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Post by Learner on Apr 25, 2017 1:16:17 GMT
I'm not sure if this is the right section to post in but here goes:
Having waited for weeks and months and ages (a year or more of considering it) I took the plunge the other day having nipped in to our local pet shop for a big bag of budgie seed and various other bits for the bunny.
I always have to nose into the rear of the shop to check the "critters for sale" section. In the lowest of four cages were a few lively foreign finches. Normally I look and leave but... these particular birds were a real mixture of colours: fawns, greys and grey pied and white as well as black.
Several days went by.... and I decided I would visit again but not rush and I would buy the one male grey pied zebra that had caught my eye if it was still there but I needed to find him an unrelated companion so..
I posted online asking our local group of bird keepers if anyone had a hen zebra finch for sale. I heard back very quickly from a chap who lives very close to me. He was happy to give me a pair of birds or just a hen if that's what I wanted. I visited and came home again... complete with a pretty fawn hen. The breeder refused my offer of a spot of cash to help with his seed bill. Nice chap.
So now I too have a Mr & Mrs Meep. They've settled in well together. They are feeding well and lively.
Once they have had their 40 days and nights in a cosy flight cage I hope to place them into the new flight in the aviary and introduce them to a couple of budgies. Good idea or not?
Zebras are fascinating little birds - their speed and energetic flitting about reminds me of my teenage years when I had dozens of zebras and even entered some that I had bred into local shows and won the odd rosette now and then. They are busy little parents... dashing about with nesting materials and popping in and out of nest boxes and later following the fledglings about to feed them. Having families will be restricted - I can't be doing with a population explosion.
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Post by jellybean on Apr 25, 2017 7:05:26 GMT
Well done Learner, your patience paid off. Hope we can get to see some pictures of your two new little additions In fact I don't remember ever seeing pictures of any of your budgies,
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Post by samwiseg on Apr 25, 2017 7:38:25 GMT
Goodness me Learner! My my - you really have taken on something here! Do you plan to breed them? Because I am betting they will make that decision for you! LOL!
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Post by Learner on Apr 25, 2017 12:55:30 GMT
Photos of the happy couple? I'll try but they belt about faster than my camera's processor moves Budgie photos - I'm sure I've posted some in the past - but it's a fiddle sorting out photo-housing. Breeding zebras = I expect "we" will get around to it eventually but without a nest-box the population will remain stable. They are lovely with chicks and nest building is a delight to watch.
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Post by skysmum on Apr 25, 2017 14:49:22 GMT
Welcome Mr Mrs Meep . Mine live very happily with the buds, they are too quick to be caught and i would worry more about my buds than the Meeps, they are a force to be reckoned with especially when they have an egg to guard I know you have had them before Learner but just a little word of warning, while they are in a controlled area its fine but when they have free flight in the aviary be vigilant, unlike Buds they really DONT need a nest box, im constantly clearing corners on the floor of feathery nests full of eggs and that's just from two lone females, they have also recently discovered that they can squeeze into the hanging feeders and make a nest there too so those feeders had to go as well, if the boys were in there too there would be trouble, my pairs are kept in cages to keep control. I will now, enjoy them, i love the little critters
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Post by Hezz on Apr 25, 2017 20:06:30 GMT
I will be interested to know how your Meeps are better behaved than skysmum's, Learner. I shall be very interested to know how you will keep their breeding instincts under control. We might all learn something. Fun times ahead!
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Post by Learner on Apr 25, 2017 23:11:41 GMT
It's funny you should say that skysmum as, when the little fawn hen first arrived "home" the very next morning after a quiet afternoon and evening an egg appeared!! Once the egg arrived the little fawn hen (Mrs Meep) appeared much more lively and has continued to do so. I guess she had a fling before leaving the large communal aviary that was her former home. The egg was sat sitting on the cage floor - ignored - so I simply removed it. No more since then They are determined little family orientated birds - no wonder their numbers amount to hundreds of thousands in the wild and they are so successful as cage and aviary birds in captivity. I too have seen them attempt to nest in / on / under and behind many things in the days when I first kept finches and waxbills. In a community aviary they also have a habit of "sandwich" nesting - laying one clutch and building another nest over the top of the first and laying a second or even third clutch on top. I think this happens only in captivity where several pairs are kept together. Some hens (and the cock birds too) are a little frivolous and change partners before finally settling to raise a family. In the wild I believe they are more inclined to choose a partner and stick with it. I must be on my guard.... it would be too easy to obtain a second pair as there are many different colour forms and each is lovely. It is also possible to find other small "foreign" finches that are almost as freely available as Meeps. I love Bengalese - they are wonderful foster parents and come in lots of shades of brown and white through to beige. Very gentle little birds.... I love my budgies - great little characters, trusting, amusing, determined, bossy and so very interested in their own kind.. they tolerate me. The Meeps are an added bonus but without an entirely new and separate aviary they will need to be the only other type of bird to move in. Aussies together I guess (the birds not me)
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Mar 20, 2015 18:53:15 GMT
rae
Normal Green
Posts: 369
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Post by rae on Apr 26, 2017 12:22:30 GMT
Shoo, Learner, do you have any tips for deal with finch poop? It is quite different than a budgie's, in my opinion. We have a small colony here at school of 20-30 individuals, and they manage to get poop on the wall 6 or so feet away from their enclosure.
