New to Gouldians - advice please

clannad · Post by **clannad** » Fri Sep 26, 2008 3:00 pm

Hello everyone. I'm a little confused and I thought I'd ask for your help.

I purchased my first "pair" of Gouldians 8-19-08 and was told by the pet shop owner that the birds were a male/female pair. But I'm not too sure the male really is a male and I've been hesitant about adding a nest box until I'm sure that he really is a "he"...lol

The female is a BH, the questionable male is RH
Neither sing. Both birds have the same pale purple chest color, same yellow belly color, same green back color and hardly any blue color around the heads. The RH does have a little more blue, but you really have to look for it.

There is a slight difference in the beak colors and the "wire" tail length, which is slightly longer in the RH.
The beak color on the female BH is gray over all.
The beak color on the RH is red tip, slight gray center with maybe a little black dot, and cream towards the head.

As of this morning, I found the 11th egg on the cage floor bottom. The first egg was found 22 days after getting the birds. I'm pretty sure that it's the BH that's doing all the egg laying because 10 minutes after observing her sitting on a certain branch, I'll find an egg right underneath her on the cage bottom and she is still sitting on the branch above. But since I've never observed an egg being laid, I can't be 100% sure.
These are the only birds I have and they are in a 45 inch wide x18x18 inch cage.

Just after I took the 11th egg out, the BH female went back to the branch (which is surrounded by fake vines) and began making wiiii-wiii-wiii noises. The RH jumped on the branch in front of her, with his/her back to the BH and appeared to be "guarding the nest"??? Or was he/she just being nosey?

Without a picture, do you think the RH is male or female?
Should I put a nest box in?
If the RH is male, are 11 eggs a lot for 1 hen to be laying?

The birds are on a daily diet of Australian finch seed mix, miracle meal, dry egg food mix, romaine lettuce, hard boiled egg with shell and liquid iodine.
Cuttle bone, crushed oyster shell and charcoal are available as well. The liquid calcium should be coming today in the mail. Is there anything else that I should be giving them?

I am really sorry for the length of this post and for all of my questions.
I really am confused and hope that you may be able to help me figure out if he is a he...lol

FinchezRule · Post by **FinchezRule** » Fri Sep 26, 2008 4:36 pm

It sounds like you have two females. If the Gouldians are "regular" colored greens then the males Purple should be much more intense then the females. The Gouldian that called for the other one was probably just calling for her friend....not necessarily a mate. That's what i'm able to conclude without a picture, a picture would help A LOT though

. If you were told you had a male/female and the pet store promised that then i'd be pretty ticked with them if he is truely a she.

B CAMP · Post by **B CAMP** » Fri Sep 26, 2008 5:20 pm

Welcome to the forum if you fill out your profile then we would know where you live in the world
The link to the left finch information center has a lot of very useful info on it look under species gouldians

clannad · Post by **clannad** » Fri Sep 26, 2008 6:29 pm

Thank you FinchezRule and B Camp!

Yup, both are "regular" colored greens. I was "pretty sure" that both are female as well. My husband is the picture taker, but by the time he gets home from work, the birds are sleeping. I'll try and get a good picture of them over the weekend.

At first, I was a little ticked that both birds were/ are possibly female. I had wanted 2 males, but since the only gouldians the store had was this one male/female

pair, I figured that I would take them both.

I'm still ticked at the store and would never go back, but I'm not sorry now that I have 2 females and a lot of eggs...lol They are both very sweet, eat everything I give them and tweet happily all day.

Thanks again for your help!

dfcauley · Post by **dfcauley** » Fri Sep 26, 2008 7:02 pm

Sometimes the problem is that the pet store doesn't know the difference between the hens and the cocks.

If this is your first gouldians be sure that you read everything you can about them.
They really need charcoal and eggshell. Also if they are laying alot of eggs you may want to make them fresh eggfood.
Congrats on your new birds.

B CAMP · Post by **B CAMP** » Fri Sep 26, 2008 7:22 pm

clannad
We have something in common I bought a pair of yellow back gouldians at A bird fair a while back they were supposed to be male and female not both males and I need females.But like you I still like them and I wouldn't buy from that breeder again

birdbrain · Post by **birdbrain** » Fri Sep 26, 2008 7:43 pm

What about the birds having 2 different beak colors?

L in Ontario · Post by **L in Ontario** » Fri Sep 26, 2008 8:07 pm

birdbrain wrote:What about the birds having 2 different beak colors?

Different beak colours don't always indicate gender (although it does in some cases).

I one male:
BH/PB/GB-B one has a red tipped beak

I have another male male:
BH-O/PB/GB-B has an orange tipped beak.

In appearance they are identical except for the beak tips.

birdbrain · Post by **birdbrain** » Fri Sep 26, 2008 8:09 pm

I always thought a black beak was female and the other was male.

clannad · Post by **clannad** » Fri Sep 26, 2008 9:29 pm

LOL df, you can say that again! Yup, these are my first gouldians, so thanks for the congrats! I've been feeding them hard boiled eggs/w shells, miracle meal and dry egg food mix daily. Cuttle bone, crushed oyster shells and charcoal are also available daily.

B Camp, isn't it nice when a shock turns in to a happy surprise

Good Luck with your boys!!!

The beak color confused me at first too, birdbrain. But unless Lucille, my RH starts singing her little heart out, I'm really, really, pretty sure she is a girl.

Thanks for explaining the beak color L

Post by **Hilary** » Fri Sep 26, 2008 11:12 pm

What does the red look like on the red head? Is it a red surrounded by a heavy black line or a thin black line? Heavier indicates a hen. Males also often have a brighter, prettier red than hens. Black beak is definitely a hen (she's in breeding condition). Grey on the other would probably indicate a hen not quite in breeding condition.

Males and females can both have orange-tipped beaks - it just indicates that they carry the orange head gene.

birdbrain · Post by **birdbrain** » Fri Sep 26, 2008 11:18 pm

Oh, interesting. Thanks for the explanation.

clannad · Post by **clannad** » Sun Sep 28, 2008 5:01 pm

This was the best picture we could get of the RH "male"

She is a female...right????

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll15 ... C02174.jpg

kittani79 · Post by **kittani79** » Sun Sep 28, 2008 7:53 pm

looks like a female to me

FinchezRule · Post by **FinchezRule** » Sun Sep 28, 2008 9:42 pm

I'd say you have two very good looking females