Orca

I went to the bird fairy yesterday intending to search for some java finches. I found two venders there who had 2 each. One was selling their pair for $80 and the other was selling her fledgelings for $35 each. I passed them up. For some reason they just didn't draw me in, so I passed them up. I did inquire a little on the fledgelings, but just left it at that.

I saw a lot of lovebirds and a lot of parrotlets. I saw a lot of borques and a lot of budgies. I really don't know why I was there. I guess just to get out of the house for once, or maybe look for a bird harness for Caribou. I was there though.

I then came across a booth who had some parrotlets and...a black masked love bird with crooked legs. I just shook my head and walked away. That poor thing. It really drew me in. I walked away though...and soon found myself returning to the booth. I asked about the little guy. He seemed to have a little bit of trouble perching because his legs were splayed and the perch was smooth without much grip. I asked how much she wanted for him, and she replied  $30.

I watched him for a second. He kept trying to adjust his legs because they kept slipping. He seemed to climb on the cage rather well though...I asked to hold him, and he sat in my hand alright. Seemed a little scared but didn't do anything other than nip once. I caved. Igave her $30 and told her I'd be back to get him when I left.

I was so excited...and I still am. It just seemed to right. I mean, I wanted a black masked lovebird for a long time. I was waiting to find a good breeder and spend whatever I had to, but then Caribou came along and I thought thats all I would need. But here was a black masked lovebird...disabled and cheap as dirt. Maybe its the nurturer in me, but I was afraid for him. Afraid for who he might go to and how they would treat him. He'll be with me for life. Period.

I went and got him a hiding hut, perches with good grips and some toys. Caribou doesn't really play with toys. She's more or less obsessed with just being with me...but this little guy likes them. You can tell he's had a hard 3 months of life. He gets a little stand-offish when you reach for him. He was nipping at me all yesterday and this morning...but I tend to only get him out when I'm offering him food, so I'm sure that will stop once he begins to trust me.

And I was right. I've had him out for a good hour and he hasn't nipped at me once. He's flown away a few times but I just gently scoop him up and keep him with me again. He has a really hard time landing when he flies, so I've clipped his wings to slow him down in flight so he won't hurt himself.

So far so good. I've named him Orca Blue. Orcas have black heads with white rings around their eyes (well near their eyes, but close enough), are clumbsy on land and they have teeth and bite. It fits him SO well. And the Blue part came from his coloration.

So everyone, I introduce to you Orca Blue. My deformed black faced lovebird!



P.S. Caribou is PISSED. She has more cage time now that Orcas here and I have to tame him a little. Her world is crashing!

You Wouldn't Believe It

My computer contracted a horrible virus and so I haven't been updating this too often. You wouldn't believe whats happened in the meantime though!

Valentine's Day rolled around...and guess what my husband got me?

A LOVEBIRD.

Omg, I was so excited. She's a little seagreen peachfaced lovebird and she was about 4 weeks old when he brought her home to me. I had to hand feed her for a while and to be honest, I still sneak her formula every now and again. She's just the best though. I've named her Caribou. I don't know why. It just seemed to fit and she seems very pleased with the name. Everytime I call "Caribou!" and hold out my hand, she flies over to me like she's surprised she even left my side.

Also on Valentine's Day, my husband brought me home two more finches. I recieved a florida fancy zebra hen and a pied society male. I was so happy because I've always wanted a florida fancy so maybe she'll produce some really nice colors, and the society male looks a lot like one of the societies I lost over Christmas. Her name was Gemini and I was devistated when I finally found her. I've named the florida fancy Florida (original, I know) and the society Timber.

I've also got an aviary as well! Its 7ft tall, 3ft wide and 2ft deep. I can fit all of my zebras, societies and gouldians in there with no trouble at all. My cutthroats are still being housed separate as I want them to breed and not hate while doing it. They can become aggressive when breeding. Unfortunately, they've tossed their 3rd clutch of eggs so I just can not wait until my zebras start laying so I can sneak some cutthroat eggs in there with them.

Anyways, theres a bird fair tomorrow! I was planning on getting a pair of javas (again) but um...I kinda wasted my money on a craigslist ad for a Netbook (bad idea) and the guy won't return my calls so I can get my money back for it. What a load of shit, right?

I might bring home a finch, but it probably won't be a java. Theres always next time!

Heres some pics of the new guys!


This is Caribou! Not sure if its a girl or a boy. I tend to refer to her as a she online but a he in real life.


This is Florida, my florida fancy hen


And my pied society male. He looks almost identical to Gemini (RIP) and sings wonderfully!

Getting Real

So, I want to breed finches, right? I want to eventually have a small but decent aviary, right? I want to be as professional as I can, right?

Right.

So lets get real then.

I've been treating my finches as pets instead of "breeding stock". And to a point, thats alright. I make sure they're well taken care of. They're spoiled with a great diet and lots of treats. I never cram my finches into space. They all have enough room..and I'm getting an aviary soon.

But...I'm running into a problem. Their names are Bullseye and Decoy. They're so aggressive that I can't possibly put them with anyone else or they'll attack the other birds mercilessly. I'm even afraid to put a female in with them for fear that she'd get the crap beat out of her. They're currently occupying a cage that I could be using to breed birds in...so really, they're just a dead weight.

