Gouldian temperments?

[Cazzie]

Ok So I know that they don't like to be played with and pretty much like to be left to their own devices.

But from experience with some of my other pets, they may have something written about them and be something entirely different than what you expected xD

So what are they like to own? Like how much do they enjoy the sound of their own voices? If you have to re-arrange things within the tanks how well will they take to it? And will they instinctively try to destroy your hand if you have to move something/ put something in to their home?

[ac12]

In general...mine are quite calm. But they don't like your hand coming into their cage.
I did have one that was more aggressive. Unfortunately he died.
So there is the general rule, and the individual exception.

The males have a nice song, but it is a soft singing. Not LOUD like a parakeet, and much much more quiet and pleasant than a zebra.

[Summer Bird]

My Gouldian finches are quiet and calm. They're not very flighty, even when I approach the cage. I have to actually open the cage door and reach my hand in to get the food and water containers out, and though they don't really like that, they don't freak out. They have their calls and the male sings, but it's not annoying or loud. I had zebra finches a few years ago and they just about drove me nuts with their constant "beep"-ing, but my Gouldians don't bother me at all. I enjoy the male's song.

[atarasi]

Tanks? Destroy your hand? Are you talking about Piranahs?!

I tend to think of Gouldians as sophisticated and elegant where they just stand for others to admire their beauty. They are very inquistive birds, always checking things out. Definitely not busy-body like Zebras or Shaft-tails which make me neurotic!

Their personalities do vary. I have one that is very nervous when I enter the bird room to one that is almost finger tame. (not sure how that came to be, he was raised in an aviary)

I think you'll like them. Their song is very complex and is a delight to hear.

[Dan]

If you have to re-arrange things within the tanks how well will they take to it? And will they instinctively try to destroy your hand if you have to move something/ put something in to their home?

Aquariums= fishes

Cages= birds

[Cazzie]

Ahah sorry for saying tanks xD I keep reptiles and most of my collection are in tanks xD And when I think of housing I think of tanks, need to re-train my brain to think cages for birdies.

I do like how they're sounding however =D Could they eat live food? Like crickets or locusts (the most common bug I have in stock) or just small grubs like mealworms / wax worms

[Dan]

Ahah sorry for saying tanks xD I keep reptiles and most of my collection are in tanks xD And when I think of housing I think of tanks, need to re-train my brain to think cages for birdies.

I do like how they're sounding however =D Could they eat live food? Like crickets or locusts (the most common bug I have in stock) or just small grubs like mealworms / wax worms

Don't need to apologise. It's just that having them in cages would make it easier when it comes to maintanance such as cleaning, feeding and..ect ect. They also come with a grid which prevents the birds from walking through their own waste. You will need to place your cage in an area which is both warm and as high as possible. They also need as much natural daylight as they can get, but i would avoid placing the cage so close to a window, a few feet away would be fine.

As for feeding, you certainly could try and feed Gouldians small meal worms or wax worms, but i wouldn't reccomend crickets, locusts or any insect with a hardish shell as they could choke. However, feeding them live food is not essential (atleast from my experience), although it can help if you wish to breed them. Most finches also enjoy their fruit and veg such as apple, cucumber, sprouts, broccoly and spinach to name just a few (but NO avacado as it's toxic to birds). You will also need to provide them a source of calcium, most people use cuttlebone which can be purchased at most pet stores. Hope this helps?

Here's a good link with some usefull info

http://www.efinch.com/species/gould.htm

[dfcauley]

You would love them! They are very docile and sweet little birds. Very calm! And not bad to look at either!!!

[adnan]

Ahah sorry for saying tanks xD I keep reptiles and most of my collection are in tanks xD And when I think of housing I think of tanks, need to re-train my brain to think cages for birdies.

I do like how they're sounding however =D Could they eat live food? Like crickets or locusts (the most common bug I have in stock) or just small grubs like mealworms / wax worms

Hmm I dont know what kind of reptiles you have, but try to keep them away from your reptiles, one could become others live food...!

[annague]

I have just purchased some Gouldians (I already had other types of small finches) and the Gouldians are delightful! Bird-wise I think they are calm and composed and much less flighty than my African Waxbills and my Parrot Finches.

They are curious and respectful of one another and exquisitely beautiful. When the male sings it is VERY soft (almost like a loud whisper) but pleasant.

Softbills (finches) do not hurt -- much-- even when they bite and will certainly not break your skin if they do. The only finches I have that bite regularly are my Parrot Finches --

Gouldians are wonderful birds.

[FinchNerd]

I own two very loud and hyper male zebra finches. Zebra finches are the only finches I have ever owned. I'm used to their constant activity and antics and even their loud singing waking me up at the crack of dawn. To each his own, however, not many other people would enjoy having these loud and active creatures in their bedroom.

I have no personal experience with Gouldians, but I have a friend who just got two males. I met them recently and was amazed at the difference. These Gouldians were so calm and quiet. Their singing was very soft and faint to the point where it could have been mistaken for outdoor birds singing. A huge difference from my loud, boisterous and constantly moving zebra finches. I had no idea they made finches so calm and quiet!

I feel I might like to own some of these calm and elegant Gouldians someday. Still, I will always love zebra finches and their extroverted ways.

[JohnBoy]

Anna, Softbills are not finches. Softbills eat insects and soft foods (fruit), not seed.

[Ursula]

As for feeding, you certainly could try and feed Gouldians small meal worms or wax worms, but i wouldn't reccomend crickets, locusts or any insect with a hardish shell as they could choke.

It depends on the size of the crickets. I fed pinhead crickets to my cordon bleus when they were raising their babies, and it was recommended in my finch book. They are - as the name says - tiny as a pinhead. My finch book recommended various types of live food when waxbills are raising offspring because every type of insect has other "ingredients" and it's supposedly good to have a variety.

My gouldians sometimes nibble on a mini mealworm but they don't really seem to need them.

One thing I have especially for the goulds though is charcoal and powedered kelp supplements. And they do seem to need that very much, they seem to be the only birds who are eating that.

About the live food: Just consider that crickets and worms aren't enclosed in a tank where they can't escape. Even if you put mealworms in a dish where they can't get out, when eating them the birds will fling them around and also outside the cage. I put my mealies overnight in the freezer before feeding them, and the pinhead crickets needed only put for 10-15 minutes in the freezer.

[franny]

I love my gouldian's song. I think he sings as sweet as a canary, only a bit softer. They have also got an amusing mating ritual dance.

My pair are very calm, more than any other finch I've had, even the Societies, and they seem to poop less than the Societies, too. They will sometimes not even move when I put my hand in the cage to put the bath water in. Especially the male. And when I come close to the cage they will sometimes come close to the wire to examine me.

I don't think you can beat them for colour, and lots of varieties to choose from.

I don't feed live food at all, but they both love the dried bloodworms you buy to feed to fish. They also love dried eggfood, kelp granules and crushed eggshells. (being lazy, I buy the eggshells already crushed - called "hatched", online).

I don't think you can do wrong in getting a pair.