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Post by samwiseg on Apr 26, 2017 21:16:06 GMT
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Post by Learner on Apr 26, 2017 22:53:26 GMT
Shoo, Learner, do you have any tips for deal with finch poop? It is quite different than a budgie's, in my opinion. We have a small colony here at school of 20-30 individuals, and they manage to get poop on the wall 6 or so feet away from their enclosure. How lovely! The finch colony at school....... not their little presents to you. (I would have loved to keep birds at school - managed a few visits over the years but the best I could manage on a permanent basis was a tropical fish tank in the main entrance.)
I'm just beginning to get reacquainted with keeping finches but I do agree their "deposits" are different from those of budgies. Mine do not seem to spread their results far.
I can recall having a home-made metal tool for cleaning finch breeding cages more than 40 years ago. it was a simple metal bar with a 900 bend. The longer part of the bar acted as a handle and the bent bit as a scraper to loosen any stuck on splats and dollops.
As for flying "deposits" I can't recall having problems. I did have a Greater Hill Myna bird called Fred... now there's an experience when it comes to "deposits"! Fred ate mostly fruit with the occasional caterpillar or other bug that he managed to find for himself. As you can imagine life with Fred around could be interesting if he was startled and took off across the sitting room suddenly! Mostly he was considerate and waited until it was time to go back in his cage. Dear old Fred - he was a beaut.
These days for my budgies I use a vacuum cleaner with a hard-floor / upholstery attachment if any scraping is needed. The birds ignore it and keep out of the way. I keep my foot on the control button for safety. It's great for removing husks from seed pots and general waste from the floor of the inside flight. I have tried it in Mr & Mrs Meep's cage (very carefully) but with a soft brush attachment only turning the vacuum on when the brush is against a hard solid surface. The Meeps move so fast I dare not take chances with them. It is a great way of reducing dust and cleaning thoroughly. The vacuum has a hepa filter so reduces airborne particles. Not keen to be breathing those in!
Please tell me more about the finches in school - sounds great!
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Mar 20, 2015 18:53:15 GMT
rae
Normal Green
Posts: 369
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Post by rae on Apr 27, 2017 12:28:41 GMT
Haha, well the finches aren't pets. They aren't tame in the least, though I have thought about possibly taking one of the chicks to hand rear and see how that effects the flock. They are, unfortunately, for research purposes. It is for the greater good, just like mice used for human health studies. The plus is that the zebra finch genome has been fully sequenced, which is why it is used. It makes DNA research a lot easier. I'm using them to examine avian immune system. The goal is to be able to monitor avian flu in wild birds, and other nasties that might be spread to humans. Further research could result in a way to prevent avian flu in those wild populations.
Nonetheless, they are taken care of to a high degree. The best food and housing. There are high standards we have to meet. I am always looking at ways to improve their lives, though. I know not everyone is okay with animals in research, so I don't want to offend anyone. I don't feel it's in the same category as animals used for things like makeup testing.
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Post by milliej on Apr 27, 2017 17:02:25 GMT
Be interesting to see how/if they thrive differently to skysmums meeps, fascinating stuff Good for you learner.
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Post by Learner on May 18, 2017 16:51:33 GMT
Well.... my Mr & Mrs Meeps are definitely not for research. They were not even interested in discussing the notion. Mr & Mrs Meeps are not presently showing signs of falling in luvvv. They are co-existing in harmony. Both bouncing about, eating well and looking interested in leaving their present home at the earliest opportunity. (They'll have to be patient - the extension is not finished...yet). Mrs Meeps has coloured up beautifully... well, as much as a fawn zebra hen can "colour up". Her plumage is pretty perfect and showing no sisngs of any feather pulling or tiffs with Mr Meeps. More importantly her beak is now a very bright solid zebra finch orange so she is in tip-top condition. I offer a small range of extra foods - mostly grated carrot and baby-leaf spinach which they are taking or playing with and trying out. I next need to offer baked & crushed ground egg shell to keep up their calcium intake along with the usual grits and oyster shell. Tame? Fat chance but they are becoming accustomed to the hoover nozzle each time I clean their cage and replace the floor covering. They love a bath so are offered a partly filled flower-pot saucer to splash about it. All in all - nice little birds, not too demanding and seemingly happy together. Mr Meeps is looking good too. PS Presently no more eggs. (Fingers crossed for now)
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Post by Hezz on May 18, 2017 23:51:38 GMT
It sounds as though your Mr and Mrs Meeps are the perfect flat-mates, together, rubbing along nicely without any of that silly romance business. Pictures, Learner??? Sorry, I know these are finches we are talking about! Not easy - your next challenge, should you choose to accept.
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Post by skysmum on May 21, 2017 18:01:07 GMT
Your welcome to some of my eggs Learner, if ever you feel the need . Ive just come back from a week away and my daughter, who has been in daily, only just noticed five eggs from Betty and Frank yesterday, buried in a corner under shavings, on the floor of the cage, mine are getting sneaky . I can just hear them now when we closed the front door, "right she's gone, lets get to work
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