Finch Cohabitation Question

1of42 · Post by **1of42** » Mon May 12, 2008 3:32 pm

Hello there,

I recently found this forum and it is a treasure trove of finch information! I am very happy that something like this exists!

Onto the question...

I've had a pair of Gouldians in a 30" x 18" x 18" cage, and last month they hatched a chick, who has now fledged. So now there are three of them in there, I decided to upgrade them to a larger flight cage (it's a Drs. Foster and Smith one) which is 37-1/4" x 27-1/2" x 49" inside. I have heard that Gouldians are best kept in pairs, so I was hoping to add either 1 or 3 more birds to the flock (after a good quarantine period, etc.)

I was wondering if there are any male/female ratios to follow. I already have one male and one female, and I think the chick is a male because I've seen him practice singing like his dad a few times. If I added another male to the mix, would they all fight over one another? Would one other female be better? Or would two more females and a male be better? I don't really want to breed anymore, I'd just like to enjoy them. Any suggestions are welcome! Thanks!

Post by **Sally** » Mon May 12, 2008 3:47 pm

Welcome to the forum! I have 5 adult Gouldians in a cage that is 32x21x35". It is two males to three females. They have gotten along fine, have been together for at least a year now. I did put nests in the cage, which wasn't such a good idea. I have 9 fledglings right now, but can only guess which ones are the parents, as they had a commune going. Gouldians are usually very laid-back, so you can get away with combinations that wouldn't work with other species, but there are always exceptions. They are also not cuddly birds, so they don't tend to form these little 'couple' bonds as much. The main thing to remember is that they all have different personalities, and sometimes they just don't like each other!

Someone else may have a different opinion, but I would be hesitant to add another male, making it 3 to 1, just in case there was a little jealousy.

mickp · Post by **mickp** » Tue May 13, 2008 5:19 am

its always safer for the females to outnumber the males this seems to be true for all finch species (the ones I've kept so far anyway lol).
my male red billed fire finch has 3 females and somehow he has managed to build a nest for each of them and all have eggs lol