FINCHforum

I finally had to seperate one of my gouldian pairs today from too much fighting. I had put them together about 3 months ago. They seemed to get along pretty good at first but then the male started going into nesting mode, and flipping up one corner of the bottom papers, as if trying to nest there and trying to woo his mate. She is not interested and is too young yet anyways. The past couple of weeks, they have really been at each other at times, and I started noticing her feathers looking thinner now on the side of her head, from him pecking at her. She seems to often start the aggression but he is the rough one. I decided today that I could not leave them together any more.
Now I need to decide on how to best swap around my other finches. I could put him with our old zebra female, and I think she will hold her own just fine, as she used to run him around when they were together a couple of years ago. That would leave me with the female gouldian to possibly put in with a male cordon bleu. I am not sure about this though. Has anyone ever tried this mix? Since they are different species could they just be friends and not get any thoughts of romance? I had also thought of putting the zebra female in with the gouldian pair to see if she might change the dynamics in there, and help them get along. Any ideas or thoughts on these ideas will be helpful. I have enough cages to keep everyone seperate though until I have a good plan.

Anne73 wrote:I finally had to seperate one of my gouldian pairs today from too much fighting. I had put them together about 3 months ago. They seemed to get along pretty good at first but then the male started going into nesting mode, and flipping up one corner of the bottom papers, as if trying to nest there and trying to woo his mate. She is not interested and is too young yet anyways. The past couple of weeks, they have really been at each other at times, and I started noticing her feathers looking thinner now on the side of her head, from him pecking at her.

I just wanted to say, that after I read this it was as if you were witnessing the very same thing with my gouldian pair.
The male is in major nesting/breeding mode, and has been doing everything that yours is doing.
The female doesnt seem interested.
I have noticed the last few weeks she, just like yours has missing feathers on the sides of her head. So much so that its almost bald patches, with some pin feathers growing back in They never fight, fight. Ive never seen them chase eachother, or try and hurt eachother. I dont understand this, her beak is black. So wouldnt that mean she is in breeding mode as well?

Or is it that she just isnt interested in HIM? And WHY is the male plucking her on the sides of her head. Ive seen him a few times peck at her beak to get her to move off the perch so he could jump in the nest. As soon as he was in she would jump back on the perch to be beside him, and he was then trying to woo her inside!

I could always seperate them, but I really dont want to put the singers back in with one of the goulds. The singers are liking their new cage and I want to keep it that way.

I think I should just get another gouldian pair. Will having another pair in the aviary with them help?

I dont understand this love/hate relationship lol Im still a gouldian newbie, they are my first pair.

Separate them.

If she is too young, you should not put her in a cage with a male gouldian, as sooner or later he will want to mate. I'm not keen on mixing sexes in cages unless I plan to breed.

I ended up putting our gouldian hen with our old zebra hen today, to see if they will get along well enough to leave together for now. Our Male gouldian is in a cage next to them for now and still seems on edge! I had them out of site at first, but the hen kept calling for him. I may be getting a male cordon bleu next week and if so, may try putting these two males together. I then may try putting the gouldians back together in a few months, to see if they will take to each other then, when the hen is old enough to breed.