FINCHforum

I had to put a male gouldian down yesterday. He leaves behind his mate, who is now alone. I need to figure out how to shuffle my remaining birds, and I would appreciate any help. It took me years to figure out who can live with who, and the cages are very peaceful – there is never any squabbling.

There are 3 cages, each containing 2 male gouldians.
There is one cage containing a female canary, male society and female society.
There is a flight cage containing a male parrot finch, 2 female parrot finches and a pair of owl finches.

Does anyone have any idea who I could put in with her, or should I leave her alone, or should I just get her a new mate? I should also mention she is about 8.

ann - Hi Ann, Sorry to hear it was time to end your gouldians suffering. Always hard to do, no matter what the circumstances are.
I would probably just get her a new mate. Maybe one of the breeders has an older gouldian that he would be happy to find a new home for. Most people only want to buy young birds.
Iso

Why not put her in one of the cages with your males?
I've had various numbers, w/mixed sexes and ages of Gouldians in 30" cages with no squabbling or troubles whatsoever. At 8 years she is unlikely to come into breeding condition if that is what worries you.

ann

Sorry you lost your male with the tumor, Ann. Glad to hear the rest of the flock are thriving.

Babs sorry for your little birdie and I would say maybe just get her another pair if you have the time or could you not put the Camry with her that is at the moment with the societys

paul-inAZ

That would have been my first choice, but I thought since the males are young they might fight over her. Maybe I will try that tomorrow, and if it looks like it's causing trouble, I'll see if I can find an elderly male somewhere.

Chances are that the only thing you will notice with 2 males and one hen is that the boys will do more singing and show off a bit and she will ignore them. I have never had Gouldians get aggressive.

paul-inAZ

Thanks for that piece of advice, I moved her over a few hours ago, into the cage that offers the most hiding places, and so far everything is peaceful. On the plus side, I can now retire one of my cages, which means the bird room is a little less crowded and a little less work for me.