FINCHforum

Ok....I will get the Stupidity part out of the way first! I went to town today and when I got home I found that the bottom finch door was half open!!

Now what Dufus did that!?...hehe! Fortunately all 6 finches were present and accounted for....whew! I will make darn sure in the future I know the door is securely latched.

At least the 3 budgies didn't get out of their cages. (I am babysitting my daughter's 3 budgies while they are on a trip so there is lots of joyful noise in the house...and more seeds and feathers on the floor too! )


Now...for the Porcupine Gouldian....Jazz my male is really moulting so I am sharing a pic of him looking more like a porcupine than a bird.

Wow, you got lucky!! Good thing no one got the idea to fly off.

Jazz has wonderful color to him, and you're right!!! he does look like a porcupine

Oh, poor little guy! That has to itch!

My goodness! I have never sen one look like that.

Question...... I am pretty sure that my male is molting. He seems a little depressed. He doesn't sing or seem very happy. Is this normal?

Also..... my female appears to be in breeding condition. Her beak is almost black. Do they not come into breeding condition at the same time?

Sorry, for the silly questions, but I am a little lost when it come to the gouldians. They have their own set of rules it seems.

Lucky you the finches are happier in their home than loose! Jazz stills looks cute as a porcupine,

[quote="dfcauley"]
Question...... I am pretty sure that my male is molting. He seems a little depressed. He doesn't sing or seem very happy. Is this normal?

Also..... my female appears to be in breeding condition. Her beak is almost black. Do they not come into breeding condition at the same time?
[quote]

The time of the year when they molt has to do with when they themselves were born. If you have a spring born baby and a winter born baby, they might not always been in sync.

okay.... so does this mean that they may never produce any babies?

No, not at all. They just both need to be in breeding condition. Molting takes about 2 months. If the hen is still in breeding condition then you got it made! I always ask when I buy new gouldians when they were born so I can match up their "cycles". Not sure if everyone does this.

So do you think that the behavior that I described is normal for one that is molting? NO singing, sleeping some (not alot) just more or less sitting around. I don't think he is sick, but just making sure.

Molting is very stressful for LGs, since they do such a hard molt. It takes a lot of protein to make all those new feathers, so they really could use some help with eggfood or supplements like Feather Fast or Feather Up. My adults are molting now, and they are all quieter than usual. My juvies are going thru their first molt, and they really seem to be having a hard time of it, not nearly as active as usual. If your male is molting, he will soon look like that pic of Jazz!

I give eggfood every day to my finches. But I only have one male gouldian and he doesn't seem interested in it. I have the father fast, but is there another way to give this other than on wet foods?

It is hard with LGs, as they can be so finicky with their food. You can sprinkle some Feather Fast on veggies, too. Or you could soak a little spray millet, then sprinkle the supplement on it. My adults ate eggfood like crazy when they had babies, and now they act like they can't stand it, won't touch it. Thank goodness, the juvies love eggfood.