RED CHEEKED CORDON BLEU

[debbyloo]

Boy, those were the most helpful articles I've seen thus far! I will try to add some of these other live food choices and hope for the best. It sounds like lots can go wrong, so I guess I shouldn't get my hopes up too much. I don't have any other finches to sub these out to if the parents fail to feed them (assuming they even hatch) - but, I do know a wildlife rehabilitator who might be able to give me some guidance on hand rearing them if it came to that. I will just try to give them plenty of privacy and not let the live food run out. It is odd to me that the hen only eats the mealworms when laying the eggs but shows no interest in them while incubating. I guess she is just stocking up on protein then. And the male never eats them. Also, the male never sits on the eggs. They are a rather "standoffish" pair - I never see them perched together or mutually preening, but they both display to each other, sing to each other, and I have seen them pairing numerous times. The female's song is a little different from the male's, but she does the same bobbing dance with a feather or piece of grass. He just looks at her like she's crazy when this happens. When he does the dance, he tries to mate with her immediately after. Sometimes she is receptive, but often she just flits away. Anyway, thanks so much for the info. I will keep you posted on how things are going. I think this is about the 4th day of incubation for them so I have a ways to go yet! By the way, this is the male cordon bleu who was bonded to my lonely male strawberry finch. I pulled the strawberry out of the cage and put him with my four juvenile strawberries for some intensive therapy out of sight and sound from the cordon. In time the cordon stopped looking for his old buddy and started paying attention to the hen cordon - and, things have progressed along to egg laying. Meanwhile the strawberry male has a new home with one of the strawberry juvenile hens and they seem to be a happy pair.

[Crystal]

Sounds like everything is going well so far! Good luck!