FINCHforum

Hi all,
I'm planning to buy a pair of Gouldians this weekend. But the petshop owner does not have any clue about the age , he says it may be around 1 or 2 years old AND may or may not have breeded before. Though I can make out if they are sick or not (to an extent, I hope), i can't find out which one is older.

Is there some way I can make out their age, at least releatively?

I would like to have a young pair and I also wish to breed them later this year (when i make a new cage). He suggests to go for a male red head and female black head. Can I go for this combo? Or, is it best to have same colours for male and female to preserve their beauty?

Can somebody advice? Im not a big time breeder, Im new, but want to have a good collection of finches with me at home. I wish to buy a good pair since its very very very expensive as per my standards. Thanks for all your help in advance

Ignore head colour and go for a pair of the healthiest and liveliest looking birds...Have a look at the legs..most older finches have legs that are gnarled and 'Older looking'...smooth legs usually denote a younger bird.
Not easy if you don't know what you're looking for.
Try and pick a cock with a red tipped beak and a hen with a dark grey one...a sign of breeding condition......Good luck.

GREAT information poohbear, thanks very much indeed. Will definitely post after buying, Id be going there today evening or tomorrow morning.
Just one question: Why doesnt head colour matter? Do they change with off-springs? I mean, will a read headed + black headed pair give birth to different-colour headed ones? or is it that colour is only for owners eyes and you suggest me to ignore that? Sorry, I dont know, thats why Im asking. Hope you dont mind.

Unless birds are from a stud carefully recorded by a breeder over the years the youngsters you breed could appear in any colours...it all depends on previous generations as to what will appear...that's half the fun with new birds...chicks will have the parents genes and colours but don't be surprised if yellow heads or white breasted birds appear from time to time.
If you are going to keep gouldians for any length of time coloured ringing is advised so you can keep track of bloodlines. In the future you will then be able to match pairs and produce the colours you want.

Poohbear has given you some great advise, just something else to consider. Make sure the pet shop you buy from has a large flock you can select from. This will help ensure that you do not end up with a brother or sister pair. Most around here pet shops have one supplier so the chance of a related pair is much higher but at least if he has a large flock the odds are in your favour.

Post a pic of your new pair once you get them.

Thanks very much poohbear and williep. Great help indeed. I did not buy them yesterday. The petshop had only 2 pairs, and he said they are from the same supplier but definitely not related since the suppliers gives them right pairs and he takes care of them. I dont know if I can believe him.

This petshop owner seems to be least bothered about me, I thinks thats because he sells huge red african parrot pairs, dont know the exact name, for prices he says, 7 lakhs rupees (something around US$14000). Im CERTAINLY a tiny customer for buying gouldians at Rupees 2500 (US$50) a pair. He seems to have a good shop with dozens of varieties of birds.

OK, about the goulds he had, there was a small male with beautiful colour and finish. Legs were ok, better than the other ones, but all had slight white layers on the legs.Male had a red tipped beak, red head, purple breast, yellow underbody, green back. Female was a black head, green back, purple breast and yellow underbody - and yes, a grey/reddish tipped beak. Female also looked healthy and a little fat comapred to others. But the female was quite LARGER than the male.

One thing that put me down from buying this pair yesterday is that the male and female had slight grey feathers (not much, about 10% os its wing leading edges). Is it that they are finishing moulting? Or they are becoming adults from juviniles? Or are they not goood pairs and it was not a proper breed of gouldians? The grey feeathers in the female were more in numbers than the male (male only had a few feathers like that).

So, can I buy the male from the shop now and buy a female later? Is this ok? This may also ensure that I get a birds from different families

By what he said, he may not be having them for long since many people buy from him. If you help me out, i can go today and buy either the male or the pair. He says, the next batch of goulds he may get is only in March.

Help is greatly needed, since this is a large amount of money for me at this time of the year, and I want to make justice spending it.

Thanks to your replies in advance.