Cordon Bleus

[isobea]

Shannylee - on the practical side: since they are 'vultures' right now, how are you going to determine which are males and females when you divide them up with your friend? And then which two will go into which cage? I would be scratching my head right now.
Iso

[Sally]

Shannylee - on the practical side: since they are 'vultures' right now, how are you going to determine which are males and females when you divide them up with your friend? And then which two will go into which cage? I would be scratching my head right now.
Iso

I agree, especially for the hens. If any are Red-cheeked males, they might still have their cheek patches, but it is the coloration on top of the head that helps determine females. You may need to wait a bit.

[Shannylee]

They are RCCBs. Pretty sure that there are at least 2 males. They are brighter/deeper blue and their red cheek patches are darker. I'm pretty sure that the other 3 are hens. They are more muted blue but they don't have many head feathers. Pix attached in the new thread I started "RCCBs...or mini vultures". LOL!

I picked up 5 today and he has 2 loose in the store so he will call me when he catches them. They are not at all happy about being out so he will probably be able to catch them with a cage full of seed and an open door.

They are very active and look healthy despite their bald heads. I have them in a 3ft long breeding cage (minus the dividers) for now. Quarantine. If they start picking at each other, I will separate them. They are fine for tonight. All cuddled up on a branch under the heat lamp.

I only plan on keeping a pair. Possibly an extra hen. My friend will take the rest.

[lovezebs]

Shannylee

If they have any red , or orange, or any patches on the cheeks, they are males. Females do not have patches at all.

[Shannylee]

lovezebs, the "hens" don't have patches but they don't have many head feathers! Right now, I am only guessing. The ones that I am sure are male have cheek patches. I'll have more time tomorrow to sit with them and get a good look at everyone.

[lovezebs]

Shannylee

Ok, i think I misundersood the wording in your last post, sorry.

Anyhow, here are a couple of pictures of my guys, which may help....

[Shannylee]

lovezebs, my wording may or may not be under the influence. LOL! Told you that I got wine at the grocery today.

[lovezebs]

Shannylee

Tomorrow you'll be.....

[Shannylee]

lovezebs,

Thanks for the pictures! I definitely have 2 males and 1 female but the other 2 are a bit too plucked to tell. Since they are lighter in color, I'm assuming that they are female but only time will tell. I'm going to keep the 2 that I KNOW are a pair and the rest will go to my friend tomorrow.

They will live in a flight cage for the Winter and when the weather warms up enough for them in the Spring, I will move them into the aviary for the breeding season. I have 5 gouldians, 16 canaries, 3 bronze mannikins (1 male + 2 females), and 2 spice finches in the 8'T x 8'D x 10'W aviary. My only concern in adding them to the aviary is the bronze mannikins. They are tiny little birds but packed full of attitude. Not Pin Tailed Whydah level attitude but still have plenty!

[lovezebs]

Shannylee

How are the baldies (oops, sorry), the new kids settling in?

[Shannylee]

lovezebs, 3 of them went to live with my friend today. She has a male and I'm pretty sure the other 2 are female. I have a male and pretty sure the other is female. We'll see how it all pans out when their feathers come in.

They had some time in the sun yesterday but not too much time. I didn't want their little bald heads to sunburn. They spent the night bundled up under a heat lamp and I wrapped their cage in blankets. It got down to a frigid 53 degrees last night. LOL! Tonight will drop to 50F so same accommodations. If the temps drop below 50, they will come in the house and I'll just take an extra allergy pill.

The 3 RCCBs were so quiet on the ride to their new home. They all sat, calmly, and only did a little quiet peeping. She gave me 3 spice finch babies and they were maniacs on the way home. Poor babies flapped all over the place and screamed (not loud...spice finch loud) the whole way home. They are settled now and are so cute! I have 2 so they will have pals.

[w.l.]

More Spice, eh?
They are the most common finches here, costing next to nothing, but I still like them.
I think they are actually quite beautiful with their scaly-patterned underside.
And they should look better in a small flock. Hopefully, the new ones will pair up with the older ones, not with each other.

[isobea]

Shannylee - Sharon, I am so happy this whole rescue operation has come to a happy ending. Did the store owner ever catch the other two that were loose when you got yours? Since your birds have been in a temperature controlled environment for several months, I think your night time temperatures might be too low for them. If at all possible I would bring them in overnight.
Whenever I buy or sell birds I cover the small transport cage with a towel as soon as I put them in there. It always calms them down right away and the car ride is very quiet.
So you got some more spicies... We have 'wild' ones in this area now and lately they've been coming to the feeder in my back yard as a whole flock: maybe 3 or 4 adults and about 15 young ones none of them have gone through their first molt yet. They are so cute and quite 'chatty'. I'm beginning to worry that the nights might be getting too chilly for them (between 45 and 50 F) since molting is very stressful on those little bodies. Unfortunately there is nothing I can do to help them other than provide decent food at all times.
Iso

[w.l.]

They are so cute and quite 'chatty'. I'm beginning to worry that the nights might be getting too chilly for them (between 45 and 50 F) since molting is very stressful on those little bodies. Unfortunately there is nothing I can do to help them other than provide decent food at all times.
Iso

Well you could catch them and bring them into a heated home.
Mind you, Spice finches are not strictly tropical, they occur quite far north where temperatures get cool in winter. But of course out in the wild, only a minority of youngsters normally survive long enough to breed themselves. Given the Spices' steady expansion in California, they must actually be faring bettet there than in their native lands though.

[Shannylee]

w.l., spices are somewhat common here too. Honestly, it's harder to find birds in Central FL than one would think. Most pet stores don't want to mess with finches/waxbills. They carry budgies and cockatiels. Some have lovebirds. If the pet stores have finches, they have societies or zebras. My local bird store is the exception.

I like the spice finches too. Their coloring is so pretty. Sweet, peaceful little birds.

Iso, I say that the RCCBs are huddled up under a heat lamp but they are actually on the other side of the 3ft cage from the heat lamp. I have checked on them no less than a zillion times (because I'm worried they are too cold and worried that I'm cooking them...LOL!) and they are not even fluffed up to stay warm. They are under-roof on the screened porch and up against the house. It's probably warmer in their blanket wrapped/heated cage than it is in my heat-is-not-on house!