And I hate to be like that. But theres a fine line between breeders and pets, and I've been unable to rehome them because I've been considering them "pets" and feel guilty about letting them go because "they don't work out". But anything that "doesn't work out" isn't helping my dream of eventually becoming an aviary, and I really can't afford the extra weight.

I have Native who is my pet and "extra weight", and I MIGHT think about breeding Target...only because he's so docile and enjoyable that I wouldn't mind breeding that into a future generation.

So...getting real. Its kind of hard, but Bullseye and Decoy will have to be sold. I have to finally put my foot down on myself and lay down the typical rules of any breeder. If they hinder the business, they have to go. I'm kind of attached to the guys so it's a hard decision to make, but I can't keep every bird that comes my way.

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Upcoming Events

I've been wanting to build an aviary ...but then we filed our taxes, and it looks like buying one might be in my direct line of site. I've been looking at this beauty:



Its selling for just under $200 and it would generously house the small flock I have right now. Inside height is just a tad over 2ft and its about 5ft long. That, along with the multitude of other cages I've collected, should be enough to really jump start my dream aviary. I know I'm not rich, and I know I don't live in a palace, but it'll be a start and something I can delve into and enjoy.

Theres been a less than exciting update on the eggs. None of them have made it...but thats alright. The cutthroats have been nesting again and I feel another clutch won't be far off. This time I'll be minding my own business and leaving them alone. That way I'll know its nothing I've done...its just that they're inexperienced. Thats alright. I'm in no hurry. They've got the food they need and the space, now it's just a waiting game. They're currently both settled down into the nest and its only midday. I'm too afraid to look.

Mihah has been doing well. I've put her in with Native and Target and she's pretty happy in there. No one picks on her. I know she's in with a male zebra but if they have eggs, they'll have eggs. She's about old enough now. I haven't seen any nesting behaviors though.

A friend of mine knows someone who needs to rehome their finches. I'm very tempted...very. But really, I don't have the room. Ok, thats a lie. I have 2 cages I'm not using...but I made it a point to narrow my birds down to only 3 cages. I still don't know what type of finches they are, so maybe it won't even matter...and maybe they'll be asking too much for me to want them. I'd like another female zebra but I want to be picky about the color.

My husband assures me that I need to leave one cage open because theres going to be a "surprise" coming this Saturday.

I'm wondering what he's been up to!

Try Again

The other day, Reed got out of the cage while I was changing their food and took a few laps around the room with the cats on her tail. I finally had to flush her out from behind the entertainment center with a broom before grabbing her and putting her back in the cage.

She was not impressed, and for the rest of the day she stayed on a perch with her feathers fluffed. She wouldn't incubate the eggs, even with JD pushing on her. He's get on the other side of the perch and try and pet her towards the nest and she'd just peck back. JD would bring up nesting material and go inside the nest and shift things around, but she was still uninterested. By nightfall he had finally coaxed her in, a bit reluctantly, I might add.

I was torn on what to do. Should I remove the eggs? Should I wait to see if she sits again? I had no idea...so I chose to wait. I didn't bother them at all and only came near their cage to change their egg food.

Finally today...well, this morning, I woke up and went to change their food, and one of the eggs had been kicked out of the nest. It lay fallen and broken on the cage floor. It looks like Reed was rejecting the nest. There are two more eggs left in there...and even though the board told me to leave them there "just in case", I removed them. Reed looks as though she has no interest in sitting on them again. I removed them, candled them and then gave them to Mihah. Maybe she'll sit on them, maybe she won't. We'll see.

I'll be looking up candling pictures next to see if they are fertile or just duds. Either way, its a good learning experience for everyone.

In And Out

I've been watching my cutthroat pair since I've noted the eggs. JD seems to want to continue to build the nest, even though there are already eggs inside. I'm thinking this might be his first clutch ever since he seems almost clueless, but is eager enough to move on basic instinct. I can just hear him say "I THINK this goes here..." or "Reeds off the eggs to eat..maybe I should go sit?"

He's being such a good dad though. Right now he's sitting on the water dish, chirping softly every so often and on occasion, warbles. I saw him holding a piece of nesting material early and just waiting...then Reed came out to feed and he dove into the nest to place the material. Its like he wants to help, he just doesn't quite know how.

Reed is doing so well that I'd be surprised if this was her first clutch. She only really comes out to eat and today I don't think I've seen her at all except for maybe a few seconds this morning. She's been in the nest...and I can only assume that she's either ready to lay her third egg, or she's just being a very good mom and incubating the ones they have. JD sits outside the nest and sings to her, every once in a while he checks in to make sure everything is alright.

I really hope they raise these chicks up to thriving fledgelings. I know I shouldn't get my hopes up, but they're doing everything so well...its really hard not to. I'm making sure to keep an extra good eye on Reed just incase she has some egg binding issues. I have a cuttlebone in there, and I scrape cuttlebone ontop of their food to make sure they get it.

Keeping my fingers crossed!

Eggs!!!

I wasn't really expecting much when I put JD Barbados and Reed together. The best thing I really was looking for was them to get along. Well, they certainly got along. They never fought, the groomed each other and JD sang constantly. Reed chirped pleasantly.

