FINCHforum

Okay, so per this thread --- http://finchforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=1 ... it=jackson --- we decided to get Jackson a new girlfriend! (A zebra.)

We've had her a couple days so she's currently on quarantine for about another week. (I know, I know...you're supposed to do 3-4 weeks quarantine. But I hate to make Jackson wait that long. So I've got an appointment for a vet check at the end of the quarantine just to make sure.)

Problem is that Jackson's antics have started testing the patience of the other birds. His “pacing” (flying back and forth for hours on end) clearly gets on the other birds' nerves and they'll nip at him.
Curiously, the main offender is Jackson's brother and his mate. They're usually wonderful together and they're fine once Jackson stops “pacing.”
The two with the chick aren't bothered by Jackson.

Anyways, this nasty-ness just isn't acceptable. I'm not going to let them pick on Jackson when he's already stressed. I've seen the others come away with a mouth-full of feathers from nipping at him.

So I've removed Jackson and put him in a plastic pet carrier. (It's the bigger size that would comfortably fit a medium dog or 2 medium cats.) It has a metal panel on the top and on the front, so good light and ventilation.

The other cage I have has a divider, so I could put him in there with the new girl.
I actually have an extra divider for it, so I could put both of them in, with an inch or two between to serve as a buffer zone to prevent direct contact.
Would that be sufficient? Or is that still too close for quarantine??

I have a third small cage, but it's about 1/3 smaller than the pet carrier.

Normally, I'd just buy a new cage but I have a beautiful big cage on order, scheduled arrive on Monday! (Tried to expedite shipping, but no luck. Already in transit.)

So, would you guys.....
-Leave Jackson in the pet carrier. It's bigger than the small cage. And I thought the plastic sides would make him feel secure.
-Put Jackson in the other half of the cage with new girl and do the double dividers.
-Do something else I haven't thought of?

What are the measurements of the different choices. You can put him in a cage that is 12 inches wide for a brief period, temporarily. Where did you get the hen? From a reliable breeder? pet store? somewhere else? If I knew the breeder and their flocks were healthy, I might think about shortening the quarantine; however, keep in mind that illness will show up when they are stressed and the new hen is going through a transition from a new home, so she may not yet be ready to handle the stress of a mate until she adjusts to your home and routine etc. I would put him in a cage next to her cage, after a couple weeks of quarantine, at least two weeks, to watch droppings, breathing, eating etc first. Then, if no signs of illness are present, I'd put the two cages next to each other for a week, then if all are still healthy, I'd put them together. That way, the both can become adjusted to the change and each other and she still has a 2-3 week quarantine so he doesn't get sick if she is carrying something.

Hi finchmix22 /Deborah!

I got the new girl from a breeder friend.
I do trust her. Her birds are all very healthy and well-cared for. So in that regard, I'm confident she's probably not sick. But you never know.

New girl seems very calm and well adjusted. She doesn't appear real nervous or stressed. (Of course, that could change with the addition of a mate! I've actually been super lucky in that regard. My birds have always taken nicely to the mate they've been given.)

The double cage with the divider is about 36x24x24. (L x H x D)

The small cage is about 12x10x10 (but with a curved top, so I think the actual area is a tad smaller). So quite small. I use it for vet trips.

The pet carrier sticker says it's 24x17.5x18.5.

I think Jackson should be better once he's in a new environment, away from all the upset of "home." At least, I hope so.
And he can have the new big cage all to himself once it arrives on Monday! (So excited!)

FWIW, new girl is already singing!

In fact, I put her on a table within sight of the main cage so they could see each other. And very shortly, the dominant male, Molly Sue, got a good look at new girl and started singing!
A very definite "Hey, good lookin'! Check me out!" (Proving that his vision is waaay better than mine! LOL)

....All the while, Molly Sue's wifey is at home with the baby! Pfft! Men! LOL

....And her intended mate Jackson has been too busy "pacing" to notice. Poor kid has probably accrued enough mileage to make it up to the panhandle/Georgia border at least!

