NDan....Guess What?

FeatherHarp · Post by **FeatherHarp** » Thu Feb 07, 2008 4:28 pm

NDan......I saw you were on so I just wanted to let you know that I just put down a deposit with Laurie at Zippy's Finch nest.

She has a proven Owl pair for me that I can go pick up in about 8 loooooong weeks. They are raising babies right now so at least I know they will have some parent experience.

I will let you know when I get them and see her aviary.

Ohhh...it is so hard to wait...argh!

I WANT THEM RIGHT NOW!! LOL

beccafigs · Post by **beccafigs** » Thu Feb 07, 2008 4:29 pm

Oooooh! I'm SO jealous!!!! Luck you!

Kiko · Post by **Kiko** » Thu Feb 07, 2008 5:06 pm

That is very cool - you must post lots of pics when you get them!

I am living vicariously with everyone else's finches right now, so you need to fulfill my needs to see lots of finch pics!!

;)

hilljack13 · Post by **hilljack13** » Thu Feb 07, 2008 5:15 pm

OK, so why does everybody want to tell about all the birds they are getting when you know that I want them too but can't....LOL, J/K. But I have wanted a pair of owls for a while now. I can't find any where I live. There aren't any breeders that I know of. I'll have to find a birdshow somewhere close if I want anything besides zeb's and societys.

beccafigs · Post by **beccafigs** » Thu Feb 07, 2008 5:27 pm

Hilljack- Have you looked in your local paper for bird shows? I had no idea, I was at a bird store and some guy started talking to me about the bird show they'd just had here in Glendale a week before and I had NO idea because I don't get the paper.

There is one right after my hubby should be leaving so I told him I may go to cheer up and who knows what I will get. hehe

hilljack13 · Post by **hilljack13** » Thu Feb 07, 2008 5:29 pm

Actually no I haven't. We don't get the paper but I'm pretty sure the same classifeds and ads are searchable on the news website. Might need to try that.

beccafigs · Post by **beccafigs** » Thu Feb 07, 2008 5:37 pm

The AZ Republic sucks and I couldn't find the listing online. Hopefully your local paper is better that way.

Fancie Flight · Post by **Fancie Flight** » Thu Feb 07, 2008 6:07 pm

I am sooo impatient I can't imagine waiting 8 weeks, lol but then I do wait 11 months for a foal to hit the ground SIGH

Exciting fo ryou,, I have Always loved owl finches, heard awful stories of folks trying to breed with no luck so never got any,
Sounds like your gonna get a perfect pair, good luck on the wait part, lol

hilljack13 · Post by **hilljack13** » Thu Feb 07, 2008 6:12 pm

Just my opinion but I would think since it is so hard to sex owl's many people fail in breeding because of this. The only thing I can think of other than paying to have them sexed, and watching them for hours at the store for one to sing, is to get a few pair in a large cage and slowly work out the 'who is who'.

Post by **Sally** » Fri Feb 08, 2008 2:28 am

I feel that the best way to get pairs is to deal with a reputable breeder. I got my pair of Owls from a man with a good reputation who guaranteed that they were m/f. From what I have read on various forums, they can be hard to breed sometimes. My pair originally built their own nest, which kept falling to the floor, and I did manage to save some eggs to slip under Societies. Of 3 eggs, 2 hatched, 1 died the first day, and the one remaining is now a fully-fledged juvie in my community cage. The parents now have babies in the nest (I can hear them loudly begging), but I don't dare disturb them, they are very quick to abandon the nest. I have read of Owls abandoning 9-day-old chicks, so I am keeping my fingers crossed that these guys will fledge.

Congrats, FeatherHarp, on finding your Owl finch pair!

hilljack13 · Post by **hilljack13** » Fri Feb 08, 2008 11:22 am

Sally - with Owls being so quick to abandond the nest how do you feed and water them? I can only imagine you need a fairly large cage to keep from disturbing them.

Fancie Flight · Post by **Fancie Flight** » Fri Feb 08, 2008 2:52 pm

Sally congrads on the new arrivals, I hope they do well.

I am sure the QUESSING if ya have a pair is a big reason they are hard to breed, I would love a pair but I dunno, lol

Post by **Sally** » Fri Feb 08, 2008 4:07 pm

Well, I spoke too soon on the Owls--this morning, I found a dead baby on the floor, and it was a lot smaller than I expected. I thought those babies were a lot older, perhaps even soon to fledge, and this was a tiny baby. I heard loud peeping yesterday, and today I haven't heard anything, so will soon have to check that nest.

hilljack13, the fact that so many of my pairs are species that are quick to abandon nests has made it very hard to care for them. I have most of them in 18x18x34 breeding cages, one pair to a cage, and I use seed hoppers and tube waterers. But I am messing with these cages every day, as I am giving them fresh eggfood and veggies every day. I don't change papers every day, but they do get frequent baths. Many of them are imports, too, so they were not raised in cages, and I'm sure that is a huge stress on them.

Next year, I would like a setup like Sean and Michele have--flights, with multiple species set up for breeding, but only one pair of each species per flight. I think that the extra room, plus lots of plastic plants around for privacy, will make a difference. Cage breeding works so well for some species, like Gouldians, but I feel the waxbills will do better with more space.

hilljack13 · Post by **hilljack13** » Mon Feb 11, 2008 7:58 pm

I was able to run into petco this weekend and they had a price for owls, although none in stock, a whopping $129.00!!!!

FeatherHarp · Post by **FeatherHarp** » Tue Feb 12, 2008 3:55 pm

Hilljack....that is a decent price for Owls. But I hesitate to buy from the Petstore since I plan on breeding them. The breeder I am getting them from is known for her quality finches and I have the assurance of knowing they are not inbred like they can be in the Pet stores.

If I was not interested in breeding or didn't care what sex they were then it would be no problem. But my local Pet store does not sell Owls anyway.