I got new birds!!!!!

Leda · Post by **Leda** » Fri Oct 30, 2009 5:46 pm

When you guys said finches could be addicting, you sure were right!!!! I bought a pair of Green Singers from Pets Mart. I know I should not of bought from there, but I live in the middle of no-where and really have no where else to go. The male sings soooo pretty!!!!!! I shall love and spoil them!!!
Also....... I bought a pair of Javas!!!!! I bought them from a breeder not far from me. After many hours on the web i finally found the guy who bread my Stars. He happened to have these 2 Javas that he wanted to get rid of. So I got the pair for 40 dollars!!! They were bought by him from Swinging Hills Avery (sorry mis spelled) in Califorina. They are 2 years old and have raised 3 clutches of eggs. I am so happy!!!! Will try to post some pictures.

lovemyfinch · Post by **lovemyfinch** » Fri Oct 30, 2009 6:44 pm

Congrats one you latest finches.

Looking forward to pics

Domenic · Post by **Domenic** » Fri Oct 30, 2009 7:22 pm

That's awesome for you! The green singer's song will not disappoint, trust me. Mine only sings during certain times of the year though, but he doesn't have a female to sing to like your's does.

L in Ontario · Post by **L in Ontario** » Fri Oct 30, 2009 8:34 pm

Congratulations on all your new birds, I'm sure you'll get plenty of enjoyment from them!!

solo_birdlover · Post by **solo_birdlover** » Fri Nov 06, 2009 8:48 am

Ever since I heard the Green Singer's song on Youtube I decided to buy one. I too got mine at Pets Mart. It was expensive there -more than double what u'd pay in a bird show- but had to buy it there cause I was having a hard time finding one, well, until I bought mine. It was the only one singing at the store out of a bunch of them and it wouldnt shut up and that's why I did't care much about the price. I brought it home and it sang from the moment I put it in the cage and continued to sing often until I bought a female for him, then, it just stopped singing

. I don't know what to do. I miss its singing so much but hate to take the female out and see him lonely.

But I'm thinking maybe these guys are like male Canaries who actually prefer to be alone. I think I'm going to take the female out.

Green Singers are some interesting birds. They like to hang (upsidedown) from perches... I find mine -the male- to be inquisitive and curious and they definitely are birds that can be tamed.

cindy · Post by **cindy** » Fri Nov 06, 2009 8:58 am

Congratulations, enjoy you new bird. Maybe the male stopped singing and needs some time to adjust. I don't know much about Green Singer, maybe someone on the forum that has them will chirp in to help...

Nipper06 · Post by **Nipper06** » Fri Nov 06, 2009 10:58 pm

My Green Singer males sing just fine with their mates in the cage. In fact, I have 2 pairs in cages side by side and they all sing very well. Don't keep a male alone - it's torture for him. If your male stopped singing after you added the female, it's probably just because he is getting used to her. Give him time and he'll be singing again!

Green Singers are in the same genus as Canaries (Serinus) so they use open canary-type nests but will be more apt to breed if you put alot of fake plants in and around the cage. Green Singers breed in Autumn, as they would in the southern hemisphere. When breeding, they are not very tolerant of other finches so pairs should be kept alone.

Green Singers are available right now because imports from Africa are available - but this could change at any time. So it's a good idea to breed your Green Singers, as it's a species we need to domesticate before the importation door shuts and we can't get any more.

Here is a cage I breed my Green Singers in (the nest is hidden in all that fake greenery):

Here is one of my females on her nest:

And here is a baby, after I banded him:

solo_birdlover · Post by **solo_birdlover** » Sat Nov 07, 2009 6:24 am

Well, actually the female has been with the male for a few months now. They're not new any more. He still doesn't sing except when they fight. I know it's kinda weird. Some times either one will start chasing the other and that's when the male sings for a few seconds -while he's chasing her or she's chasing him- but nothing like he used to without the female. I really don't understand this behaviour. Most of the times the male feeds the female and they're friendly to one another but then all of a sudden they start fighting, especially when I turn the lights of at night. I don't know...

FeatherHarp · Post by **FeatherHarp** » Sat Nov 07, 2009 8:37 am

Congrats on getting your Finches.....the Green Singers sound like a wonderful bird to have! Hopefully Mr. & Mrs GS will work through their fighting and get along.