Today I got curious and reached my hand inside the cage. They've been really picking up at the nesting material I tossed in there for them and so I had to check it out. I unhooked the nest, peeked inside...and saw 2 eggs! 2 eggs! Oh my gosh! I couldn't believe it. I never expected them to lay this soon. I put the nest back on where it should be and they took to it like water. Right now both of them are in there for the night.

I'm so excited. I mean, I don't want to get too excited because I know it'll be their first clutch and I hear that first time parents tend to screw up a lot until they finally manage to raise a few chicks. I'm crossing my fingers that these eggs are fertile and that they'll at least hatch. If they decide to toss them...then I'll just give them to Mihah to care for. We'll see...but wow, I'm so excited! I know I already said that...but they're my first eggs!

I can't wait to see what happens next! I'll give Reed a few more days to see if she'll lay anymore before I try and candle them.

Cheers!

Maybe An Illness

I uncovered Mihah's cage the other day and discovered that she was fluffed out, her eyes were lazy, and her tail feathers were stained yellow. The most immediate thought to my brain was "She's sick".

So...I did what any normal bird lover would do. I got dressed and went to the store. I picked up a broad spectrum antibiotic from Petsmart and proceeded to make her a little hospital cage when I got home. The hospital cage is actually a really small hamster cage that I was going to sell on craigslist. Well....no one wanted it, so I kept it. Its a good thing, too! I put a clean piece of newspaper on the bottom, supplied the cage with a feeder and poured the antibiotics into the container for the water.

I also mixed some vitamin drops in with the food for some extra good stuff and added a perch.

I then transferred her to the cage. She seemed a little more active when I came back home, so maybe I was just over reacting. I'd rather be cautious though so into the hospital cage she went. She spent the next couple days in that cage with most of it covered to avoid stressing her out any. Today I lifted the blanket to check on her and she seemed bright and happy, so I put her back into her normal cage. The directions on the antibiotic says that if there are no results in 5 days, consult a doctor. She seems a lot better than when I found her the other day, so I'm assuming the antibiotics worked.

I'm keeping an eye on her just in case though.

My Life Before

I used to be terrified of birds. And I admit that I still harbor some fear of the larger variety. As far as finches go...I'm not afraid of them. They're small. They're not very loud (except for the zebras) and when they bite, they hardly pinch at all.

I used to train horses. I was training by the time I was 14 and I later went to a professional equine college. I drove horse carriages, I rode dressage, jumping and western, I guided trail rides, I healed nasty, horrible wounds without a vet...I was a true equestrian. I had been stomped on, bitten, fell on, bucked off, smashed, thrown, dragged and charged. I played chicken with a stampeding horse with nothing but a small handwhip and came out the victor. I've had broken bones, stitches, concussions and sprains. I had a scare where the hospital actually thought I broke my neck. My friends called me fearless...except for one, who knew that when my jaw set in a certain way, I was actually scared. I'd stand up to a 1500lb animal without flinching...but when it came to birds, I was a coward.

My friend and I would go into the petstore and she would bravely stick her fingers into the bird cages and scratch on the birds. Everytime I tried, I always pulled my hand back very quickly...and thats like inviting a bird to bite. When I did manage to stick my fingers into the cage, I was always bitten...and so I figured birds weren't for me.

Except for those finches...I always wanted a finch...I just never actually got one.

Well, I was down in Georgia training foxhunting horses and polo ponies when my husband knocked me up.

There went my equestrian career.

I went from training and caring for 40-some horses...down to sitting around and being pregnant. I had interviews in several different states who wanted me as a trainer, and I had to cancel them all. For 9 months I got my horse fix by feeding my inlaw's horses everyday and when the baby was born, I did some on-off training at a friend's stable. I worked one horse western pleasure (gag) and another as a trail rider. I was also putting some reining moves on the trail rider since she showed potential.

The baby is now almost 2 and this year, I've hardly touched a horse at all. I feel empty and restless. I don't like looking at horses anymore because they just depress me. I figure that horses will never be entirely out of the picture for the rest of my life, but I do understand and realize that we have a family now, and that my daughter and family are top priority. The expense of a horse is just out of the question. Period.

So I got some finches. They were fun. I tossed seed at them everyday and watered them. Then I got more finches, and added to their diet. My confidence grew. I branched out and brought home a more expensive finch. I added to their diet. I bought cages online and brought home some more birds. By that time I was hooked.

I wake up every morning and instead of feeding horses, training them and tending to their injuries, I make salads and balanced diets for my birds, change their cage paper, clean their water and add vitamins and make sure they're all healthy and happy and singing. They reward me with singing all day and filling my house with the sounds you never hear in the city.

It gives me something to do...something to make me feel complete. I'm caring for animals who depend on me. I love it. Instead of frequenting equine forums, I'm chatting and making friends with avian people online. I'm building a relationship and volunteering at a bird rescue, and I'm enjoying every minute of it.

I'm a little nervous about my lovebird. I'm very, very excited to get him/her and I feel I've done enough research to get me started...but its a bigger bird than the finches, and I'm worried if I'll win or fail at raising it. Thats always a constant worry of mine. My self esteem has always been low and its something that always has to be nurtured and fed. A lovebird is definitely the size I like, and the personality is something I'd prefer in a larger bird. I do want a clingy little love bug that will want nothing more than to be my best pal and I hope to raise it right. I've never raised one though...so I'm nervous. Luckily I have the internet and friends that will help out if I get stuck.

