Finding a friend for my Cordon Blue boy

[wendyrun]

hi All,

I posted a while back that my cordon blue male Azul was looking very rattty with no feathers around his neck, and was astutely advised to separate him from his male zebra cage mate, Beaker. Lo and behold, Azul is finally starting to feather up quite nicely - whew! Thanks everyone, from both me and Azul

I do want to get each of them a lady-friend. I want to be very cautious - I'm new to birds, I do not want to breed, and I think the local pet stores sell only males. Also have got the impression that buying from a mega-mart is not the best source for well cared for birds.

I did some checking, and there will be a bird show in St Augustine in May - very close to me. Also found someone who will be there who's got some female cordon blues. However they are red-cheeked, and I believe Azul is a blue capped. That is not really important if we are not breeding, is it?

On a side note, I figure it won't be as hard to find a female zebra, but are bird marts generally ok sources for birds? I want to have done my homework before hand and not be impulsive, but hoping I can generally trust people. I'm worried about getting taken by someone selling me an older bird, or telling me the wrong gender and even having done some reading, not sure how I'm going to know?? Any advice would be appreciated!

Thanks in advance
Wendy

[dfcauley]

Hi Wendy,

First of all I think purchasing from a bird mart would be fine. I got most of my birds from there and really have never had a problem.

Just be sure that you keep them seperate for a while and make sure they are okay and not ill. If you are not going to breed and your SURE your not.... I think it would be okay to house the different species of courdons. But I am not sure I would put two males together. Courdons are a species that just don't do well with two males in a cage together.
If the birds have closed bands you will be able to tell the age on them. OTherwise is mostly a trust issue and hope that they are telling you the truth.

Good luck in finding just what you want! Courdons are wonderful little birds I think!!

[CandoAviary]

Glad to hear Azul is doing great. I have bought and sold at bird marts/fairs. I have seen wonderful birds and I have seen terrible birds. You should really look for the healthiest and then quarentine your purchases.
There are bird brokers at these fairs. They know little about the birds. Most of thier sources are wild caught or from large breeding farms. Sometimes they will get some nicely bred birds from local breeders but usually all birds,no matter where they came from, are place together without quarentining any...so potential problems. This is a common problem at pet stores too. New stock comes in and goes straight into the display cages with the older stock without quarentine. My biggest gripe about these brokers bringing in birds from all over is that the birds are usually a little more taxed because of all the shipping. Also many will automatically be put on antibiotics to keep them well until sold.... thus opening a whole new can of worms.
Personal preference for me is trying to find a vendor that is the breeder of the birds I want to buy. There is no guarentee that these will always be healthy but I have found in talking with them I have learned much, and many will be cautious to sell thier birds to a home they don't think is the right one. But like any purchase made it is the consumers responsibility to be knowledgable. The more you know the better you will be at asking the questions to the breeders about the care they give to thier breeding birds and young. Have fun shopping

I don't breed CBs but I don't think it is wise to mix the subspecies. even if you are not planning on breeding them....they may have a different plan.

[Sally]

It's definitely best to not mix the subspecies on Cordon Bleus. Even though you don't plan on breeding them, and they aren't easy to breed, so probably wouldn't slip in a clutch on you, you never know. I have two male and two female RCCB/BCCB juveniles that will now take up space and cannot ever be bred, at all. And space is at a premium at my house.

You can't put a male BCCB in with Azul, male CBs fight with each other. You can put a male of several different species in with him, and they will probably buddy up. It would need to be a passive species--Owl, Star, Goldbreast, Fire finch, and of course Society.

[wendyrun]

Oh thanks for the suggestions Sally!!
I have looked at the compatibility chart at the FIC, but things like mixing two CB males, I didn't know about....And was afraid to put two mixed male species after our plucking incident.
I would rather have two males, and not stress a pair that wants to breed, so it's a relief to hear:)

So will two males from same species tend to fight or is that only certain species? Can I get another male zebra to keep Beaker company or should I look for something on the 'pushy' chart, like a green singer male??

thanks again,
Wendy

[Ursula]

That's the problem with the compatibility chart! It doesn't tell you these specifics...

I found out the hard way myself that 2 male cordons don't get along, because I didn't know that. Mine are in a big aviary so it's ok and I am keeping both, but I do have the occasional chases. I would definitely not want to have them in a cage together.

Zebras should get along as far as I know (I don't have any myself). It really depends on the species....

[jamezyboo21]

It also depends on the size of the cage. But yeah, another zebra male should be fine with Beaker. I have my cordon blue pair in a mixed flight with goldbreast, gouldians and stars and they all get along. Especially with the goldbreasts.