Cuban Melodious Pair in a Mixed Flight?

DVBourassa · Post by **DVBourassa** » Sun Mar 08, 2009 4:14 pm

I am unclear on whether or not Cuban Melodious can be put into a mixed flight. I will have a 3 W x10 L x3 H ft (0.9 x 3.0 x 0.9 meter) flight with plants.

It seems quite clear that only one pair can be in a flight and offspring must be removed following weaning and prior to coming into their adult colors.

However, I am reading conflicting guidelines on other things and am hoping some of you with personal experience can let me know how things worked for you.
Is a mixed flight possible at all (at this size)?
Should yellow and/or blue birds not be mixed?
Should they be fed "Australian" or "African" seed mixes?
Do they require live food?

Thanks Everyone

Rayray · Post by **Rayray** » Sun Mar 08, 2009 4:41 pm

as you said one pair and if you get young ones just get them out when they can take care of themselfs , you won't get trouble with the birds you have now ( zebra's ) , food ain't a problem either , just mix it like 50 - 50 ,
insects or life food is only needed when they have young ones , so good plain food and eggfood will do for now !

ray

DVBourassa · Post by **DVBourassa** » Sun Mar 08, 2009 4:50 pm

What about owls and cordon bleus and other less aggressive species?

dfcauley · Post by **dfcauley** » Sun Mar 08, 2009 5:52 pm

DVBourassa wrote:What about owls and cordon bleus and other less aggressive species?

I think if you want to put them together, the best thing is just do it and watch carefully for a while.

My owls can be pretty pushy sometimes.

Finch Fry · Post by **Finch Fry** » Sun Mar 08, 2009 9:11 pm

Will you have the owls, zebras and cubans all together?

I only know from what I read and you have the owls (passive), zebras (pushy) and cubans (aggressive). I would say not to put them together, but I suppose you could just toss them all in there and watch them for a while and make sure they get along. But just be mindful of the aggressive nature of the cubans. Another thing I read from most is as long as the aviary is big enough and enough cover is provided, the birds can relax since they may not be able to see others or have a place to go to hide. This is probably key for that mix. Let us know how it goes. I am very interested to know.

Also, these are the new guys from last weekend. Are you going to keep them quarantined for 60ish days so they dont infect the zebras if they have anything? I still have my stars and GBs away from my zebs.

DVBourassa · Post by **DVBourassa** » Sun Mar 08, 2009 9:32 pm

No, the zebras will be staying by themselves.

Right now everyone is separated. The larger flight hasn't been built yet and won't be for another month.

There is a lot of conflicting information out there on the aggressiveness of Cuban finches. Particularly on their inclusion in aviaries. That would be why I'm doing some preliminary research to determine how to properly house them. The FIC is an Excellent resource but does not have very in depth information on this particular species.

I'm aware of the necessity for quarantine. That's why I'm trying to figure out what to do with the Cubans prior the ending that quarantine. Planning ahead.

Finch Fry · Post by **Finch Fry** » Sun Mar 08, 2009 9:57 pm

Ask FINCHIE... apparently he has cubans and they have bred.

Here is the thread.. http://www.finchforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=5011

mickp · Post by **mickp** » Mon Mar 09, 2009 4:17 am

it seems to be colour that makes the cuban male aggressive so I would think that cubans and owls should be ok together

DVBourassa · Post by **DVBourassa** » Mon Mar 09, 2009 12:29 pm

Thanks everyone for your replies. When we bought these Cubans, Floyd said they would be okay with anything except yellow birds. Then I saw FIC said they weren't suitable for a mixed aviary, so thats where figuring out what to do with this pair came from.

I also posted this question on the NFSS yahoo group to try to reach a larger audience since Cubans aren't so commonly kept.

The general consensus is that it depends on the individual birds. Some were troublesome and some weren't. Yellow birds are a definite NO. They have been kept with everything from societies to aurora to saffron finches. (I was surprised by the person that has them with the saffron finches. They look mostly yellow to me.)