My sweet little handfed update 2/14

[Animal Quackers]

That's awesome! I am always jealous when I see a finch or canary sitting on someone's finger or shoulder! How neat is that??

[Ursula]

Congratulations, Donna! She's a cutie!

Maybe you can really keep her tame? That would be nice. I never thought that finches can be so tame, even when they are handfed. Nothing better than getting greeted by a bird in the morning. (One of my parrotlets is very attached to me and sits on my shoulder all the time while I'm in the aviary and she's allowed out of the cage.)

[dfcauley]

Just one little last update on Leila.....

She has now been in the aviary for a week. She no longer loves me. She is now a bird and wants nothing to do with me.

[Meagan83]

That's a shame . Well, atleast you did a good job and she is a healthy happy bird.

[CandoAviary]

Yes, that happens but it is also the results of a job well done
She is a typical gouldian in spite of the beginning

[cindy]

Donna, she loves you and appreciates all you did for her. She will pay it forward and give you wonderful little offspring in return.

[Ursula]

I'm sure she's a happy bird now that she's with her own kind. Somebody else might have kept her in a cage and tried to keep her tame, but you're give her a happy life and as much freedom as we can give them in our environments. I really like that!!

[dfcauley]

I'm sure she's a happy bird now that she's with her own kind. Somebody else might have kept her in a cage and tried to keep her tame, but you're give her a happy life and as much freedom as we can give them in our environments. I really like that!!

Thank you! It was funny because each day that she was there, I would go to wherever she was perched and try to get her to sit on my finger. Each day got harder to get her to do this. At night I would put her back in the cage before dark because I wasn't sure she knew her way around in the aviary. She quickly caught on to that and would not let me get her after about the third time.
She now sleeps in the huge silk tree with all the other gouldians.

I know this is what is best for her..... but ..... I was hoping she would come to greet me like Misty's handfeds do.

[cindy]

Donna, try a little millet in you hand. I would decorating myself with silk flowers and leaves and hiding amongst the silks (that would be a sight) just for the rare chance to have one sit on me!!

I found that it is sometimes the when released into a flock personality of the bird that keeps them tame.

[dfcauley]

I would decorating myself with silk flowers and leave and hiding amongst the silks (that would be a sight) just for the rare chance to have one sit on me!!
.

I would pay money to see that!!!!

[cindy]

I would decorating myself with silk flowers and leave and hiding amongst the silks (that would be a sight) just for the rare chance to have one sit on me!!
.

I would pay money to see that!!!!

[dfcauley]

Came home today and actually got my hands on her.. (him?)

I was totally shocked that she is already beginning to color up. I have some in the aviary that are MUCH older than her without any of this color.

So now I think it may be a he..... (Rocky?)

What do you think?

[cindy]

A little red head...look at the little bit of blue coming out!

He/she is going to be a looker!!!!! When I finish making the camouflage silk flower and leaves suit I'll send it up to you!

[CandoAviary]

I never was sold on the fact that just because 'it' wiggled his tail feathers when you stroked it that that meant it was a She......
All my chicks fluff and wiggle their feathers when I stroke them. After that post I even went out to the bird room and reached into 2 different outside mounted nest boxes that had feathered chicks in them and stroked them.... they behaived the same way.....Once I opened the lid up all the way they hunkered (southern word) down and were frightened. Since then I have done this a few times. I have one cage with 6 newly fledged goulds that keep going back into the nest box. It is a low cage so I regularly open the nest and stroke whoever is in there...I think they have grown to like the stroking because they don't fly away...And these were parent reared.

Donna, I would say your stroked bird is undoubtedly a Boy though I know you are overrun with boys

[dfcauley]

Another male...... ... oh my.... I guess we will soon see.

I sure did like that name Leila......