Removing Gouldians' High-Use Nests

[GouldieFledge]

It's molting time! Do I need to remove the nests in my cage to facilitate this process? My gouldians love their nests, they sleep in them all the time and generally love messing around with them. I'm going to feel guilty taking them away, but they'll get over it, right?

[debbie276]

That's interesting. I was all ready to say take out the nests if you want because goulds don't use them unless they are breeding. I leave my nests but they never pay any attention to them till they are ready to go to nest. The easiest way to tell that they are sitting tight on eggs is when the hen goes missing from the perch at night.
Any chance your goulds were fostered by a nest loving species?

[GouldieFledge]

debbie276

This must be the weirdest pair of male gouldians. They're the ones that have raised my juvie together after the mother died. BUT, that extra male was always part of the equation, sitting on the eggs and all 3 birds sharing the nest. Very odd.

But yes, they still love the nests and the baby (about 2.5 mos old now) has learned the behavior, too. They pop in and out of them all the time, sleep in them frequently, and they love to pull pieces of bedding in/out. There's 4 nests in there, and they literally use all of them! this is including the 2 males sharing one some nights, ha!

It's completely possible they were raised by societies or something similar--I don't know their history, I bought them at the only shop near my area.

[Jen]

debbie276
So what do you do when it's time for your Goulds to quit laying? About the time I go to take out the nest boxes, I find eggs in two or more boxes. When they start to molt will they quit laying on their own? What is your suggestion?

[debbie276]

My birds have always stopped on their own after 2 or 3, sometimes 4 clutches. At the end of their breeding season (around the end of December) I take out and clean the boxes then rehang them.
They rest then molt, ignoring the boxes till after their molt.
If you are having a hard time getting your birds to stop breeding try to reduce the amount of protein in their diet.