BREEDING TIME

moe moe2 · Post by **moe moe2** » Mon May 12, 2008 1:45 pm

i just read a few post back where i was gonna do this and that for these birds, that never happen

they get some fresh greens and there seed egg food and water with mineral and vitamin supl

yesterday i put some water that i infused sea kelp powder in to see if it help the female grew her feather back they can grow fast enough for him before he plucks them back out. the female was the water bowl several times yesterday so i know she is drinking it i'll keep you posted on the results.

anywhooo they have been matting and i saw her sitting for the last two days
hopefully we'll see something soon

moe moe2 · Post by **moe moe2** » Fri May 16, 2008 5:05 pm

my finch cage is around this big

how many birds can i put in there? im thinking about getting another female because this one is breaking my heart she is now laying eggs on the bottom of the cage

i was changing the food the other day and i look over and see the broken egg still wet and runny the shell was translucent what does that mean?

they have calcium and egg shell and oyster shell whats going on now with these two

he is still plucking her feather out and i dont know how to make him stop

and with that said if i get another female will he just pluck her too but if i get another male will they fight

what can i do ?

Post by **Sally** » Sat May 17, 2008 1:09 am

Moe - the cage looks big enough, but it is hard to tell for sure. You are having such a hard time, my heart goes out to you. First off, if you just have the one pair of Zebras, I wouldn't add another Zebra. Three Zebras in a cage usually don't get along. And another male will definitely be a problem, as the two males may fight over the hen.

I'm going to make a suggestion, and please don't take this the wrong way, it is just another way to go. Have you thought about replacing your Zebras with another species, like Societies? I love Zebras for their looks and their amazing personalities, but they are also not the easiest finch to keep--constant egglaying, feather-plucking, nest building, seems like it is always something with them. And you should be enjoying your finches, not stressing about them.

I know, because I started with Zebras, and I loved them, but then they started having babies, the feather-plucking started and I had bald birds, then I had bald babies--it was not fun. I enjoy my birds much more now that I don't have fighting.

If you really want to breed, a pair of Societies can give you the babies with no fighting and no feather-plucking. They are devoted parents, and you could just have fun watching them. If you don't want to breed, two males can become best buddies and absolutely problem-free.

As far as the translucent egg, do you mean the shell was real soft-looking? That is a sign of not enough calcium, and I know you are providing plenty of calcium, but she may not be able to use it in her body. Our birds need vitamin D3 in order to use the calcium in their bodies. One of my Star hens has now laid 24 clear eggs, but they are as solid as can be. Even without a nest, she continues to lay eggs, so she has just been moved to the community cage to try to put a stop to this. I don't believe it is healthy for her to lay so many eggs, yet they are all solid and well-formed (but NOT fertile).

Anyway, just something to think about. If I have stepped over the line, please forgive me. I just hate to see you having so many problems with your Zebras, it can get very discouraging.

moe moe2 · Post by **moe moe2** » Sat May 17, 2008 9:37 am

thank you and no you haven't step over the line

every time i think about getting rid of them i feel like im giving up on a child and i would never get rid of my son for not doing what i wanted (he would have been gone the day he pooped in my bed

) so would it be ok to get a pair of society in the cage with the zebras? and put in another nest and hope for the best.

another thing do finches need toys like budgies? i have raffi around the cage and a colored button toy and not much else. they never seemed interested in stuff when i had it in there.

and as for her with the eggs i think she need to stop laying because she has more than enough calcium in there and i notice she had not touched the cutter bone for a long while and i went out a while ago(end of feb early march) and bought the full spectrum bulb for them.

just let me know about the society and the cages and i will get on it this week end

thanks

atarasi · Post by **atarasi** » Sat May 17, 2008 12:35 pm

Hey Moe,

I can understand not wanting to give up your pair.
What about getting another cage and keep the societies separate?
The zebras are just going to pick on the societies, steal their nesting material, harrass them, etc.

Or, if you really like the Zebras, get another pair in a separate cage.
I feel bad too, that it's been this long, and you don't have a cage full of chicks yet!

If you're worried about lack of calcium, you can also add liquid calcium to their water.

I'm not sure how common it is, but maybe your male Zebra is sterile.

