FINCHforum

debbie276 wrote:

cindy wrote: I decided not to go this time, monitoring my dog with congestive heart issues and new meds to help, finally she is stable for now.

So sorry to hear about your dog Cindy.
I just lost my 14 year old chihuahua mid June to the same thing.
best of luck

So sorry for your loss Debbie.

Thanks Cindy.
He went quick and at home, I'm very thankful for that.

Shannylee
What kind of waxbills did you see and decided you'd like?
And were there whydah hens available?

debbie276, so sorry for your loss. It's so hard to lose a dog. We had to put our 14yo American Eskimo down a few years ago. Devastating.

@w.l. , there were SO many!! I really love the lavenders. There were strawberry finches, orange cheeks, orange weavers (no!), stars, owls, common waxbills, saffrons, parrot finches, etc. There was one spectacular pied parrot finch but he was all puffed up and looking pretty stressed. The Cordon Bleus were great. So little! Lots of gouldians. Zillions of societies and zebras. Not a single whydah. I was almost one whydah short today! He got loose during cage cleaning but managed to find his way home after about 3 hours.

Basically all waxbills you list would be fine together when not breeding.
When breeding, even strawberries can be furiously protective of their nest though, chasing birds much larger than themselves away from its victinity.

Those orange bishops (I guess you saw these, not real orange weavers) are a stunning species, males in breeding plumage that is. They are also among the most peaceful weavers and could live peacefully with finches of similar size for most of the year. However the males in breeding plumage can get kind of hyperactive, needing enough space of their own. They could still stay in a mixed community provided the aviary is big enough - yours is not! Again, you need more aviaries! If any birds are worth giving a separate aviary, these bishops are surely among them.

Come to think of it, if breeding is not a priority, you could probably mix your whydahs, javas, a pair of mannikins and a group of bishops (like the whydahs, these are best kept as a male with a harem) in one larger aviary. All are species that could probably stand their ground against the others. But to breed them, they should probably be housed separately (or the whydahs with Common Waxbills).

w.l. I second that Laszlo, agree 100 %

Shannylee hi Sharon,

Glad you enjoyed yer day, yes these big sale days / shows do certainly open yer eyes up if yer not used to them,

One word of warning to you though that although many breeders are genuine I'm afraid to say that some aren't and you need to be on the ball if buying any birds,

I've always looked for birds that are really active and bright eyed aswell as the obvious best condition that you can find.

If you see birds all huddled up and just sitting there with eyes half closed I'd avoid these at all cost,

9 out of 10 these birds are unwell or have been drugged to look calm ( traders trick )

I noticed you seem very interested in the waxbills ( Estrilldid finches ) and rightly so being the worlds smallest and colourfull of finches other than Gouldians,

However if you ever intend to breed these birds I strongly advise you to do as much research as poss because virtually all waxbills require the use of live food when rearing their young and need particular requirements.

Perhaps time to get some more cages or get hubby to build more flights,

He's gonna luv me for saying that .....lols

At these shows there are about 3 or 4 brokers that take birds in from everywhere..... often too they may have a species that may be harder to find. If considering buying from them look at the cages next to the birds you at considering.... look for signs of illness as Stuart mentioned.....and always always quarantine. Bring a few different small carries, never put birds from one vendor in with other vendor's birds. Quarantine them separately also.

cindy very good point about the different cages / carriers between different venders / traders

Thanks for all of the tips! I am currently separating out my canaries to determine male or female so I can either sell them as pairs or singing males. My youngster (mosaic, about 6 months old) starting singing up a storm this morning and based on the reaction in the next cage, I'm going to guess that she (yellow) is a hen. Canaries are super easy to catch in the aviary. I just put a delicious snack inside a catch cage and they will hop right in.

I googled. Yes, they were Orange Bishops that were labeled as Weavers. Gorgeous birds! I can't imagine anything more hyperactive than the mannikins or the whydah. LOL! I like the idea of a larger (non-breeding) aviary with the whydahs, bishops, javas, and a couple of mannikins.

I saw a few cages of fluffed up, "sleepy" birds. It was drafty in there with the a/c blowing a pretty good breeze and I'm sure a lot of those birds had a very early start to the day but I'm not about to take on sick birds if I can help it. My quarantine and hospital cages are being used (after lots of scrubbing and bleach) to house my separated canaries right now so no more birds until I have some empty cages.

I recommend you one more hyperactive bird to put in that 2nd aviary if you ever get it: Golden Sparrows.
I love them and in an aviary they are ever active and noisy.
They also breed easily enough but require tons of livefood - even big mealworms are OK for them.
With African imports still going into the US, they should be available sometimes.