FINCHforum

Hello again everyone! Since I purchased my male shaft tail, Schroeder, I've noticed he's rather peculiar... ...in a cute way. He does NOT like being in his cage for one. I let him and Lucy fly around my small bird/computer room whenever I'm home for exercise and they often sit on the high perch in front of my window and enjoy the view and sing. Schroeder also doesn't like to sleep in the cage at night and chooses (if i let him)..to sleep on top of the cage! He's tried to build a nest there a few times but I won't let him as I want him in the cage at night, and for them to nest in the cage. He refuses to go in their nest though, let alone sleep there. He'll just sleep on a perch. He's fast, OH SO FAST when I try to close the cage door on him at night and usually gets out in the split second it takes to close it. He also likes to walk on the rug. Among other funny things.

Anyhow, my question is, today I noticed Lucy had dropped an egg from the high perch in front of the window (OUTSIDE of the cage)?! It smashed of course. Is that unusual for her not to be laying her eggs in her nest in the cage like she used to do with my last male finch? Lucy has always been fine with sleeping in her nest unlike Schroeder. Odd how she is choosing not to lay them in there now? Are his odd habits rubbing off on her??

I will mention its a closed nest, and I'm wondering if I might be better to try an open one? Maybe he's claustrophobic!

Thanks for your thoughts in advance

She may not be laying in the nest because her mate has not built it up for her yet. You might try putting some nesting material in the nest to try to give him a hint to get it started. Hopefully he will follow your lead.
Keep us posted!

Thank you both for your thoughts on this, I appreciate it

Nelissa, since the day I brought the male home he hasn't wanted to go in the nest at all. He only sleeps on top of the nest while she sleeps in the nest. I will try to coax him in with the coconut hair and the Timothy hay and see if that helps. I am also going to buy an open nest this week and see if I can start him out with that. He was bought from an aviary that had no nests, only branches, and there were many birds in each cage. So he's never been in one before. I'm hoping in time she can coax him in.
PA... she has laid four more eggs in the nest I noticed but they weren't fertilized. In fact one had bubbles in it? I've read about that before and I'll have to look it up again to see what that means. I am slowly keeping them in the cage for a lot longer times now. I thought that letting them out occasionally would be good exercise for them. The last male and my present female came out occasionally too, yet when she had eggs with him, she would stay in the cage and sit on them and not come out. Her behaviour has changed with this new fellah. I'm not particularily wanting to breed my birds, but if nature takes its course then of course I'd welcome them
So much to learn!! I'm still fairlly new at this

I really dont think the problem is that you let them out... I do let all of my birds out ocationally, and I see it as great exercis and a way to stay healthy and activated. They really love to make loops all around the room:) and explore the shelfs and other interesting places like my tea pots on our top shelf

I dont know how long you have had him, but I always wait a couple of months befor I let them out to fly around, so that they really learn that their cage is a safe place and the place were food is, aka their home, that way they always return to roost or eat, and I have never had to catch a bird to get him/her in to the cage again, they tend to turn back with in an hour or so. And of course, never let them out when your cocking on the stove or have water tapped up in the zink or elsewere... bird proofing your home Also dont feed them outside the cage
My birds dont fly in to the windows, I guess they tend to do that more when they are startled but I would start with the curtains closed You might allready know all of this, but I thought I would post it just in case

I havent let mine out when they are breeding thou, so it migt be that, but Im sure you will get things going

Good luck!

PA.. thank you for the info on the bubbles. Yes I'm very careful not to let the birds out of the small room that they're kept in. Its a small, safe room, but big enough that they can fly circles around my head. lol I have things hung on the window so they don't fly into it. They're seem to know their way around it very well and don't have any mishaps. Thank u for the well wishes for baby shaft tails.
Jossi, thanks fo the info! You may be right about me not keeping him in his cage long enough after getting him. He got spoiled very quickly by getting let out for his daily fly's. The last couple of nights he's finally gone in the cage himself at night instead of me having to coax him in. I guess he just needed a little time to settle in. Now just to get him to go in his nest with Lucy to sleep at night!

Again thanks everyone for all your advice!

charisma wrote:PA.. thank you for the info on the bubbles. Yes I'm very careful not to let the birds out of the small room that they're kept in. Its a small, safe room, but big enough that they can fly circles around my head. lol I have things hung on the window so they don't fly into it. They're seem to know their way around it very well and don't have any mishaps. Thank u for the well wishes for baby shaft tails.
Jossi, thanks fo the info! You may be right about me not keeping him in his cage long enough after getting him. He got spoiled very quickly by getting let out for his daily fly's. The last couple of nights he's finally gone in the cage himself at night instead of me having to coax him in. I guess he just needed a little time to settle in. Now just to get him to go in his nest with Lucy to sleep at night!

Again thanks everyone for all your advice!

That sounds great!
Things are moving forward... you just wait and see, he will adjust just fine, Im sure

Oh my goodness!! I sent my husband to the aviary since its an hour away and it was on his way home from a road trip he was on. He came home with the open nest I was going to try for Schroeder (my new male) since he refuses to go into the closed one. The pet stores here only have really tiny ones and with Shaft tails I like it a bit bigger so it doesn't break their tail feathers ( has happened before). Anyhow its bigger than I wanted LOL... you could fit 6 finches comfortably in there. BUT SCHROEDER LIKES IT! He likes it!! He hopped in right away! I must have been right, he must be clausterphobic! I'm thrilled! Hopefully NOW he'll sleep with the woman!!

Hahaha
Glad he likes it! And hopefully they get down to business for you soon!