either have bought very weak birds, or you have a problem with your set-up or disease management.
If you did buy them from a pet shop it may be worth buying some from one of the breeders on this forum next time, pet shops can be a good source of disease.
But don't lose faith in the Gouldians, they are a reasonably easy bird to keep and breed.

iv had them from 3 different bird shops and they are the only finch I have lost in such numbers..I keep the cages clean they just fluff up and die.they are a beautiful bird but for their sake Im going to keep away from them.
perhaps the pair I have are stronger but im very tempted to try and rehome them while they are still healthy...im keeping a heat lamp on them all the time and iv put a grill at the bottom so they cannt pick off the floor perhaps its helping?? they do seem very healthy but im very nervous about them
I was talking to a bird dealer the other day who said he had a breeder come in who had had 53 babys that season and 46 had died in a 48 hour period thats how delicate they can be..
I guess I will see how the pair I have go and perhaps when I have more experience with birds I may try goulds again but iv met other bird breeders/keepers who have realy exotic expensive finchs who say they will not have goulds as they are too hard..I wish id listened .Its not just the cost its more that I think for whatever reason im just murdering them by getting more untill I "get the hang of it" as one pet shop sugested...

All parrotfinches are (to me at any rate) hi-maintenance and all cross with oen another with gay abandon!!

The result of the red/blue is a pretty bird but sterile.................

The Tri-colour - if you look at the size of their eyes you'll probably underatnd why they are nervous and hide a lot in the back of the aviary.............those eyes were made for dark hidden places!!
Nver did any good with mine until i placed them in a secluded, dark hidden aviary and after that they went nuts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

despite what many say most Gouldians are stress cadets and do not like being moved......I do not sell young until fully coloured and my mate has a "guarantee" for young uncoloured G's - 10kms or 10minutes whichever comes first!!!
Without down feathers moving must be done carefully as any stress in the new environment and they are less equipped to deal with it...........

Anyway, plenty far more interesting finches out there than G's.

Its funny hey i somewhat rough it with my gouldians and mine are fine. Only issue ive ever had was a bit of egg binding from vitamin d3 deficiancy. Maybe these birds your getting are indoor bred? Maybe.....hope you have some luck with the parrot finches if you choose to keep them. I recently got red faced and love erm.

thanks..am hoping to pop down and buy a pair of red faces tommorow.For the winter they can go in with the tanninbars and then by spring I will pop them in a bigger cage..
bensonsam what is so nice about them? in the shop the one time I saw some they looked happy active little guys thats why iv remembered them
forgot to answer earlyer , iv had gouldians for 9 months so way to short a time to loose 5 to virus(2 were a rat)
yes I see what you mean about the eyes,my guys have more brush now and I turned the cage away from the light so perhaps they will be better . I noticed when I went past a while ago they were hidden in the wattle leaves,there was not that pannicked flutter I usualy hear,that is an improvement..always learning new things here

They are always busy mine already land on my live food bowl before I put it down. And there just a pretty bird. They eat anything also. Let us no how u go amalan