Darn It !

[lovezebs]

Hello Fellow Finchers.

Recently, both my Stars and my African Fires, have layed eggs, and have been sitting tight.
As of this morning, both pairs are out of tbe nests and showing no interest in their eggs . They're even allowing other birds in their nests, which yesterday, would not have been allowed.

What the heck could have caused this change over night?

The eggs in both nests are ice cold

[lovezebs]

...

[Spreckles]

Elana

Nature can make us pull our hair out at times, who knows why? It's too bad really your such a good bird mama. I am sorry.

Karen

[debbie276]

For it to happen in two different nests I would guess something scared them off their nests.
So sorry

[Babs _Owner]

lovezebs

Oh noooo. Were they both in the same flight cage? Maybe the fire female felt her eggs were infertile and abandoned, and seeing the fire female leave the nest in turn spooked the star off of her eggs?

[lovezebs]

Babs debbie276 Spreckles

Yes, I figured that something must have spooked them overnight alright, but I have no idea what it could have been, sigh....

Too bad about the Star eggs (because tbey truly are wonderful parents), but so be it. I would rather they abandon eggs, than chicks.

[debbie276]

A puzzle indeed, mice, cats, dogs, people? It really could be anything

[lovezebs]

debbie276

No mice (in the house, thank you very much), cats are gone to their reward, dogs sleeping upstairs with me, people all sleeping.......

I think I may have figured it out (maybe).
My colony of flightless fruit flies, has died out. I had it sitting in the corner of the flight (with a tiny hole in the top for the flies to come crawling out). The kids would be sitting there to snap them up as soon as they made an appearance. Well careless of me, I didn't notice that they were done.

I think the kids said: no more flies, no more sitting on eggs. Still not sure why they came to that conclusion on the same exact night, but......

[slwatson]

lovezebs

Elana,

That stinks that they've abandoned the eggs....are they both species who are prone to abandoning eggs when there's no live food?

[lovezebs]

slwatson

I honestly don't know.
This is the first time for me with both species (other than my Stars raising the two Owl chicklets, and they were feeding them a lot of live food).

With the African Fires, prior to getting little Rowena, I had Orion and Rowan (two brothers) so there were no eggs for obvious reasons.

With the Stars, I originally had one male and two females. Although Suzi and Skyler were a bonded pair, and occasionally attempted breeding, there were never any results. Then when Suzi died, Skyler would hang out with Sunny, but again, there were never any results. It's only now, with Sam, that I'm seeing actual nest building, courting, mating, and egg laying.

[MariusStegmann]

lovezebs I told you not play that heavy metal music from the 80's!

[lovezebs]

MariusStegmann

Heavy metal God forbid!!! I wouldn't subject my birds or myself to that , if you paid me.

In my kitchen, heavy metal, is when I accidentally drop a pile of pots and pans on the floor

[Atbird]

lovezebs

Haha, heavy metal pots......


Could it be blood mites? They come out at night and love to hang out in nests. In the day they hide in the tiniest of crevasses.

[slwatson]

lovezebs

I'm starting to worry that my cordon bleus will be in the same boat....they've mated, and they've built a nest, but it's like they keep starting over again every week or so. They'll hang out in the nest every once in a while. They'll breed off and on, and he'll grab a coconut fiber or feather and do his dance. I thought there were babies at one time, but there's not. I think there are eggs, but I dare not disturb the nest to see. It's getting frustrating too

My strawberries....sigh.....clueless with nest building, although I did see them mate the other day.

[lovezebs]

Atbird

No mites Anna (thankgod)


@slwatson

It can get frustrating at times, but, it will happen when it happens I guess .