And because I haven't posted pictures recently...heres one of Native!

Creation

"Does Creation have a sound? Who remembers? It was so long ago."

I just got done reading a blog which said that. It really makes me think and wonder.

A Little Too Easy

My husband commented last night that Mihah wanted to go in with the Doobie Brothers. Everytime she hears them, she responds with an eager "beep! beep!" and looks alert. I shook my head. I really have no idea how old Mihah is, but I don't suspect her to be breeding age and I don't want her to get hurt. She'll have to deal with being separated. No babies for Mihah yet, unless they're fosters from the cutthroats.

Native, the gouldian, is doing rather well. He's on one of the best diets I've ever  supplied and its made me boost the other's diet as well. I just really want to help him through his molt as best I can and get him to look pretty again.  He grooms himself often...more often than a male should, in my opinion ;)

Last night I made the plunge and asked my husband (again) if I could have a lovebird. I kind of have to do this because if I just ask once and he waves it off, then he sees it as something that doesn't mean much to me and forgets about it. If I bring it up a few times, he'll know its something I have my heart on. He knows I've been putting job applications in like crazy and putting forth the effort to find a job, but I feared even that wasn't enough.

You see, I normally don't ask him before I do something. If I do, I usually get a hefty "no". I usually go out and do it, that way its done and he can't tell me no. He just sighs and rolls with what I've done. How do you think I ended up with 7 finches? It wasn't because I asked! And he's totally fine with the finches. He even talks to them and whistles and beeps with them. But if I would have asked if I could have them, he would have said "no". So I usually don't ask. I know my limit and I know when I'm near it and I know not to cross it and become overwhelmed. When I do ask, and for some reason he doesn't say "no", he'll respond "You're gonna do it anyways, so go ahead". haha, he knows me.

But anyways, a lovebird is a big commitment and I wanted his approval for it. It'll be like bringing in another puppy, or having another kid. They aren't like finches where you can feed them and leave them alone. They require a lot of attention and a proper diet. I knew he'd brush off the question  easily and try to forget about it, but I insisted and last night I made a proposal. If he got me a lovebird, I'd do him a favor.

Its a secret favor, you're not allowed to know it!

But he jumped on board with it and I got the "go" to pick out my lovebird! I simply can't wait! Convincing him was so much easier than I anticipated, too. I really didn't want to get one as something he would just tolerate. I wanted him to be on the same side as I was...and he is. I knew a lovebird wasn't too much to ask for!

I've been thinking about names since last night. I'll have to write them all down and see which one fits the lovebird when he/she comes. It'll probably have to be able to fit both genders as I'll probably not know if its a male or a female.

So excited!

Taking A Short Break

I'm taking a short break from the never-ending list of house chores to write a small update.

The birds have all been doing just fine, of course. I've added egg food to their diet. Some of them take to it right away, and some of them couldn't care less. I still can't get anyone to eat mealworms, so I'm not sure if I should continue to buy it.

I've decided to name my male gouldian Native. I dunno...I couldn't come up with a name for him and the word just seemed to fit right in. Native and Target are still in quarantine and probably will be for a little while longer. I don't suspect that they're ill since they came from a trusted source, but its better to be safe than sorry. My husband will be happy to hear that after quarantine I can then break the cages down to only 3 in active use. I'll put Target in with Bullseye and Decoy, and Native will keep Mihah company. She's been alone and separated up in my bedroom since the male zebras pick on her. I did get her a little nest hut though and she couldn't be happier with it.

That'll take things down to only 3 cages instead of 5, and it'll make my husband a whole lot happier.

I've been eyeing lovebirds for a while and while at the fair...I think I was just hooked. Someone came into the fair with a little lovebird on a harness and she was just as sweet as can be. I would love a bird that I could interact with on an everyday basis, and finches just don't seem to appreciate that sort of attention. I'm really not interested in those large parrots though...I like the small, compact versions. It seems as though a lovebird is the way to go.

A woman came recommended for lovebirds and she'll be at next month's bird fair. She breeds the rarer colors and so her prices are near $100. Honestly, I'm not sure if I want to binge for that, but we'll see when the right one comes along. The woman I got Mihah from breeds lovebirds as well and sells them for $30. I'm kind of torn as to where I should get a lovebird from. I want one who is already handtame and loveable, color comes second. I probably won't be getting one for a bit anyways...my husband says I need a job before I can bring one home.

I can agree with that. I'm bored here and I'd like a part time job to supplement my bird obsession, and it wouldn't feel right to bring home a more demanding, expensive bird without a job to supply for it...and of course, pamper it. I've put in applications to several different places so we'll see who will bite.

Ah well...I should probably get back to the house work. You'd think that my husband would be nice enough to do the dishes once a month or something.

No such luck at all.

I Stand Corrected

The gouldian is actually an SFYellow male, not a female, and he is going through a molt. He'll probably never be bred as I adopted him as a rescue and I'm really kind of against breeding rescue animals. He's certainly a pretty little thing though, and I'm grateful to have him!

Name coming soon!

Success!

The bird fair was so much fun. I spent most of the day helping sell raffle tickets for our rescue group and chatting with members I've never met before. I also got a first glance at the birds I'd be adopting and they were beautiful! One yellow canary hen, a gouldian hen and the mystery orange cheeked finch?...was a zebra! haha! How funny.