Let us know what you decide.

moe moe2 · Post by **moe moe2** » Sat May 17, 2008 1:14 pm

i thought about another cage but i dont want to have another cage in the house. my son is nice enough to let the budgies i took in stay in his room. i will be getting a small cage to put the male in so the female can grow her feathers back.

i can't say he is sterile because they never had eggs last long enough to hatch. they have cracked them open the few times they did sit on them.

if its possible i would like to just put the societies in the same cage

Post by **Sally** » Sat May 17, 2008 3:33 pm

Adding Societies to the same cage won't help with your problems. The Societies won't fight, but the Zebras will probably pick on them--then you will have even more feather-plucked birds! I know it is very hard to give up on them. It is so much easier for me because I have so many birds, and every time I empty a cage, I can get more

. However, I always feel that this is a hobby, and it is supposed to be fun, so if it ever stops being fun and becomes a chore, it will be time for me to reconsider what I am doing.

One more thing, you say you don't want another cage in the house, but breeding almost always leads to more cages. Something to think about.

moe moe2 · Post by **moe moe2** » Sat May 17, 2008 5:56 pm

I went by the salvation army thrift shop and asked if anyone had cages and one lady told me where to go to get one for a cheap price so i will check that out.

i wont buy any birds for now until after i move in the next couple of months

moe moe2 · Post by **moe moe2** » Tue May 20, 2008 10:15 am

i bought a small cage yesterday and put the male in it
the female is in the big cage alone
they can see each other and are chirping at each other

i saw her eating oyster shell last night and she eat the food new food i bought
what else can i do to help her along? i look in the store for liquid calcium but they didn't have any. i will check online and see what i can get

moe moe2 · Post by **moe moe2** » Thu Jun 05, 2008 1:32 pm

the Z's have been separated since the 20th . the females feather are growing back in and she doing fine. the male is trying his hards to get back in the big cage he is eating normal and sing as usual. i want to try a new nest because the one i have now will definitely be to small if chicks ever hatch in there.

i bought a mineral block it has calcuim, vitiamin D3 and iodine in it but they she wouldn't touch it so i start to shave it in to her water over her seeds and in the egg food.

is there anything i should do before i put them back together ?

Post by **Sally** » Thu Jun 05, 2008 11:54 pm

I don't think I would shave the mineral block into the water. Best to just shave it into your mineral cup, along with the oystershell--they will pick thru and eat what they want. When you put them back together, just be aware that he may go right back to feather-plucking--it is a very hard habit to break, especially with Zebras. There is an article at the FIC on feather-plucking, it may help you.

moe moe2 · Post by **moe moe2** » Mon Jun 16, 2008 4:53 pm

i put the male back in the cage today to see how he acts

i did see some preening going on ( i hope it was just preening and he was not plucking) wish him luck.

moe moe2 · Post by **moe moe2** » Mon Jun 23, 2008 7:52 pm

due to me being over work and mentally stressed out i for got to turn off a pot of corn before i left for work and it smoked up the house and my poor birds (both the finches and the budgies ) breath in the smoke and died. the worst part is it felt like they waited for me to come home to die. i was about to eat a piece of cake and heard a strange noise from the cage and when i look i didn't see the female. so i walked over to the cage to find her layed out on the bottom of the cage. the male was still sitting on the perch but soon fell gasping for air. when i dawned on me they had breath the smoke i told my son to check the budgies. he said they were ok so i went to take a look and they were on the bottom of the cage gasping too. i took them out the cage and held them in front of the air cleaning to help them get air but after a while they stop breathing also green lantern in my sons hands and Nitro in my hands.

my son asked to bury them. so i took a small shipping box and he put them all in there and i helped him make a cross out of pop sticks funny how i remembered exactly when i got all the birds. i wrote it on the sticks. he said he would miss the birds in him room. and i know i will miss my living alarm clocks.

i feels so bad

atarasi · Post by **atarasi** » Mon Jun 23, 2008 8:47 pm

Moe,

That's so sad. You've had the worst luck with your birds and now this. All the messages that I've read from you just seem so loyal and sincere. Sorry for you and your son's loss.

Post by **Sally** » Mon Jun 23, 2008 11:35 pm

Moe, how devastating, I'm so sorry for your loss.

If it was a teflon pan, it was probably the chemicals from the teflon that killed the birds. Thank goodness you and your son were not at home, asleep. And it is lucky the pan didn't start a fire. You have tried so hard with your birds, and nothing seems to have gone your way. I will keep you in my thoughts.

FINCHforum

BREEDING TIME

so sad to report