Oh this is so GROSS! :-@

L in Ontario · Post by **L in Ontario** » Wed Feb 25, 2009 5:40 pm

Okay it has FINALLY happened!! The Fire Finch eggs are due to hatch tomorrow and they have removed or eaten 2 mealworms from their dish today. At least I can't find two and there is NO way they could have gotten out of the 1-3/4" high glass dish.

My question now is - I just got home from work to see they have eaten 2 of them leaving 1 in the dish still alive. Do I have to add any more tonight to the dish? Do you leave the dish in overnight? I do have Christmas lights on the back of their cage (night lights) so they could see their way to the dish if they wanted any during the night. Good idea or bad?

dfcauley · Post by **dfcauley** » Wed Feb 25, 2009 7:32 pm

Liz, you are so funny with these mealworms. I do not think they will eat tongiht. I cannot believe you keep up with every single mealworm.
I usually put about 40 in a dish and forget about it. I sure can't keep up with them.

Leave the one and tomorrow morning add a few more.

Good luck with the new ones. Hope they hatch!!!

B CAMP · Post by **B CAMP** » Wed Feb 25, 2009 8:27 pm

When they hatch feed more

FireFinchMayhem · Post by **FireFinchMayhem** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 8:53 am

Hey Liz,

I personally would add a lot more and let them free range it. If they feel they don't have an adequate supply, they may not feed the chicks and could reject them if they feel they can't feed them.

Ours just laid eggs again and Ester is already starting to worms again.

L in Ontario · Post by **L in Ontario** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 9:02 am

Well the Fires pitched 1 again this morning (probably during the night as it was gone before I got there) and 1 dead inside the nestbox. So I removed the remaining 3 eggs (and the nestbox) and gave the eggs to my Societies who have been sitting on 4 fake eggs and 1 real Star egg for about a week now. I removed 3 of the fake eggs and placed the 3 Fire Finch eggs in. Also gave them quite a few mealworms in with the hardboiled egg.

Tomorrow I'll try removing the hopper of hard seeds like Sally posted about in another thread, and I'll load up the dish with soaked seed, hardboiled egg and mealies.

This was the 3rd clutch for my Fires - so they are finished for this season. They sure tried hard... until the eggs hatched.

FireFinchMayhem · Post by **FireFinchMayhem** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 3:18 pm

Sorry to hear that Liz.

Hopefully your societies will do an excellent job rearing them. Hopefully the community here will figure out how to get these Fire pairs to finally have a successfully clutch from start to finish.

Rayray · Post by **Rayray** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 4:11 pm

one day it will work liz

, if it was that simple to get young fires everyone would have them , its good to think what could / went wrong and what you gonna change next year to get young ones . hope the foster parent will feed the coming young ones good and as long you give them plenty insects and eggfood it will be okay

ray

L in Ontario · Post by **L in Ontario** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 9:21 pm

Thank you Chris and Ray, both. The Societies are sitting on the eggs or babies so well tonight that I cannot see them and I'm not risking disturbing them. I did note that the Societies DID eat the live mealworms that I had in with the eggfood and soaked seed today!! I went out and bought another 4 doz mealies tonight and some dried Bloodworms (thanks Fran!). I'll be sure to put a good amount in their dish in the morning.

I also close-banded the younger 2 of 4 Gouldian babies tonight, that hatched 6 and 7 days ago - so sweet!

BirdCrazy · Post by **BirdCrazy** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 9:33 pm

Sorry for the loss Liz but glad to hear the Societies seem to have accepted them. Hope they are able to raise them up for you! Good luck!!

dfcauley · Post by **dfcauley** » Fri Feb 27, 2009 7:43 am

I am late here, somehow I missed this. Good luck Liz..

And good luck tomorrow on your search for Parrot finches!!!

L in Ontario · Post by **L in Ontario** » Fri Feb 27, 2009 8:45 am

Well that's the end of the Fire Finch baby saga for now. They did not survive. But there's always next season and the Strawberries have yet to start.

dfcauley · Post by **dfcauley** » Fri Feb 27, 2009 9:29 am

gosh Liz.... so sorry.

FeatherHarp · Post by **FeatherHarp** » Fri Feb 27, 2009 9:32 am

Oh..no....so sorry to hear that Liz. You must be so disappointed.