stressed gouldian...input please

[dayhiker]

I use the stone ground cornmeal with the eggs but its hit or miss. I'll get the handfeeding mix on my trip to Petsmart tomorrow. Thanks for all the tips y'all.

[dayhiker]

ok... ok... oK!! so, another surpise awaits...when there is death, there is also life...

cleaning the plants in the cages and moving stuff around today and then remembering sirius and orion bullying my owl pair, athena and atlas...i set up 3 feed dishes in different locations but they seem happier now, still with the occasional chasing around...

i noticed orion, in the nest meant for athena and it has some orchard grass! looks like they made a nest when i was gone last weekend. so there.
i shoo-ed orion out of the nest so he could have his bath and i can clean the silk plants and what do i find? EGGS!! 5 eggs!!

i thought they were both male?? oh boy, here we go... cant get to them to check if they are fertile or not, but now i have to ask who laid the egg? not the owls as they cant even come close to the nest. orion?- seems to be the one in the nest most of the time. sirius?- not moulting yet and as regal as ever. sirius is the one who is so territorial... though i did he orion doing the hop dance to sirius. i am so confused.

still seems like fun. i will wait 3 weeks to see if anything happens. not keeping my fingers crossed but blessings will be blessings...

input please?

[debbie276]

Your gouldians in the picture in the beginning of this thread are both males so I would say the eggs are the owls. Maybe at night the owls get into the nest, or do the goulds sleep in it?

[dayhiker]

Debbie- Orion, the orange head always is in the best and sleeps in it. The two owls nest in another location- one of those hollow loofa tubes. Sirius sleeps alone on a perch usually though I do see him sometimes going into the nest when Orion is out.

[debbie276]

Very strange, but I still think the owls have been sneaking in the nest to lay the eggs.

[dayhiker]

Lol. It's pretty weird. Time will tell.

[Lisa]

I agree, they both look totally male to me too. It doesn't even look like a questionable thing where one could be male... they both blatantly look male.

You mentioned the owls were being bullied by the gouldians. My guess is the owls at one time set up shop at that nest and can no longer access it because the gouldians have taken over. I agree with Debbie that the eggs must belong to the owls.

[dayhiker]

Thanks Lisa, Debbie... I not disturb them at all. Ihop sheets are fertile to see what's going on. Will make gouldians be able to raise chicks with just a paternal instinct or will a maternal response take over?

[debbie276]

I personally would take the gouldians out of the cage and let the owls have their nest back and raise their clutch themselves.

[dayhiker]

debbie276- its been about 5-7 days since i noticed that happening. if i divide the cage so the owls will be the only ones having access to that nest, will they be able to pick up nesting and caring for the eggs? i will do that today and separate them if that's the case.

ooh... and i notice what i typed on my previous post- ihop sheet?- lol-i hope the eggs- darn smart phone...sorry.

ed

[debbie276]

I'm just not sure that 2 male gouldians will raise owl chicks so in my opinion the best chance they have would be to see if the owls will take over the nest. We know they've been in there at least 5 times so far
good luck

[dayhiker]

sorry for the late update...

i divided the cage into top and bottom compartments, owls on top where the nest is ( so i wont have to touch the nest) and gouldians at the bottom. put a nest in there just so they wont be missing the old one.

orion was so stubborn and did not want to leave the nest, oy...when the final pieces of cardboard were being placed, he finally had it and escaped. well, sirius too. i was too preoccupied with the compartmentalization that i just let them fly out. they were easy to catch and then relocated to the lower cage.

that first day, athena and atlas did not go into the cage probably wary of sirius and not realizing that they were gone. rearranged the branches and food containers at the opposite end of the cage to drive them to the nest side. later on that night, they stayed in the nest. the following day, out of the nest again and only back in that night. i dont know how often they are in the cage during the day though.

sirius and orion? orion doing the hoppy dance at sirius, sirius acting confused (lol... do you really know who youre dancing to?) and then sirius bringing grass into their nest...

before i left them yesterday, i noted more grass in athena's nest. did not check for more eggs. some grass in the gouldian cage.
left them dried greens and egg food (yes with exact handfeeding mix to dry it out) and bird seed and water.

will see them again in 4 days. my friend said they are doing ok but no details....

[debbie276]

Hopefully they settle right in, best of luck