One Shouldn't Visit Bird Loving Friends...

[w.l.]

w.l.

I was looking at these dark Socies, particularly the one, and actually wondering if these guys are not somewhat different from the run of the meal Societies. They just seem so different somehow...bigger beaks, different shaped heads....I don't know, just different in some ways (and not just the colour)

If you look at bird #1, then look at bird #2, isn't it hard to believe that these are the same species?

Well, they ARE different, the results of crossing societies with the Black Mannikin of New Guinea (generations ago in Europe).
Read again this thread:
http://www.finchforum.com/viewtopic.php ... 2&start=75

[lovezebs]

ann

So glad they enjoyed the egg food

It's a good recipe, and most burds tend to enjoy it.

[Babs _Owner]

lovezebs

Sounds like he has a lot of breeding going on. Oh boy! Loads of babies! Did he seem enthusiastic about the idea?

[lovezebs]

Babs


If you mean the idea of passing over unwanted infants, then yes, I think so.

I love babies, he has the occasional unwanted, abandoned babies....win win situation if you ask me.

In the long run, we shall see, but I had to make the offer anyway.

[lovezebs]

w.l.

Yes, you're right of course , my memory is like very good cheese...Swiss cheese, that is

[Barbara]

lovezebs that dark society you compared with the white always reminds me more of the spice finch then the society.I like them all so pretty .

[lovezebs]

Barbara

Funny you mentioned Spice Finches...

They actually had a pair at my Pet Shop the other day ($130.00 for the pair).
I'm pretty sure someone must have brought them in, because they never order this species). They were not banded, so no idea of age.

Now I'm not familiar with Spices, but these were not an attractive pair really, poor things. No scales to speak off, so much so, that I found myself wondering if they were Spices at all. They were very light in colour, sort of a drab fawn shade. Maybe very young birds, but being unfamiliar with them I couldn't really tell.

If they're still there next time, I'll snap a a picture and post it.
I don't imagine they'll be going anywhere soon.

[Sheather]

Sounds like babies.
I really love spices Elana and would recommend them.
They have a great fondness for vertical perches. I would often hang branches upright and they loved climbing about those. Without such perches, they like to cling to the cage bars.

[Barbara]

wow that seems expensive for spice,I have seemed some around here for around the same price of society,$20- $25 as a matter of fact just last weekend. the ones I have seen are a real deep cinnamon color scally looking breast very pretty,but like you do not know much about them other then I think they would breed with society if they are caged together,maybe that's what the ones were that you saw.

[lovezebs]

Sheather

The poor things were huddled together on a perch, and looked kind of scared.

If I were to get them, I guess housing them with my Socies would not be a good idea as I'm assuming they could and probably would hybridize (?)

[lovezebs]

Barbara

I'm assuming that they were more expensive, because we never see them around here.

So they can hybridize with the Socies, eh?
I thought they might, and was just posting Dylan about it, lol.

[Barbara]

lovezebs I think I read at one time they will breed with other manikins ,but very easily with societies,that they were called something like spicieties.

[lovezebs]

Barbara

Spiceieties, lol. I've never heard of that before

[Barbara]

lovezebs thought it was funny at the time too so much that I remember it.I am going to have to go on utube and hear what the sound like.I think I have heard them before and I thought they seemed louder then society.wonder if any one here knows for sure.sometimes on the computer they have a bunch of other sound so hard to tell what your hearing most pet stores here have them behind glass so really can't hear them.

[Sheather]

Yep for sure! They get along great with spices - I think they're very, very closely related. Males seem to be very attracted to society females and my first male, even though he had a spice mate, was really into all my socie girls, but the socies never found his raspy little song attractive and so wouldn't let him mate. But he was smart - he'd wait until he heard the male socies courting the girls, then sneak behind and wait for the girl to start waving her tail, knock off the society to the side with a kung-fu kick, and mate before the female realized what was going on.

I did get three spice chicks once, and they grew up with a lot of baby societies the same age. As the female society babies who grew up around young spice finches grew up, they didn't have any of the inhibitions of their mothers and treated the spice boys like their own kind. There was a lot of cross-breeding going on when they were older.

One of the two male offspring actually developed a sort of crush on one of the adult societies and followed him everywhere until he had learned to sing just like him. Using this trick, and sounding like the alpha male society of the flock, he was then able to seduce all the females, even the older ones who previously didn't find the spices attractive.

And yet, even though this happened every day for years and my societies nested a few times, I never did get a hybrid baby.