One of our member's mother's canaries passed away that morning, so I let her go home with the canary I had adopted. It felt right and I know she'd care for her just as well, if not better than I would have. So right now I have my gouldian hen and a new zebra male. I also swung by to pick up my cutthroat hen. I was a little apprehensive because when I walked by the booth, all the finches (a mixture of canaries, zebras, societies and one cutthroat) were in one flight cage, and some of the finches were a bit bald...plus a canary. I pulled a member aside to view the flight cage with me and she said that the breeder was pretty reputable and that they were probably picked on during their time together in the cage. She's never heard a bad thing about the breeder though.

I also heard him sell some of the birds, saying "They're all for sale except the cutthroat" haha, he was holding her just for me like promised. I paid for her and learned that a few people wanted to buy her, but he held onto her until I showed up. Good man.

Her head is a little flatter than I'd like, but if she's healthy then she's worth her price. She's of breeding age so I plan on putting JD Barbados with her after her quarantine. I decided to name her Reed.

As for the gouldian hen, I haven't chosen a name for her yet. She appears to have either been picked on, or she's beginning a molt. She had been housed with the canary and the zebra for a year and I know zebras can be aggressive. I think I saw the zebra pick on her a little last night. Anyways, they'll be in quarantine together and after that, I'll put her in with Mihah and toss the zebra in with Bullseye and Decoy. I named him Target so he'd fit right in!

I'll be boiling some egg today to feed some eggfood, and I'll offer them some mealworms. The member I got them from said that they loved mealworms. My guys refuse to touch it, so at least I don't have to waste them!

Heres the gouldain hen and Target


And Reed, my new cutthroat hen

Bird Fair Tomorrow

I spent yesterday cleaning up a bird cage I bought off of (gasp) craigslist. Its a decent sized cage, just shy of 3ft, but it was filthy as can be. I swear, they must have had a pterodactyl in there or something. A good scrubbing caused some of the paint off the bottom grate to scrape off, but otherwise its in good condition. I bought it for $25, though I suspect the actual retail price would have been more than half of that.

I always love bragging about good deals I get...I feel like an old foagie but thats alright.

So anyways, I'll be transferring the new arrivals into that cage tomorrow. I'll be adopting a gouldian finch, an orange cheek waxbill, and a non-singing canary. The woman who's had them said that the only one who really makes a sound is the waxbill, so he's probably the only male out of the bunch. I actually can't wait to see what colors the gouldian has. It'll be a really fun surprise.

The waxbill will probably stay with the canary. She said that they are pretty bonded and so I don't feel like I should separate them. The gouldian will probably keep Mihah company in her cage, and the one last finch I plan on getting is that female for JD. He's in "nesting" mode right now, even though theres no female around him anymore. I think he's ready to get busy.

I'm not sure if quarantine is necessary for the gouldian, canary and waxbill. The woman is part of our bird meet-up group and takes excellent care of her birds. She fosters other birds and is constantly scrubbing cages. If I do quarantine them, at least I have a cage set up for it.

I plan on housing no more than 2 birds per cage just like normal. I may switch around cages when they start breeding, but I think I have a healthy system worked out.

I might have a bit of a problem if I have to quarantine JD's new girl. I know they say its better to have a quarantine period...and I agree with it. But I'm wondering how that will work out. I'm gonna have to draw some charts and start moving birds.

God, I can't wait to get that aviary started.

Anyways, tomorrow is the bird fair. I also need to work on a shopping list so I don't forget anything!

omg, What An Ass

Things between JD Barbados and Mihah have been great since I put them in together. I bought JD and put him in with the Doobie Brothers (Decoy and Bullseye) but he was being picked on almost mercilessly. So naturally, I had to separate JD and put him with the more passive Mihah.

For two whole weeks they got along with no problem. Until tonight! When JD hopped into the little nest I have in the cage for them and refused to let her in. All this time Mihah has been using the nest to cuddle up in at night, but JD took it over today.

He puffs his feathers, opens his beak and lunges out of the nest towards poor little Mihah if she even gets close. Even if she stays clear of the nest, he'll keep his eye on her and threaten every now and again.

So I did what I had to do and I separated them. Mihah is in with the Doobie Brothers and JD is by himself. I'm pretty sure that by the end of tonight I'll have to separate Mihah into her own cage. Poor little thing...Decoy and Bullseye aren't exactly picking on her as much as they are picking on eachother now. I'll give them a little while before I take Mihah out just in case they settle their differences...but you know boys. Even boys who aren't ready for sex will bicker over a girl.

It looks like I'll be putting my java craving aside for right now. I have to re-arrange birds, quarantine the new adoptees when they get here and make sure everyone is happy together. JD NEEDS a hen of his own species to kick his ass back into line, and with the 3 other birds I'm adopting...well, I'll have enough on my plate for a while.

I'm thinking JD is just about ready to get busy. Its a good thing that fair is in the next couple days...

Damn horny little bastard.

Change In Plans

I was planning on acquiring a female cutthroat for JD, MAYBE a java finch and also another zebra hen at the upcoming bird fair. My reasoning goes like this:

I'd like to breed JD eventually, so of course he'll need a girl of his own. As for the new zebra hen, I was going to get one just so Mihah will have a cage mate when I separate her from JD. I don't want her in with Bullseye and Decoy because I'm afraid they might hurt her, and also I'm afraid they might try to breed with her. She's far too young and if she does breed, it could really hurt her. So I don't want her in with them.

