FINCHforum

Update:

A local breeder now has gouldians...they are $85 each!

Heading up there this Saturday!

Oh, and I saw a red billed fire finch for $80.

Nerine

Woo hoo!!! Bird shopping, my favorite pass time .

At Rolling Meadows Bird Mart this weekend, got a female Shafttail for $35, two juvenile Black Cheek Zebras for $15 each ( I think they may be Pied by the tails) and a crested Silver FF Zebra for $10. Have gotten most of my birds from there. Gouldians from $50 for RH to $85 for a yellow head split for several things. The breeder with the Orange head also had many other types, including Blues for $125 - dilutes or pastel (?) blues for $?.

Just bought two societies (1 male for sure based on singing) from Fins, Feathers, Paws and Claws in Quakertown, Pa for $16 each.

Just saw on kijiji today a local breeder selling painted finches for $300/pair and strawberries for $150/ pair here in Ontario.

If I had the extra cash right now, I would grab those strawberries!

gouldians at Eau Claire today (there was only one cage, most were blue or split to blue) were $70 for green backs and $120 for blues. wow.

Here in Denver - Pet Shop prices, per each:

Blue-billed Firefinch - $90
Blue-capped Waxbill - $80
Pearl-headed Amandine - $80
Black-cheeked Waxbill - $125
Lavender Waxbill - $80

CoMtnGal - I can't believe your pet stores sell such a nice variety of finches (even though not cheap). Here they only sell a few zebras, societies and the occasional canary. They have tons of parakeets, though, and some bigger hook bills.
Iso

I was going to say the same.
It's definitely an above average pet shop!

It seems to be! They have 2 pair of rough looking red Siskin right now - $600 a pair, but she said she was going to lower the price substantially. I am not getting them, regardless. It is World of Birds in Lakewood. There is also another shop 10 blocks down, Pet World that has nice finches too. I just happen to find what I'm looking for more often at WOB. I feel her prices are a little high, but the birds are here - no extra shipping to pay!

CoMtnGal - Oh my God, are they really red siskins (Spinus cucullata)? In the '80s and '90s I used to have them and breed them. Lovely, lovely birds! If they lower the price, you should buy them. With some TLC and the appropriate food mix (lots of oily seeds like niger, perilla and safflower chips) they will be stunning after their next molt. Along with European goldfinches my all-time favorites.
If I wasn't so far away from you, I'd drive over and pick them up.
Can you post a picture or two?
Iso

isobea wrote: CoMtnGal - I can't believe your pet stores sell such a nice variety of finches (even though not cheap). Here they only sell a few zebras, societies and the occasional canary. They have tons of parakeets, though, and some bigger hook bills.
Iso

Same story at most of the pet shops around here as well. Parakeets must breed like rats these days. There are always dozens of them. No wonder they are the most abandoned bird on the planet! You think all that noise is just because there are so many of them, then you get your one or two home and find out The Truth.

The one time I was in a shop that had more than a handful each of zebras and Bengalese, the birds didn't look at all healthy. I think it was Spice finches and a couple of the larger varieties of parakeets that you usually don't see in the stores and they all looked sick.

That store also had dozens of budgies in a great big "container", open at the top - all the budgies were wing clipped!

At first the cages looked clean but upon further examination they were absolutely filthy, the perches and toys were so encrusted with bird poop you literally not only could not tell the original colors on the toys, you couldn't even tell what SHAPE the pieces were because of so much bird poop.

Keeping the litter clean and washing the plastic walls is necessary to cleanliness, but not sufficient. Perches and toys and feeders and waters ALL must also be clean.

Needless to say have not set foot in that store again.

isobea next time I go up there I'll grab pics. The birds are two years old and have closed bands. She said she was going to drop the price to $350 per pair, but still too high for me. Plus, I'm sticking with African Waxbill species and one pair of Societies.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

CoMtnGal - Have you had a chance to go back to the store? If so, were the siskins still there? Have you had a chance to snap some pictures? Would love to see them.
Iso

isobea I have not yet. Hopefully next week!