LIVE FOOD? NEED HELP...

[lovezebs]

Hello Finch Friends.
I have heared over and over that some people feed 'Live Food' to their birds . I am sure there are bits and pieces of information all over the Forum, but can somebody put it in a nutshell for me? What are we talking about, when we speak of live food? Worms? Bugs? Unfriendly neighbors?

My OC's are trying to breed, and I am told they need 'live food' if we are to have any chance of sucess.
- I do buy what is called 'insect pate', which is supposed to be a pulverised mixture of different insects (I have no idea what kind because it is sold in bulk). I also purchase freeze dried mealworms, which I break into tiny pieces. That said, these things are accepted and eaten, but they are not alive, so therefore not 'live food'. When I did catch a few flying ant things (yes I did) they were devoured like Mana from heaven, but after our cold spell, they have all disappeared.
So the big question is, where do I get live bugs for my birds, that are not going to overrun my home and will keep my birds happy??? And what kind???
I am in Canada.

[finchmix22]

Take a pineapple or other sugary fruit and cut it open. Leave a section in the cage and the fruit flies will flock to it. They won't over run your home since the birds will catch them all!! Like Pokemon, Gotta Catch Em All!

[lovezebs]

finchmix22
How long do you keep fruit in cage? Doesn't it rot? As a person who has had fruit flies over run the house, I am just a bit dubious What else you got?

[Decimus]

If your birds don't regularly get live insects, it may be better to keep feeding them insect protein that isn't live. Birds are a cautious lot. We usually feed our Gouldian finches dried mealworms, but we got some corn that had been raised pesticide-free, and took some corn worms from that to offer the Gouldians. They waited until the worms had stopped moving to eat them. They went over to look at them, but they didn't start making happy "muttering" noises until the worms stopped moving. We might try corn worms again when we get more corn, but I'm not sure I'd try fruit flies unless I knew for sure they'd eat them!

[MariusStegmann]

The more rotten it gets, the better. Then you get more fruitflies. OC particularly like fruitflies. Black bananas also works. If you don't like the mess, buy mealworms or freeze-dried bloodworms. In my experience just mealworms are not enough for OC to raise chicks. But Canadian ladies are fearless. you should start your own maggotfarm.

[lovezebs]

MariusStegmann
How do you start a maggot farm? Are they good for OC's? Other birds as well? Where do you keep it? And how do you keep it from getting out of control?

More important, how do you keep your son from calling in the people from the Lunatic Asylum? ? ?

The secret stash of the mad bird woman....

[delray]

lovezebs bwahahahahahaha, top secret!!

[lovezebs]

delray

[KarenB]

Wax worms are relished by my waxbills, and they are easy to keep. Pick out a few for breakfast, put the rest in the fridge. Take some out for lunch, then put container in fridge. Dinner, repeat until all gone. Go buy more wax worms.....

[lovezebs]

KarenB
I have never seen them anywhere. Do they have them in the reptile dept.? I will have to search them out.

You mean you don't have a maggot farm???

[KarenB]

The closest thing I have to a maggot farm are flightless fruit flies, and we all know how you feel about those. I think you should reconsider them. They are super easy, and the finches eat them immediately upon "dumping" them in.

The wax worms, yes, are kept in the pet store's refrigerator just adjacent to their reptile/fish department. I know the manager of mine, so I usually just go help myself to what I want without asking anyone first. Saves time. I usually get a couple of 50 count tubs at a time.

Now that it's getting cooler, I may consider shipping them in in larger quantities. They do keep for quite a while as long as they stay chilled.

[finchmix22]

I found the fruit flies the least messy and problematic for live food. I don't find bugs in the house and the birds absolutely love them, especially waxbills and cordon blues!

[lovezebs]

KarenB
Will have to look for these Waxy guys....... Hold on now, did you say 'flightless' fruit flies? All the ones I've ever seen fly all over my house. How does one get flightless ones??? That just might be the answer!!! Eureka!!! As to the Waxy worms, when you get them in little cans, are they alive?

[lovezebs]

Decimus
Thanks for response.
When I gave my OC's some half dead flying ant bugs, they got so excited, they laid an egg. I think they would go for something wriggley.

[lovezebs]

finchmix22
Not too many bugs in the house I'm afraid. In the Winter, we get the occasional spider in the basement, but I don't think that would be the thing. Plus, I usually smash them with something heavy before they take a flying leap at me. God, I hate it when they do that!