As for a java finch, I just think they're so stinkin' cool. So I might get one.

Anyways, I just got an email from a fellow "flock member" of the bird group I'm part of. She'd like to rehome 2 finches and a canary and wanted to know if I was interested since I like smaller birds.

I said I'd love to give them a home...but it kind of changes my upcoming plans!

The finches she has are a gouldian and one supposed orange cheeked waxbill. Well...she said the finch was a mystery, she didn't know what it was, but it had orange cheeks. Anyways, luckily both these finches are docile and not aggressive at all. You know what that means? It means that I won't have to buy a new zebra hen to keep Mihah company! I could just put her in with the gouldian and waxbill and they'll get along just fine.

As for the canary, if I get the java I've been wanting, I could put them together in a cage I just got not too long ago and they'll be fine. I plan on putting them up in the bedroom so they'll be far out of the reach of our cats.

I really have to do some thinking on this one though. I'll have 9 birds with 3 cages. 2 birds are of the larger variety, 2 birds will be bred, 3 zebras that won't be bred for a while and 2 misc. breeds that will just sit there and look pretty. If I do some careful re-arranging, I could fit everyone pretty well and keep everyone happy until we get the aviary built.

Honestly, with that many birds I might just buy another cage at the bird fair. Not exactly what I wanted to do, but I don't want ANYONE to be cramped, so I'm thinking I'll have to get one. I'll have to do some thinking on that one. I might even forget purchasing the java finch and get the extra cage instead just so these birds can have a good home.

We'll see...lots of thinking to get done before then though! And I have a cage to scrub clean!

An Aviary Thought

For a while I've wanted to build my own aviary. I thought I could fit it in the basement and with proper lighting from heat lamps and such, I could just house my finches there. I kind of gave up on that idea when I discovered that the basement was just way too damp to house a bird successfully, and so the thought dropped.

Well...until yesterday. You see, I frequent this finch forum that has a lot of um...well, knowledgeable finch breeders on there. I'm really not so knowledgeable. Let me rephrase that...I'm knowledgeable, but I lack the actual personal experience.

Anyways, they all seem to have huge out door aviaries for their birds and right now thats just out of budget for me. So is an exceptionally large bird room and yadda yadda...to be honest, I'm not a professional bird breeder. I'm not even a hobby bird breeder. I'm just starting out.

I "met", so to speak, a newer bird enthusiast on that forum who had created his own smallish flight cage out of PBC piping and plastic chicken wire. Bingo. Why couldn't I do that? When I looked at everyone else's aviary, they all seemed so expensive and complicated. I'm blonde...and I'm a woman. Complicated just isn't my forte'. But you know what? I could put together a small aviary or a large flight cage with PBC pipe, zip-ties and chicken wire. I could. And my birds would be happier that way.

As of right now I have 3 decent sized cages. All of them would be in the $50-$150 price range if bought new from a store, but I caught them off of craigslist for $10-$25 each. One of them has barring better suited for a larger bird. The finches could squeeze through if they wanted to, but they just haven't. I can't blame them...there be cats out in them thar hills!

I think I'll start planning for this particular construction after the bird fair. Well...maybe sooner since I'm excited about it. It'll be much safer for my finches to be in this sort of set up than in a cage set up. The cats are still interested in the cages even though they have no idea how to topple them. I'm afraid they'll either do it on accident one day or actually figure it out...then I'll be in the same pickle I found myself in over Christmas.

I've also thought about adding a Java finch to my collection alone with the lady I intend to get for JD. Maybe I'll find one at the bird fair this weekend!

Zebra Bullheads

I guess I should talk about my two male zebras.

I'm not quite sure if they are from the same parents or not. I had a hankering to dip into the zebra pool though since I only had societies, and so I searched craigslist for any finches. What can I say? I love these little guys and I'll adopt an animal off of craigslist LONG before I'll adopt from a shelter. One too many animals that I've adopted from shelters have been sick, and some that I've adopted I've actually had to put down not more than a month later due to a disease they picked up while on the street.

I know people will tell me that adopting a shelter animal saves a life, but honest to god...they're just too damn expensive with how sick they end up being. Sorry. I'm not going to pay a $150 shelter fee and go through that annoying adoption application for an ill animal.

So I was on craigslist and I found a post advertising societies and zebra finches, ready to go. I hopped on it and before long I was on my way over to go adopt one zebra and one society. I walked into a decently sized house in a housing plan full of large homes. The house had sort of an "empty" feel to it, so I assumed they had just moved in. I turned the corner and saw a gigantic flight cage with what looked like 40 birds inside, and next to the window was a small, but nicely sized aviary holding many different kinds of finches. The man told me to pick out any bird from the flight cage, and he'd catch it.

I was kind of skeptical. Not that I didn't think the birds weren't healthy. They were definitely thriving. But how can I pick out one single bird out of that huge cage and have him keep his eye on it long enough to catch it through the mess of panicking, scrambling feathers?

I told him that I'd take any zebra he could catch, but I'd really like one with a pied marking. He opened the cage and all hell broke loose. Zebras and societies darted from side to side, panic meeps and chirps filled the air, and he was trying to catch only one using a net. I think I could have had a better chance if I used my hands, to be honest.

