Finches at PetSmart

[spooble]

So I went to Pet Smart at lunch today to see what they had. They didn't have any Zebras or Society Finches, but they did have 1 Cordon Bleu ($55), 2 European Goldfinches ($55 each), and about half a dozen Spice finches (on sale for $20 each). The keeper said they expected Societies and Nuns in soon. I don't have a lot of experience, but these guys looked to be in pretty good shape. A couple of the Spices had long nails, but nothing extreme. One of the Spice finches was singing his heart out. They were behind plexi, so I couldn't really hear him, but by the looks of things, he was giving it his all!

Here's my question: If I decide to get a pair of the Spice finches, how can I be sure I get 1 male and 1 female? They're unbanded, and the return policy is 14 days which I'm sure isn't enough time for a female to settle down and lay eggs. Any tips here? Maybe buy 3 or 4 and pick out a male with a nice song and a female that doesn't sing and then return the others? The little guy who was singing today will be easy to pick out. His head is a lighter brown and the rest all had darker, cherry heads. But I don't know if I would want him because the others had better coloring.

[Crystal]

If he was significantly lighter, he might still be molting out of his juvenile plumage. Example:



If what you were seeing was some juvenile plumage, he should attain the same beautiful coloring as the other birds given time.

Anyway the long and short of it is that spice finches can't be sexed reliably by visual means--you will be stuck hoping that your males sing. Sometimes males won't sing regularly, tricking you into thinking they are hens. In some cases, placing one bird by itself will induce a song (this method works well for owl finches and some other species; not sure how well it works for spice finches). I did have a pair (won as a door prize at a bird fair) but the "hen" suddenly died while the pair was in quarantine. The male never showed signs of illness though he was incredibly sedentary when he was kept in a cage. As soon as I moved him to the aviary, he became the most active, acrobatic finch I've ever owned. He always looked the healthiest, too. I am convinced he was wild caught. He sang his heart out daily, but I have not owned enough spice finches to know if this is typical. Your best bet is probably to purchase several and try to form a pair the way you were planning--by keeping track of who sings and who doesn't, while hoping that the birds which have not sung are hens.

I don't know about returning birds once you've purchased them, though--I personally would be tempted to keep them all :x If your enclosure is big enough, you certainly could keep 2 'pair' and increase your chances of having at least one hen in the group.

[spooble]

He didn't really look like the one in that picture. His head was light brown, but the rest of his body was dark like the others. Also, there was no fade from brown to dark red. There was a definite line around his neck where the light color ended and the dark color began.

And I knew this place was bad news! I'm planning a flight for 1 pair of birds that my wife doesn't even approve of, I've been here less than a week and I'm already getting pressured into keeping 2 pair!!

Thanks Crystal. hehe

Chad

[Thalia]

lol oh yeah, we're really good at enabling! We will wholeheartedly encourage you to buy/keep any birds that strike your fancy so long as you have the means to keep them! I've found that most forums are like that, my hermit crab forum regularly has posts about people lamenting that they saw a crab they want that they don't have room for, followed by a dozen replies about how they should thus buy a bigger tank lol.

[spooble]

It's funny you mention that. I was already thinking that it wouldn't take too much effort to add a middle section to my modular flight design. I could build it later when the need arises (as I'm sure it will) and expand my flight to 90 inches or even longer. Not that I actually have room for that, mind you. But it looks good on paper.

[Crystal]

Did it have the scallopped featering typical of spice finches, or a solid brown body?

[spooble]

He had the scallops like all the rest. I'll try to get a picture next time I'm over that way.

[Hilary]

I got a pair of spices by watching them at the petstore. The male had a piece of hay in his mouth and was singing directly to another - I mean, he was throwing his all into it. I crossed my fingers and got those two, and sure enough the other was a female. The only problem is that I'll never know if they're related. I let them breed once, but don't plan to again. Their son and daughter are kept together now, and he sings to her all day (doesn't he know that's his SISTER?!). The adults are a little more laid back now. They do have a nice little song, and are attractive birds.

For that matter, that's how I made sure I bought a male society when I needed a male for fostering - just watched them for awhile.

[plantsandbirds]

And I knew this place was bad news! I'm planning a flight for 1 pair of birds that my wife doesn't even approve of, I've been here less than a week and I'm already getting pressured into keeping 2 pair!!

See what happens???? Finches are like those Lay's potato chips - you never can just have one!

Works with African Clawed Frogs too - those cute little 1/2 inch froggies that the pet shops will happily sell you. Well, they turn into five to eight inch monsters that require ten gallons of water each! What did I do when my two started to grow??? I bought a twenty gallon long tank and stand for them! They do have marvelous personalities and are great pets, though.

[FinchLady07]

Yea we have a female society and my dad for some reason after we found out its was a fem. wanted a male Spice :roll: (they had no more zevs at Petsamrt) But we now have 2 females.