FINCHforum

Ok not my world but certainly his! Ok my societies are at it again...sitting on another egg nest (last one was dudds, not sure what they have this time around) and my male owl is all into bothering them! He sits on thier grass hut nest and makes pee-pee noise until I want to feed him to my cat he's so bad...then when one of the societies chases him around he leaves for a minute, then is right back at it. He's annoying at best.

So should I just remove the eggs so peace is restored once again? or should I let them work it out regardless of how noisey and flighty they become? My owl seems to be just as pushy as the zevras i rehomes...lol not sure if it's the new eggs in the nest or he's just a meany? I got 8 species total and only one owl. I am afriad to get another owl do to this guys rude behaviors.

ideas?

rkn

ps...for what it's worth...omg! star finches rule...how sweet they are and always happy and singing regardless of what the rest are squabbling over. I am hooked on stars!!! mine are trying to nest...am hoping for babies someday!

I agree totally with you on the Stars! They are one of my favorites, always cheerful, inquisitive, pretty little song, everyone should have some.

On the Owl, I haven't had any problems with mine at all. Of course, the pair have their own cage, and they have been busy with eggs, etc. The two babies I first got out of two different clutches are in flight cages.

Maybe your Owl just needs a buddy. Has he paired up with anyone (doesn't have to be the same species to be a buddy)? I try to watch mine to see that all the odd ones have a best friend. I have shuffled birds around quite a bit, and as long as they have a friend, they seem to adjust.

I don't think he had a buddy all to himself. Seems like everyone else is busy preening each other and he is with the group but aloner. He's so darn cute in markings and a terrific singer, just he's got some weird attitude about taking over the nest? I would buy a female for him but don't know how to tell them apart. ideas?

rita

I think that you would be able to tell them apart. Even though they all look alike, I can always tell mine apart by some little marking.
I love the stars too. My pair are always together and he just sings to her all the time . And she just looks him in the eyes the whole time. It is so adorable. But they have not nested yet. I am waiting.

rkn, it is almost impossible to tell the male and female owl finches apart if you are looking to buy a female. I would suggest contacting a reputable breeder or have it DNA sexed before buying if possible. Although two male owls wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing as they should get along fine.

with owls I have always found the male to have brighter chest coloring than the hen, takes a while to spot this but it is there

Hi, I have a pair of Owl Finches and they are very inquisitive but not mean at all. I think another owl to keep yours company is a great idea and unless you want babies I wouldn't worry about getting a female. I had my pair quarantined when I first got them and even without a nest they were trying to lay eggs. Now that they are in the aviary with my other finches they have checked out all the nests but I think they've finally picked their favorite because I see them building a nest. I also have 2 pair of Gouldians, and a pair of Red Headed Parrot Finches. The Parrots have babies but I haven't been able to see how many. One of my male Gouldians is forever checking out the nest. Even going so far as to stick his head in there if neither the parents are home. Do you think I need to worry that he"ll hurt the babies?

Owls can be quite pushy, yes. But as long as all birds have enough space to fly and escape and return the 'fight' I think it's ok. Sometimes I get the impression they all do it for fun. But the key is enough space.

Telling sexes apart is quite difficult. They are not easy to get over here, so I bought the three that I could get. They are all male - which I could tell when they begun to sing - they were sold very young. My advice would be, take a short record of the male singing and let the 'new' bird hear it. Look how she/he reacts to the song (if mature). It may be the best way to tell them apart.