Anyways, one few out of the cage and took off through the house. He spent maybe 5 minutes trying to catch him before resorting back to the flight cage. He finally caught a zebra, and then managed to catch a society. On a spur of the moment decision, I told him that I would take the loose zebra if he could catch it.

hahahaha!

Anyways, he chased that poor bird around for a good 10 minutes with the net before he finally caught him. We stuffed him in the box with the rest and taped that puppy shut. I offered to pay him for all 3 birds (naturally) but he told me he'd let me take one for free. Can't argue with that!

So home I went with Cinnamon the society, and Decoy and Bullseye, my male zebras. My husband acted surprised that I had 3 more finches...I mean...I did tell a little white lie about how I was only picking up ONE...but he should know better by now!

Cinnamon was sadly lost in the Christmas massacre. She was actually found torn apart. My husband saw her and grabbed her before I could even look, so I have no idea how bad it actually was. He kind of wanted to shield me from it, I guess. Bullseye and Decoy were wild and fast enough to survive the onslaught. I later learned that they were extremely feisty, too.

I switched over to a large, more secure cage after the massacre. That was terrible.

When I got JD Barbados, I tossed him in with Bullseye and Decoy because their cage was a lot larger than the one I previously had. I expected a little hostility from JD since I heard his species was aggressive, but I discovered that the two zebra boys were picking on my cutthroat, and so I separated him.

So now they're in a cage all by themselves. I may put Mihah in with them when I get my cutthroat female and see how the boys will get along with her. As far as I know, all of them are way too young to breed anyways so its just a matter of the pecking order and if they'll accept her.

They are a tad hard to tell apart when you just graze the surface, but they have their different markings. They sometimes confuse me when I just glance in, but their specific pattern varies slightly from the other. Once I manage to get split leg bands I'll be able to identify them a bit more quickly than normal. I may think about rehoming one of them since I'll only need one for breeding, but thats a long ways off yet.

Anyways, this is Decoy's wing markings. You can see the bit of pied thats coming out on him. I hope to get a few of those from his offspring one day.

Little Mihah

I was searching craigslist for finches...because what better way to come across cheap little birds than to search the hobby breeders, ya' know? Anyways, I was searching craigslist for finches when I remember an older post about how someone wanted to adopt out a bunch of her birds. I looked it up, emailed her, and got a blurry picture of some societies and a tiny white chestnut flanked white zebra. She was the only one in the bunch and I thought it was dumb luck to find her. I told the woman I'd be out to pick her up that afternoon.

So after grocery shopping that day, I weaved my way through the town, got lost, did a few circles, got found, and finally came to the address I'd been searching for. A few knocks on the door and an older woman answered and welcomed me inside. I quickly kicked off my shoes at the door and followed this older woman into her kitchen. The whole time we passed a bunch of different birds, from different finch species, to cockatiels and love birds, and I think maybe a budgie or two. She was very into her birds but she said she was downsizing because she had back problems and had issues with getting around these days.

We finally came upon the cage that my little CFW zebra hen sat in. The cage was a tad over crowded with the other babies that were recently weaned. All the other zebras had been taken, and the only ones left were Mihah and a bunch of societies. The woman said that Mihah helped rear some lovebird chicks for her and was literally hand tamed. She reached into the cage and slowly grabbed Mihah, who didn't even flinch. Needless to say, I was a little impressed. I had hand tamed my societies, but I didn't know the wilder breeds could become this tame.

Anyways, we put Mihah in her little carry case and I went home. I released her with JD and finally had the chance to really get to study her.  Honestly, she was pretty dirty. It was kind of obvious that her gentle nature came as a hindrance in a crowded cage situation. She was all sorts of dirty underneath and her wings were torn to shreds. Her previous owner admit that she clipped her wings, and you can tell Mihah had a hard time getting from place to place without them. I was a little concerned but I put the food on the ground, and set a low perch in the cage so she could hop onto it in order to find the water.

I'm really happy to be able to announce that Mihah is sparkling white now. She's able to find her way up into the little dome nest I put in there for her and she sleeps there every night with JD standing guard ontop. Although she still can't fly worth a damn, she can flutter enough to navigate the cage. She's getting stronger every day and her wings are starting to grow out. Theres a small spot on her head where you can see someone must have plucked, but I don't see any problem with it in the future.

Eventually, I'd like to pair her with Decoy. At first I thought maybe I'd put her with Bullseye, but Decoy seems to have more of the pied markings, so if I'm going for color, I think I'll try Decoy. Bullseye has a thicker chest band though which is more desirable in solid, normal zebras...but I'm not breeding show quality yet.

Mihah and the boys are way to young anyways, so Mihah will have to wait to be a mom. She will make such a wonderful mom though. She takes care of JD (my pussy-foot catthroat) and she's helped raise love birds. I named her Mihah from the spanish word Mija (Mi Hija), which is a term of endearment for a little girl. It fits her perfectly :) 

This is Mihah's wings as of today. They are still pin feathering, but should clear up eventually without the stress of having to fly everywhere. Her perches are set up so that she can just hop to where she needs to be.

Morbid Discovery

Remember in my previous post how I stated that we lost 3 societies over Christmas because the cats broke into the baby's room and ransacked the cage?

