Gouldian male fluttering wings behavior ?

[a_gouldian]

One of our adult male Gouldians has been in a large flight cage with 6 of
the male juveniles that he parented since Feb. A few weeks ago he
started fluttering his wings a lot and I read that they do this when
they are want to mate. This week he is doing it even more but doesn't
seem to be able to fly up to the top perches and stays on the lower
perches, bottom of the cage, and the seed troughs. He eats a lot and
is not puffy.

Could he have molted his primary flight feathers and because of that
he can't fly around the cage like the younger birds? Or could it be
something else? Besides the possible wing feather molting he overall is not in a major molt.

Do they get like that when they are not in a cage with
a female and want to mate?

The females are in a room next to where he is and he can hear them but
he can not see them. We were going to pair him up with the same female in August or Sept. but I wonder if we should do it sooner?

[lovezebs]

a_gouldian

If he can't fly properly, then my guess would be that there is something not quite right.

I honestly don't think that this has to do with mating.

Did you take him out and check his wings, to see if all is well?

[a_gouldian]

a_gouldian

If he can't fly properly, then my guess would be that there is something not quite right.

I honestly don't think that this has to do with mating.

Did you take him out and check his wings, to see if all is well?

I just took him out now to check. He is still very feisty when I have in my hand and tried to get away. On one wing the outside two flight feathers are all tattered and only half as long as they should be, or maybe a little less than that. On the other wing a flight feather that is 3 -4 feathers from the outside feather is also tattered, but a little less. Besides the tattered feathers when I pulled the wing out to look at end I didn't notice anything else unusual with how it felt attached to the body, but I am not an expert. When he flaps them it doesn't look like anything is wrong with how it is attached to his body. Does this have something to do with wing feather molting perhaps, that isn't happening as smoothly as it should?

[a_gouldian]

I am thinking it might be caused by him trying to sleep in the plastic greenery. To start with I am removing a bunch of the greenery from that cage. Any other thoughts appreciated.

[lovezebs]

a_gouldian

When you say tattered.... is it possible that some of the youngsters are yanking on his wings?

Or it could be that he's going into a heavy molt this year.

Here's an article which you might find interesting:

http://www.ladygouldianfinch.com/features_molting.php

And there is some more good reading...

https://books.google.ca/books?id=PPStHf ... lt&f=false

[a_gouldian]

a_gouldian

When you say tattered.... is it possible that some of the youngsters are yanking on his wings?

Or it could be that he's going into a heavy molt this year.

Here's an article which you might find interesting:

http://www.ladygouldianfinch.com/features_molting.php

And there is some more good reading...

https://books.google.ca/books?id=PPStHf ... lt&f=false

Elana, Thanks, I read that article. It sounds like maybe a stalled molt if it is a molting symptom or maybe he is in the middle of molting his wing feathers. Would it be bad to put him in a smaller breeding cage with his mate from last Fall now? We have another slightly older female who is molting now and on her I can see the new wing feathers starting to come in.

[lovezebs]

a_gouldian

I think he should be ok with the older female who is molting, as long as there are no nests in there.

[a_gouldian]

a_gouldian

I think he should be ok with the older female who is molting, as long as there are no nests in there.

We were thinking of putting him back with the female he mated with and was with from Sept - Jan. Is that a bad idea? We don't want him to bond with the other female that is molting. The female that he was bred to last Fall is not molting.

[the_gouldian_guy]

I have seen this before. I believe it is a problem with the molt as you stated earlier. The few times I have had it happen it seems to resolve itself within a couple months. Until then I would just make sure he has access to fresh food and water on the lower perches. He should be just fine in time!

[the_gouldian_guy]

As for putting him with his previous mate; I have not had issues switching even prior mates, I would think it would be fine. As long as the pair isn't allowed to start nesting of course.

[a_gouldian]

I have seen this before. I believe it is a problem with the molt as you stated earlier. The few times I have had it happen it seems to resolve itself within a couple months. Until then I would just make sure he has access to fresh food and water on the lower perches. He should be just fine in time!

Thanks for your input. We may just leave him in the cage with the younger males and just put something disposal like doggie pads on the cage bottom so he is not standing on the grate all the time. All the food and water is where he hangs out on the lower part of the cage and he gets to all of it just fine. He spends time on the lower perches but also on the cage bottom.