Love is in the air...

[MisterGribs]

Don't worry! You'll get some soon. I agree with the butt-trimming, their little ''sample'' is easily absorbed by just one feather. I suggest you give them both a birdy brazilian, and you may have better luck.

[Sheather]

MisterGribs Ricardo Ronsini

OK. I scooped up Milo (he's pretty tame and doesn't try very had to get away) and gave him a look over. No fat spots anywhere near like that picture, so I don't think he's too pudgy. He did have a very, very fluffy butt though, so I clipped away some of the extra fluff around the vent (but not the guide feathers).

I will check the hen, too.
She started sitting on the second egg, which means at least two have been sat on for 4 days. I was able to see veins in eggs at day three in the past with other canaries. If in a couple days more there's still nothing, would it be best to wait the two weeks before removing them or to take them right away so she doesn't spend the time sitting for nothing?

I'll also change the timer so the lights are on for 13 hours. It was at 12. Unfortunately they can't be on a natural day light cycle because they're in a bedroom, but I have lamps set to go on later and stay on later than sunrise/sunset by a couple of hours. So it should be broadly equivalent. They're covered the rest of the time so there is no extra light.

[Ricardo Ronsini]

sheather

If the eggs are really empty, so you can remove them and the nest, waiting about 2 days before trying again, no need to wait 20 days until she decides to give up.

[Ricardo Ronsini]

MisterGribs

What does you mean by "give them both a birdy brazilian", i'm a brazilian.

I don't get it

[MisterGribs]

Ricardo Ronsini a lot of people can it a 'brazilian' or a 'brazilian wax' when all the hair is removed completely from the entire area covered by undies. I'm not sure of the origin, but it's not normally a term used for a bird.

[Ricardo Ronsini]

I know, i'm just messing with you

[MisterGribs]

Ricardo Ronsini Lmao! Well, I wasn't about to make you look it up.

[Ricardo Ronsini]

Let's pretend that i didn't so

[Sheather]

Well, I took the eggs. And the nest for now.
I cracked the oldest, nothing but yolk.
Same with the rest. By four-five days, a fertile would be obviously developing, as she was sitting very tight.

Milo's behavior has me wondering if he isn't actually coming out of breeding condition. He hasn't sang at all in a week. I took the female out of the cage and had him by himself for a few hours, and even played canary songs, but he didn't sing even then (he would when I first got him.)

He also dropped four tail feathers I saw when I changed the cage try. I'm wondering if he's going into molt early. I don't know if maybe the change of lighting conditions from store to home has messed up his body clock or maybe I'm just over-analyzing, but I'm not going to expect anything and am just going to keep the two together without a nest and see what happens over the next ten days or so. He's still feeding her nicely, and they get along very well. If they mate, I'll try a nest again. But if he says quiet, I don't think there will be any mating, because that's the only time the female would crouch to be mounted, is when he was singing.
If there's no chance of babies, I don't want the hen laying more duds, it's just a waste of time and resources.

[lovezebs]

Sheather

Sounds like Milo has gone into a moult.

It has been a weird year with the moulting. I've got some Gouldians moulting now, a couple stuck in moult, with some Waxbills moulting as well.

Just an odd year, and not sure why, or what's going on.

[Sheather]

lovezebs

Well I let the kids out this morning and immediately Milo puffed up and started to sing. Maggie flew right to him and he circled her, wings spread out, but she didn't crouch and she rebuffed when he hopped on her.

I do swear, canaries are complicated little birds.

Do canaries simply halt their singing when their mates are on the nest?
I recall my American Singer last year definitely quieted when he was feeding his mate on her nest, but I'd hear him a couple times throughout the day. But then, that's a breed specifically bred for song; Milo is a color-bred, and maybe is just less inclined?

[Ricardo Ronsini]

Yeap, most all males will cease singing when paired up, that's perfectly normal and expected.

She wants to breed, but isn't ready to copulate now.

Canaries are quite easy to undestand, once you get used to them.

[lovezebs]

Sheather

As I recall, my Luciano was singing like a demon when I introduced his two brides. Once the ladies went to nest though, I didn't hear much singing from him.

[lovezebs]

Sheather

Hi Dylan,

Any new developments in the Love Nest???

[Sheather]

Two eggs. I did see one successful copulation about five days ago. The rest of the time I noticed, she either rebuffed, or he didn't really succeed in hitting his mark. He was singing like mad for several days but had quieted again and returned to feeding her on the nest.

No more feathers lost, so apparently not in molt after all, and must have lost the tail feathers accidentally.