Well I failed to mention that out of the 3 that were dead, one of them was MIA. She just wasn't anywhere to be seen. We searched high and low, under couches, behind the beds, in closets...everywhere. We even tried to piece together a crime scene...but we just couldn't find her.

3 weeks later, I found her.

She was laying on an air vent, next to a window. I could only assume that she escaped the onslaught and got caught between the window and the blinds and simply starved to death before we got home. Thats so sad. She was actually my favorite little society...kind of skitso. She'd dart back and forth, back and forth, back and forth between the sides of the cage every morning, and she'd sing while she ate millet. I also managed to hand tame her. She was a bit harder than the other societies to hand tame, but she finally came around.

Now we found her in our bed room just now, and the blinds had shifted a little so I suspect one of the cats got behind there and knocked her down. Its kinda creepy that she'd been there this whole time and we just never noticed (ew...) but then, we never open that particular window blind. Its our bedroom for christ sake! No one needs to see what happens in there!

Anyways, we found her. Its kind of sad to see her that way, but theres really nothing much we could do except say goodbye. She was a good little lady.

Goodbye, Gemini. Rest in peace.

The flock-pack-family

As of right ow, I'm housing a variety of different animals. Most of them rather common to the every-day house hold, but probably not the best mix to compliment each species.

I own two cats. Both I got from a rescue. One was completely feral until recently tamed down. His name is Gandhi. The other is a cat who was raised in doors and then dumped on the street when he was no longer wanted. His name is Sebastian. Both felines get along well with eachother and seem to even out the other's personality. Intense, intellegent and cunning, Gandhi still has the wild in him. Sebastain...well, he is relaxed, doofy and a bit slow brained. He's also fluffy, and we like fluff.

Our dog is a beagle. And irritating.

The birds are another story though, and play an important part in this blog. They seem to have an ongoing battle of acrobatic athleticism between themselves and the felines. As of right now, I have lost 3 feathered friends to my cats. 1 indirectly, and 2 in an all out massacre.

I keep finches. I love them. They're tiny. They're sweet. They don't slip into madness if not handled every day. When they bite, it doesn't hurt. They don't eat a lot. They don't require much attention. And they're very, very cute. My first finches were society finches. They are said to be the best type to start off on because of their hardiness.

All my societies are dead.

So uh...oops?

I lost them over Christmas, when we went to visit family. I took the bird cage and locked it in the baby's room, thinking the cats couldn't reach them.

I was wrong.

Luckily, my zebras remained alive. The societies kind of didn't make it though...they are the only "tame" finch in existance, and I guess they didn't have the wild it took to fend for themselves. I was rather upset about this...after all, they were my first birds. I now have a new cage, and a new set up that seems to be out of the cat's physical range. The birds get loose on occasion when I feed though...and thats always a fun race between me, the cats, the dog and the baby to catch the finch. Its a lot of fun...I guess?

I now have 3 zebra finches, and 1 cutthroat finch. My two zebra males carry the pied gene and are also slightly pied marked. They're names are Bullseye and Decoy. They happen to be in a cage of their very own because they tend to pick on the others.

My third zebra is a little chestnut flanked white zebra female. She's such a doll baby. When I found her, her previous owner had clipped her wings and kept her in an over crowded, dirty cage. She was filthy and her wings were stripped due to the abuse they were taking when she tried to fly.

Don't ever clip finch wings. They won't survive long without them. They don't climb the cage bars like parrots, they fly from bar to perch to bar. Finches need their wings to reach food and water and without them they can starve in a cage with plenty of food and water if they can't reach it.

So anyways, I found little Mihah, my CFW (chestnut flanked white) zebra hen, and brought her home. She'll eventually be bred with one of my male zebras, but for now she needs some time to clean up a bit and grow back her wings. She's taking baths regularly now and is a pure snow white.

My fourth finch is a cutthroat male named JD Barbados. He's my prized possession. I've seen cutthroat finches at stores for years and I've always wanted one. But you know what? I'm not going to pay $80 for a single finch. I'm sorry. Maybe a little down the line when I'm ready to expand, but not now. I discovered that our local pet store lowered the price on their cutthroats to more than half their original price (which is the same price they'd go for from a normal breeder) and I snagged one up in the blink of an eye.

Now these finches are said to be aggressive towards others, and shouldn't be housed with any species outside their own because they can really bring on a beating. So when I brought him home, I tossed him in with Decoy and Bullseye...because I don't really tend to believe in what I'm told. They got along alright until the second day, when Bullseye and Decoy started beating the crap out of him. I immediately separated JD and put him in a cage with Mihah. Bingo. She pampers the crap out of that guy.

So leave it to me to pick out the most pathetic cutthroat out there! Oh well...he's keeping Mihah company, and she's happy to baby him.

This weekend is the local bird fair and I plan on getting JD a cutthroat female to bond with. Of course, I don't know where this will put Mihah. I'm afraid that once JD has a girl of his own species around, he may turn on Mihah and she's just too gentle to do anything. I may just get an extra zebra female for her to be paired with until she's ready for some kids...it might be a while for that though, she's still pretty young to have any.

SO ANYWAYS....this is a blog documenting the trial and errors of raising cats and finches under the same roof. Keep your hands and arms inside the ride at all times, it can get a bit bumpy...

Mihah and JD Barbados...he's so brave.