Lol!!!! Glad to see you gt a hen gt your Jackson . Good luck!!!!

Sounds like a good plan. With the cages you mentioned, I use the one that has a divider to help them get used to each other and then you can transfer them to the new cage when it arrives. They'll love that!

MiaCarter
Poor little Jackson, thinking about life.
I would use the cage with the divider until the other new one arrives. That way they can see each other and get to know each other. And that get's Jack out of harms way as well. Getting chunks bitten out of you're butt by your brother and sis-in law can't be much fun.

lovezebs wrote: MiaCarter
Poor little Jackson, thinking about life.
I would use the cage with the divider until the other new one arrives. That way they can see each other and get to know each other. And that get's Jack out of harms way as well. Getting chunks bitten out of you're butt by your brother and sis-in law can't be much fun.

Oh I know it!
Jackson makes me feel so sad.
I think if he were a human, he'd be ready for the psych ward for some happy drugs.
He's had a rough go of it. His wife died, his house was stolen, his baby was kidnapped, and now, his brother and sister-in-law are beating up on him because he can't stop "pacing."
Yeah, I'd be upset and pacing too! Poor little guy.

I just wish I could tell him: "I'm fixing it, Jackson! I'm fixing it, buddy! Hang in there!"

Anyways, thanks for all the advice! I'll keep them next to each other until it's time to integrate with his new girlie.

The up-side is that he's no longer pacing now that I've removed him. Not all that much room to pace, really. And it could be abject terror, of course. But it's a step in the right direction!

It could be he was pacing because they had picked on him and he was nervous. Hopefully, he'll be happier and calmer in his new home and when he gets to have his new mate!

finchmix22 wrote: It could be he was pacing because they had picked on him and he was nervous. Hopefully, he'll be happier and calmer in his new home and when he gets to have his new mate!

That's what I thought too - that maybe they'd been picking on him and I didn't realize?
But they made some ungodly shrieks - real nasty sounding, which is what summoned me in there one time when they were picking on him. Hard to miss! LOL But that could be a new thing and perhaps they were picking on him longer than I realized.
What's funny is I saw Jackson's brother and his mate, Priscilla, come away with mouth-fuls of feathers on several occasions. It looks like they'd gotten Jackson's neck area, but he shows no obvious thin spots.

So far, so good!
A little over a day away from "home" and he seems better already!

Still no pacing, so that's good!

Great news!

So, an update of sorts.....

Jackson started pacing again. Well, technically, I guess he never fully stopped.

And while he's shown interest in the New Girl, it seems luke warm at best.

I was talking to my breeder friend and she was on her way to the flea market with several birds. She had some time to kill, so I told her to stop by.

To make a long story short, we put a few birds in front of Jackson.
A parade of eligible suitors. LOL
We rotated three girls through a small cage and put it beside Jackson's for a few minutes to see if he reacted to any of them.
First one?....Meh.
Second one?.....Meh.
Third one?.....He looked at her for a minute and then, started doing his mating dance!

Winner!
Alas, she's a society finch. (If you remember, I was considering getting a society, but then opted for a zebra.)

So looks like Jackson prefers Society Girl (she says her name is Sylvia.)
She's not who I would've picked. Let's just say she's not the most attractive bird. She actually had some of those adorable crested societies - they look like they have a bowl cut! So adorable! I would have picked one of them if I'd picked a society. But apparently, my opinion matters none! LOL

We're keeping New Girl, of course. She's quite sweet. I think I'll put her with Squeepers when she gets older. So Squeepers will have a friend.

I'm not keen on making Jackson wait longer to get a friend, but it doesn't seem to matter that she's in another cage.
New girl is on one side, Sylvia's cage on the other. Jackson's on a perch, doing his mating dance at Sylvia. And Sylvia seems equally taken. She's facing him, chattering away.

And most importantly......
He's stopped pacing!!!
Horray!
A happy ending for sure.