new CB

sean · Post by **sean** » Tue Dec 02, 2008 8:57 pm

i just got a new BCCB tonight! i think that she is a female because she hasn't sung yet.

i have her in a quarantine cage right next to my male star finch. i put her cage there so that: she gets light from the broad spectrum lamp & the birds get accustomed to seeing/hearing each other.

i hope that they get along when i eventually but both into the same flight cage. it will only be the star and the BCCB.

what do you guys think? if there was going to be any territorial issues would they be fighting/calling to each other already or would that only crop up once the bars between them have been lifted?

they seem to be aware of each other presence.

i'll post pics of her soon. i'm thinking of naming her lucy.

B CAMP · Post by **B CAMP** » Tue Dec 02, 2008 9:27 pm

Not a good idea to have the quarantine cage close to the other birds

bonnies_gouldians · Post by **bonnies_gouldians** » Tue Dec 02, 2008 10:04 pm

I was thinking the same thing as B Camp. Most recommend that the quarantine cage is in another room entirely. I know that a lack of UVB can be bad, but for the few weeks that you keep them seperate, she shouldnt have any problems. I would say to move the cages apart to have a true quarantine period of at least three or four weeks, though I have heard that some keep them apart longer than that...Congrats on the new finch though. I love getting new pets, its so exciting!

L in Ontario · Post by **L in Ontario** » Wed Dec 03, 2008 11:21 am

Congratulations on your new birds and since both have already been placed near each other - I hope they are perfectly fine. But I agree with the others - they should have separate quarantine from the time they enter your home.

sean · Post by **sean** » Wed Dec 03, 2008 3:53 pm

oppps. i guess all i was lacking was common sense on that one.

i've since moved the cages to opposite ends of the same room (space is kinda limited). Both birds appear to be behaving as normal finches do (bathing, chirping, singing, etc.)

the BCCB is very active, almost hyper, in the way she hops around in the quarantine cage. i guess thats characteristic of waxbills as opposed to grass finches.

uhh--i can't believe i made that mistake. what a silly thing to do. i hope my star finch is okay.

FeatherHarp · Post by **FeatherHarp** » Wed Dec 03, 2008 4:23 pm

How exciting for you. They are such pretty birds.

Got pics to share? Please-Please!

Post by **Sally** » Wed Dec 03, 2008 7:58 pm

sean, BCCBs are easy to sex. The male has more brilliant blue, extending back over the top of his head, while the hen will have lots less blue, with most of the head being tan. Look at the FIC under species, there are lots of pics of males and females, so you will soon know the difference. Also, with BCCBs, both males and females sing, so song is not an indication of sex. They often don't sing when new, till they get settled in to their new home and feel comfortable. As you have noticed, waxbills are much more active than the grassfinches.

The main reason to quarantine is to protect the birds you have, since there is no way of knowing what the new birds might be carrying, and they need to be kept in another room at a minimum. Most of the time, all is well, so don't worry too much about your Star.

sean · Post by **sean** » Wed Dec 03, 2008 11:07 pm

cool. will check the finch info center for more species info. he is my first waxbill--my little star seems so mellow compared to this guy. hopefully, they'll get along and balance each other out when i eventually add them to the same flight cage.

sean · Post by **sean** » Thu Dec 04, 2008 7:29 pm

okay, this is a silly question, but....

how do i know that my new guy is okay? i mean, i know thats its only been two days. but he seems really good. he has: clear, alert eyes, is energetic, and has a clean poopoo shoot (vent).

i know these guys can hide their illnesses like no tomorrow. but still, i wanna introduce him to his new home!!

sean · Post by **sean** » Thu Dec 04, 2008 7:32 pm

oh yea, one....no two last things actually.

she isn't a BCCB, just a CB. i always knew what she was but for some reason, in my head BCCB meant "blue crested cordon blue" instead of "blue capped cordon blue." And she is a girl, no doubt about it. rather nice song however.

also, when i bought her i made the petstore give me a container of THEIR finch mix because thats the type that she has been eating for at least the past few weeks. I have been mixing it with the finch mix that i usually give my guys so she slowly gets accustomed to it. when can i start giving her life food like mealworms? she probably never got treats like those at the store.

L in Ontario · Post by **L in Ontario** » Thu Dec 04, 2008 9:11 pm

Good to hear you are mixing the two seeds before switching her over completely to your seeds. She may not know what mealworms are (as you say), so to entice her - you could mince them up and add them to some hardboiled egg with crushed shell. If I were a CB - I'd dive right in then.

fairestfinches · Post by **fairestfinches** » Thu Dec 04, 2008 10:45 pm

Sean,

As long as her droppings look good, and not off in color or runny you should be able to introduce soft foods like the mealworms or eggfood. I'd start with small amounts.

Sean

Post by **Sally** » Thu Dec 11, 2008 1:18 am

sean, I just saw your photo of your CB hen on another thread. I notice that she has quite a bit of black on her beak. She may be young still, and just hasn't lost that baby black yet. You also said she is not a BCCB, rather a CB, which confused me. CBs come in 3 subspecies. They are all CBs, but broken down by Blue-capped Cordon Bleu (BCCB), Red-cheeked Cordon Bleu (RCCB), OR Blue-breasted Cordon Bleu (BBCB). You will have to keep an eye on her beak, if she retains some of that black, she may be an RCCB hen.

BTW, I like your male Star--he has very nice coloring!