Strawberry vs Gouldian?

[G8love4finches]

I have both Strawberries and Gouldians....They both have beautiful songs!...I love them both!!....You can't go wrong either way...Good luck with your choice and we will expect pictures once you get your birds!

[Sally]

Of course I would go for the Strawberries--everyone knows they are my weakness!! I think they must be more available in your area than here in the States. If you are getting them from a breeder in London, make sure he/she has babies out of unrelated pairs. You don't want siblings. Even if you don't plan to breed, they will often decide for you, and you don't want babies out of a brother/sister pairing. The breeder won't be able to tell the sex of any of them at first anyway, they all look alike until they do their first molt.

[Thea]

I've now also got a breeder up in Cambridge who says he may be able to source me an unrelated pair. These will be last year's babies, which is good, right? I may be moving to America in a year or so (my boyfriend lives in Philadelphia), and may consider bringing these babies over depending on how much it'll cost me. I'm starting to wonder if I should get more than one pair at that rate I'm just curious, why are sibling breedings bad?

[Sally]

That would be wonderful if you could bring Strawberries over to the States with you when you move, but I don't think they'll let you bring them in without going thru a quarantine period at government-controlled facilities. Between the quarantine boarding and the paperwork, it is pretty expensive. But check into how they are on personal pets, it would be worth finding out.

Sibling breedings are just like with people, not the best thing. Breeding brother to sister can result in genetic defects, sort of all the worst characteristics being emphasized instead of the best. And even if you don't get genetic defects, you wind up with weak or inferior birds. Line breeding is OK when it is controlled and done responsibly. Line breeding is where you breed mother to son or father to daughter, and again, it has to be done carefully to keep from multiplying the bad genes. Better line breeding is grandfather to granddaughter, or grandmother to grandson, where the granddaughter or grandson would only have 1/4 of the grandparent's genes.

And best of all (and what should be done almost all the time) is two totally unrelated birds, where you hope you get the best of each parent.

[bugaboo5]

Sally answered your breeding siblings question wonderfully, so I won't comment any further on that. If you do plan on moving to America, Gouldians here are easily found and run between $50 to $175 depending on mutation. Strawberries are almost impossible to find, and when you do find a bird or pair by some random rare string of luck, they can run between $300 - $400 a pair, maybe more? The other issue you run across if you even find a bird or pair, is that most of the times, the Strawberry Finches being sold are old and no longer able to produce young - ultimately ending that line of birds. Due to the ban of live Asian imports after the pandemic scare a few year back, many species of Asian birds are becoming close to impossible to find. All this should be taken into consideration when you look into possibly bringing Strawberry Finches with you when you come to the U.S. I think it would be awesomely amazing if you could bring Strawberries into the U.S. (new bloodlines - very exciting!) but you should take into consideration the costs (veterinarian checks, possible permits, airfare) and the extra work it may put on you during what I'm sure could be a stressing move for you even without the birds, especially considering the fact you will be setting up house in a new country. Best of luck to you and yours.

[Nipper06]

As others have said, Strawberries are virtually impossible to find here in the U.S. so feel free to bring some over with you! And of course, don't breed brother and sister - keep the gene pool healthy and breed only unrelated pairs!

[Thea]

Wow, thanks for all the responses Sounds like I should definitely consider it. I would love to be able to introduce new blood over there; I personally feel it's important to maintain and expand the lines of any species, even in captive breeding, so I'm finding all of the feedback quite encouraging. True to that statement, I would love to have a green Strawberry (Green Avadavat/Green Munia) as they have so far topped my favourites list, but from what I've read they're on the IUCN list as "vulnerable" (i.e. significantly threatened species) and virtually impossible to find anywhere.

[Sally]

As far as I know, the Green Avadavat has disappeared completely from North American aviculture. I'm thinking the same is true in Australia.

[Thea]

That's really unfortunate to hear. So far still my favourite, really beautiful bird. I know there's some conservation work going on in Australia: http://www.qfs.org.au/GreenAvadavat/index.htm

I did also notice on the topic in the Marketplace forum discussing bird prices that they Green Avadavat was listed for (AUD)$2,000 a pair at: http://www.unitedbirds.asn.au/sabirdpriceguide.htm !

I'm glad you responded, Sally - I wanted to ask what species of finch is featured in your avatar? I think I'm getting a real soft spot for all the green finches.

[annague]

Thea, that would be great if you could bring them over. Boy it would solve a lot of problems for some of our members who have a need for new bloodlines!

I have to caution you, though, I am a formerly licensed Customs Broker for the U.S. and since the Strawberries are a restricted species for importation purposes (due to the Asian bird flu virus) U.S. Customs will most likely not allow them entry. In fact, they would have to go through Fish and Wildlife where they would not be released unless you were able to provide proof of a definitive country of origin other than Asian and a CITES permit for them proving they were not an endangered species.

I'm sorry -- -- I don't want to be a wet blanket here I just want to help manage expectations...

Such an endeavor MIGHT be possible but it would take a lot of time and most likely quite a bit of money to get it all accomplished. It would be wonderful, though.

[Sally]

Thea, thanks for the information on the Green Avadavat in Australia. It is good to see that they are working to keep that species from disappearing from Australian aviculture. They are beautiful birds, aren't they?

The bird in my avatar is one of my Purple Grenadier hens, the best-looking one. She is actually a warm brown, with touches of blue/purple--the males are beautiful. The Purple Grenadiers are in the same genus as the Cordon Bleus and the Violet-earred Waxbills. She and her mate had three babies, but I lost two of them before fledging time. The one remaining one is doing well, and the parents are working on a new nest.