Maybe at night they are fighting for the best sleeping spot?

Nipper06 · Post by **Nipper06** » Sat Nov 07, 2009 1:18 pm

Solo,

The chasing behavior and feeding each other suggests your pair may want to breed. Fall is breeding season for Green Singers.

Do you have a nest in there, with some nesting material? Again, they would want an open canary type cup nest - nesting material should be jute or coconut fibers. Hide the nest behind some fake foliage. For breeding, they will need some higher protein food, like egg food and insect food (dried insect food or mealworms). Providing the extra food will help stimulate breeding, as will putting nesting material and a cup nest in the cage. If you have them with other finches, however, they might become aggressive to the other birds if they are trying to breed. So, in that case (if there are other birds), breeding them in a cage is not a good idea. I think in a large aviary, Green Singers can breed with other birds around.

Again, here is my breeding set up. By adding more foliage around the nest, my pair almost immediately started nest building.

CandoAviary · Post by **CandoAviary** » Sat Nov 07, 2009 8:24 pm

What wonderful birds. Nothing beats a beautiful song. Congrats on your new birds

Nipper, great set up..... no wonder you have happy breeding birds

terrylt7 · Post by **terrylt7** » Sun Nov 08, 2009 12:40 pm

I have been thinking about getting a pair of Green Singers and after reading all these posts about them I really want a pair now. I have the opportunity to get a pair for only $70.00. The breeder is almost two hours away but the distance isn't a problem, but with the holidays coming up I might have to wait until after Christmas.
I see on this forums everyone gets all kinds of finches. Here in Maryland when we have marts and shows we don't have that many species to choose. We have lots of Gouldians,(spelling) a few Owls, Societies, Zebras, and lots of Canaries. I wish we had more to pick from or at least breeders located in Md, Va or Pa.
Congratulations on your new Green Singers. I love your set up also.

Terry

Leda · Post by **Leda** » Mon Nov 09, 2009 1:34 pm

My male also does a lot of chasing my female around. I read on a different post, that its because he wants to breed and she doesnt because she hasnt found a sutiable place to lay eggs in. Nipper, do you feed worms to your singer when they are breeding?

Meagan83 · Post by **Meagan83** » Mon Nov 09, 2009 3:56 pm

solo_birdlover wrote:it sang from the moment I put it in the cage and continued to sing often until I bought a female for him, then, it just stopped singing . I don't know what to do. I miss its singing so much but hate to take the female out and see him lonely.

But I'm thinking maybe these guys are like male Canaries who actually prefer to be alone. I think I'm going to take the female out.

Male canaries don't actually prefer to be alone. When the males are singing alot, it's because they are trying to attract a female. When you keep the female housed with the male, he will sing less because there is no need to attract a female (he already has one).
He's chasing because he wants to breed and she does not.

She either does not have a nesting spot or she is not satisfied with something. Females can be picky sometimes...

solo_birdlover · Post by **solo_birdlover** » Tue Nov 10, 2009 3:42 am

Nipper, yeas I have a nest in there and it's hidden in the corner, it's not an open basket one though but I'm going to put one in a couple of days. When the nest was empty (of nesting materials) they used to go in it but when I put the coco fiber in there they just stopped and the male started ripping it out and throwing it on the cage floor. It's like he thinks the nest belongs to someone else and that's why he stopped going in at all. Maybe these guys like to build their own nest I'm thinking.

As for the chasing thing, it's not only the male that does the chasing. Sometimes the female is the one doing the chasing. And sometimes they just go crazy and start engaging in mid-air fights like I've seen eagles do. I don't know what the hell is wrong with them. One moment the male is feeding the female or carrying a straw and lowering his wings, which I know are signs of wanting to breed. The next moment they're fighting or chasing one another.

I know the whole purpose of the male's singing is to either attract a mate or claim and protect a territory but for us humans we don't care about this and we want to enjoy their singing and that's why many of us buy song finches.

Meagan83, if you do some research on Canaries you'll find that males DO pefer to be alone in cages -at least maybe small cages. In fact, I've seen sites where they actually warn against putting a female with the male EXCEPT during the breeding season or he might kill her. My friend had a pair and the male was always picking on the female and plucking her feathers, and it wasn't because he wanted to breed or anything because they already had chicks barely out of the nest. The male was always doing that to the female according to my friend.

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