1 of 2 male gouldians died; Do I need to get a new bird?

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codette
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1 of 2 male gouldians died; Do I need to get a new bird?

Post by codette » Tue Feb 12, 2019 1:09 pm

One of my two male lady blue gouldians has passed away of a respiratory issue he had for a long time. The remaining finch does not seem too depressed on his own as long as I talk to him a few times a day. He sits by the window and sings all day, and he really appreciates listening to his rainforest and cricket recordings. I am confident he has some life left in him and I'm ready to get him a new companion.

- Does it need to be another gouldian or could I try a society?
- Or even a canary?
- Does it need to be a similar age as him? (I'm guessing ~5 years)
- Should I increase the size of the flock...and if so: all at once or introduce one first and then another pair later? (Cage size is 48" wide by 48" tall by 18" deep)

I have been warned that societies can pick on gouldians but if it's just 1:1 I'm hoping they'd be friends. I've also heard that societies can carry a disease that kills gouldians, so to be careful choosing one.

It's been a couple of weeks of looking now and there aren't any for adoption within a large radius, but I don't want to buy from pet stores. The bird fair isn't for another 8 weeks. I might start researching breeders--I think I can find out the breeder their original owner got them from, but there is a concern that of the original group of four birds (two m/f pairs) only one survived to ~5 years old. Could be the breeder? More likely the quality of their home where both the females died before the males came to me.

Thoughts on what I should do for him?

Icearstorm
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Re: 1 of 2 male gouldians died; Do I need to get a new bird?

Post by Icearstorm » Tue Feb 12, 2019 1:56 pm

codette

Another gouldian would be best, since they have the same system of communication, but a society could work in a pinch, although it may take them a while to get used to each other. There's a good chance the society will annoy your gouldian a bit since societies are extremely social and love to preen and snuggle with everyone. Societies can be carriers, but this typically affects nestlings, rather than adults. Get a society from a gouldian breeder if you're nervous (although it would be better to just get gouldians if you found a good gouldian breeder). Canaries aren't the most social and come from a different family of birds, so there's a chance that it would be even more difficult for the two species to communicate.

Age does not need to be similar, although if the ages are vastly different, one of the birds will probably die a long time before the other, so you will keep needing to look for new birds. Different species have differing lifespans as well, with societies typically living a bit shorter than other birds, so keep this in mind if you want a different-species companion.

It sounds like you have room for a couple of pairs, and gouldians are relatively passive, so two pairs together shouldn't pose an issue. Since gouldians are passive, it's okay if you add a pair after a couple of birds have been there for a while. You should have an even number of each species, and probably sex as well; a gouldian that is paired with another species will most likely start ignoring it when introduced to other gouldians. New birds should be quarantined to make sure disease isn't brought in, so it may be easier to get all the new birds at once.

Blue lady gouldians are generally more prone to health problems due to the smaller gene pool; it's hard to say whether it was the breeder's fault, or just genetics. Females have different sex chromosomes (Z and W), while males have the same (two Zs), so this could put the females at an increased risk of disease, as a recessive negative mutation on the Z sex chromosome is more likely to effect a female since she has no "backup" Z chromosome. This could be one explanation as to why the two females died first.

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