FINCHforum

I have a male gouldian that has not been singing since I got him two month ago. Believe he had air sac mites when I got him and treated with SCATT he now no longer makes clicking noise which is good but he doesn't sing. He's able to churp but no song.

What's up with this and is it a problem for breeding if he can't sing to his mate?


Chris

Chris,

Is it possible he's still recovering from the Air Sac Mites? From what I've been reading it takes 3-4 months after treatment for the birds to finally be rid of all the dead mites in their system.

Is it possible he's still expelling what's left of the dead mites and recovering?

Hopefully someone with more experiance will chime in.

I have heard him churp a few times but that is about it. No more crackling noise and at night doesn't have his mouth open any more.

Does anyone here have any more insight into this issue?

Chris

Does he have somebody to sing to?

Yes he is in a cage with a female gouldian.

Chris

I doubt that singing will make a difference with breeding - I've had pairs that bred with no singing that I ever observed. He may still be dealing with the mites, or he may just not be feeling frisky yet. I have a beautiful boy that didn't sing for at least the first 6 months after I got him - now he's starting a tentative courtship.

So Hilary I have also heard that it's the female gould that determines whether they are ready to nest so if the male doesn't sing to a ready female gould are you saying that there will still be a union?

Chris

There MAY still be a union. It's happened with some of my pairs. Maybe I just missed the singing, but I don't think that it's the singing that actually fertilized the eggs... Some hens will accept a male without all of that fancy stuff, and some males will sing their butts off and never get anywhere with a particular hen.

I hope he does sing as the song is so so nice to hear.

Six months you said for your male to sing.... Hummmm...

Chris

I was convinced he was afraid of girls (my friends said he was gay). Every time I put him with a hen he went into a molt. Silly boy. I've finally found a girl he likes (and will sing to), and while she doesn't object to him I haven't seen her really respond to him, either. Honestly....

I've had several male gouldians that NEVER made a sound. Well, I had never been impressed with gouldians for that reason, so always ended up selling them.

Now I finally have the sweetest male gouldian and he is one of the loudest finches in my big flight! I love him!

Hey Emily,

No Singing with your male goulds and how did they do when you tried to pair them up?

Chris

I never tried to pair them up. I ended up selling all my male goulds that didn't sing.

Thanks Emily,

Just that I don't want to give up my male for another one so lets hope he will sing soon?

Chris

So if the male doesn't have to sing to get the female attention or for her to mate .....then why do they sing?

Do they sing as part of the courtship?

I ask because our male sings all the time to our female and she will answere him with a little noise.
So does he sing to try and mate with her at the time of singing? When we hear him singing to her is he really say somthing else or wanting to do somthing else?

Also on the singing and breeding topic. When a females beak turns black then you know she is ready for breeding. How long does it take for her beak to go black and how long does it stay black. Or how long is she in her breeding time?
thanks