Best type of nest for breeding Gouldians

[Vera]

I finally found a new cage so I can move my pair of Gouldians to their own cage so they will hopefully breed.
A few people have mentioned nesting boxes - is there any other kind of nest that works okay? I have an extra open nest (my societies raised their six babies fine in a similar one) but if not I will try to find something more suitable. The person I got this pair from said they have had chicks before so I know they can do it!
I live in the interior of British Columbia Canada and its still cool out so I am hoping I havent missed breeding season here. Any thoughts?
Thansk. Vera

[GouldianGuy]

Most people would say that a "budgie nestbox" is the best kind for a Gouldian. But there are many different kinds.

If you do a quick Google search you'll be hit with many different kinds!
here is a link to the images of many kinds of "gouldian nest box"

https://www.google.ca/search?q=gouldian ... =594&dpr=2

[Vera]

Most people would say that a "budgie nestbox" is the best kind for a Gouldian. But there are many different kinds.

If you do a quick Google search you'll be hit with many different kinds!
here is a link to the images of many kinds of "gouldian nest box"

https://www.google.ca/search?q=gouldian ... =594&dpr=2

I remember now reading Gouldians prefer something closed in. My societies were fine with an open wicker basket which was good because I could watch them develop. It was so fascinating!

[lovezebs]

Vera

In the wild, Gouldians usually nest in holes in trees or in hollowed out tree limbs.

In captivity, they usually will use some sort of a wooden box, either a bought nest box, or even a made at home box, that you can slap together yourself.

If neither is available, you can use a 'sturdy' cardboard box. Double tape around, and over the bottom, cut a suare or a hole in the upper third of it. Poke a bunch of nesting material inside and press down in the middle. Attach to the upper cage bars with twist ties, stick a perch across underneath to hold it steady, and another perch beside it, for dad to sit on, and voila you have a nest box.

They like privacy, and will mate away from prying eyes, inside of their box. They are not good nest builders, hence the suggestion of puting nesting materials right inside the box for them.

Good luck

P.S.
If your girl is in breeding mode, her beak will turn black.

[Icearstorm]

Vera
I hear it is recommended to offer a closed nest with an entrance hole higher up to prevent accidental chick-tossing. If you make a nest for them yourself, you may want to install a pivoting top so you can perform nest checks easily (it's a risk with gouldians; some will tolerate it, while others may abandon). The top can also be held ajar to let a little light in; this may encourage the pair to check out the nest.
If the birds show interest in the nest box for several weeks, but don't go in, you may need to help them along. My female gouldian kept sticking her head in the box for over a month, but wouldn't go in, so I put her in there five or six times on two separate occasions, and a few days later she went in by herself and has continued to do so. It's not ideal, but if nothing else is working you may want to consider it an option.

lovezebs
My female gouldian is confusing me. She had a black beak when I got her, but it quickly faded, and now, a couple months later, it's turning black again. I kind of expected her to go through a full moult and rest season first, but she only replaced some primaries. Do you think it could be because she was sick until a few weeks after I got her or because I've been providing a lot of eggfood for the society finches to raise a baby?

[lovezebs]

Icearstorm

Was she paired up with the same male when you got her?
If she was bonded with another male, then being placed with a different male, might have put her off (?).

Being sick, would def put her out of 'the mood', which is a good thing, because you never ever want to breed a bird who is not in optimum condition.

Is she showing signs of moulting? Is she begining to look a little rough in the feather department? Are you finding feathers all over the place?
If she's going into moult, I would def not encourage any breeding. For most birds, moulting can be stressfull, for Goulds, it can be VERY stressful. That said, some breeze through it like it's nothing, while others struggle with it for prolonged periods (getting stuck in moult, etc.)

If she's not moulting, and he's not molting, and if her beak is getting black, then expect to see the mating song and dance in the near future. Once you see this, it's time to put them into their private quarters with a nesting box

Good luck.

[Vera]

Vera

In the wild, Gouldians usually nest in holes in trees or in hollowed out tree limbs.

In captivity, they usually will use some sort of a wooden box, either a bought nest box, or even a made at home box, that you can slap together yourself.

If neither is available, you can use a 'sturdy' cardboard box. Double tape around, and over the bottom, cut a suare or a hole in the upper third of it. Poke a bunch of nesting material inside and press down in the middle. Attach to the upper cage bars with twist ties, stick a perch across underneath to hold it steady, and another perch beside it, for dad to sit on, and voila you have a nest box.

They like privacy, and will mate away from prying eyes, inside of their box. They are not good nest builders, hence the suggestion of puting nesting materials right inside the box for them.

Good luck

P.S.
If your girl is in breeding mode, her beak will turn black.

Vera

In the wild, Gouldians usually nest in holes in trees or in hollowed out tree limbs.

In captivity, they usually will use some sort of a wooden box, either a bought nest box, or even a made at home box, that you can slap together yourself.

If neither is available, you can use a 'sturdy' cardboard box. Double tape around, and over the bottom, cut a suare or a hole in the upper third of it. Poke a bunch of nesting material inside and press down in the middle. Attach to the upper cage bars with twist ties, stick a perch across underneath to hold it steady, and another perch beside it, for dad to sit on, and voila you have a nest box.

They like privacy, and will mate away from prying eyes, inside of their box. They are not good nest builders, hence the suggestion of puting nesting materials right inside the box for them.

Good luck

P.S.
If your girl is in breeding mode, her beak will turn black.

[Vera]

Thanks for the tips about the nesting box

My girls beak has been red for a long time but the top is now black but the underneath is still red. Should I wait until the bottom turns black too or is she good to go?

I'm getting excited

[Icearstorm]

lovezebs
I got her at a bird fair, so she was in a cage with a bunch of other gouldians. I almost bought a blue male from the same person, but I noticed he was sick and returned him (but she hid her symptoms until I got home), and she was looking around and chirping after they took him back, so perhaps she was bonded to him.

She was ill for a few weeks, and the beak fading stopped for several days after she got better, but then started again. It turned almost entirely pink a week ago, but within two or three days, the tip has turned black again, and most of her upper beak is now grey.

Her head has always looked a little rough; nothing terribly noticable, just some small grey splotches where she is missing a few feathers. The rest of her body looks fine, aside from a missing tail prong. The only sign of moulting I saw was some primaries growing in a few weeks ago, but that happened within the week and she hasn't dropped any since. Oddly enough, the male also went through the same kind of half-moult during this time as well. I've resumed occasional supplementing while the nestling society finch grows in its feathers, but I can't imagine that would affect the gouldians much.

I've had a nest box in with them for a couple of months, but up until recently, only the male had gone in it. The male has been hopping and singing for her in the morning for the last few weeks, while she would sit with her tail pointed at him. (Or maybe that's because she normally points her tail to the left for no apparent reason. She's odd.) She first went in the nest box a couple of days ago (if you saw that first part of my post, she's the one I put in the nest box because she seemed like she was interested in it, but never had the courage to go in). Now the two of them go in and out of it constantly; the male even went in with her while singing on several occasions... Maybe the baby-making has already begun.
I don't have any room to separate them from the rest, but they don't act particularly bothered. The society finches seem to have learned their place, and now fly back to their own side of the flight any time they hear the male gouldian give a harsh "shreeep" call.


Also, I am no longer getting notifications when someone mentions me. I don't know why.

[lovezebs]

Vera

These are exciting times

Check out the picture below, which will show you the beaks of females in breeding mode.

The third picture from the top going down, is when this girlie was between her second and third clutch.

[lovezebs]

Icearstorm

It sounds like your two are heading towards parenthood

I would make sure to stuff a ball of nesting material into that nest box and make a dent in the middle,, before she starts laying eggs on the bare floor.

If she's willing to accept his advances, then it won't be very long now.

Start pumping hard boiled eggs, an assortmnt of greens and veggies, and several sources of Calcium into that flight.

Regarding no notifications when you get tagged.
Try going into Board Index
Then click on Edit Global Settings, and check if that topic is marked 'yes' or 'no'.
If it still doesn't work, we'll have to grab Brian, and see what he suggests.

[Icearstorm]

lovezebs

I put some ferns in there before I installed the box and the male spent a good amount of time stuffing it with grass, so they should be fine.

I've been putting egg in there and replacing it as they eat it. I don't know if this is useful, but these last few times I have used frozen scrambled egg with the shell instead of microwaving it beforehand. It gives them something to do and may help keep their beaks in condition. (Or is it like humans chewing on ice? If so, I had better remove it.) As far as veggies go, the gouldians only seem to like broccoli, but will still eat it if I put multivitamins on, so I may grind some cuttlebone on it or just continue using the calcium and D3 powder.


I haven't changed anything, but I got a notification this time...

[lovezebs]

Icearstorm

Try fresh spinach in moderation, and cucumber slices

Honestly, I would not offer birds any frozen foods, unless we're dealing with penguins. I personally think it can be harmful to them.

For Calcium, Oyster-shell grit, crushed egg shells, cuttlebone.
For Vit D3 (which they need , to be able to absorb the Calcium): hardboiled egg, and or unfiltered sunlight, or special lighting.

[ac12]

The egg shell is NEEDED for calcium for the hen to make her eggs.
So give them egg shell with the egg food.

As for tossing. As far as I have observed, a deep nest with a 'hallway' will not prevent them from tossing. They will simply pick up the chick and carry it out of the nest, and take the chick to the other side of the cage and drop it there. And contrary to what I've read, tossing is not limited to the male, the hen will toss also.

I use a home made nest made with milk cartons, but constructed similar to the commercial gouldian nests. I can make the nest to MY specs, rather than settle for someone elses idea of a nest.

[Icearstorm]

lovezebs

Thank you for the suggestion.

They have all the calcium sources as well as egg and a D3 supplement. I am looking for full-spectrum lighting that meets my standards, but I may have to go with a normal light at this point.

No one seems remotely interested in the cuttlebone, but they like the mineral grit.