Housing Gouldians Outdoors

[thegatorgal]

Hi!

New here and new to finches, but had parrots when I was younger.

I am hoping to soon add some Gouldian finches to my household. I'm still working out the details, but I would love to keep them on my patio. I have a screened in patio that I spend a lot of time on and would love to have some finches out there in a large flight cage. It is protected from wind/rain and direct sunlight. I live in Central Florida.

Is it reasonable to expect the finches to live happily out there year round? I can definitely bring them inside in cold weather.

What should I look for in a breeder if I want birds that can handle living on my patio?

[Sally]

I would think a large flight cage on a screened-in patio would be great for the finches. I can't
advise on keeping them there year round, as I don't live in Florida and I don't have Gouldians. One of our members, debbie276, lives in NJ and keeps Gouldians and Owls in an outside aviary year round, with some heat in the enclosed part of the aviary in winter. I think it comes down to acclimating them to your climate and then protecting them from winter winds and drafts.

Welcome to the forum! There's lots of good reading at the Finch Information Center, linked at left, and the members are always ready to help.

[dutch]

thegatorgal.....my gouldians are outdoors all year...no heater

First you need to get your Goulds from a breeder who has them outdoors...

Next Goulds love direct sunlight....mine sit in direct sunlight allday

How cold do your winters get? .....my winters only drop to 0 celsius at nights. ..and the Goulds are just fine

[thegatorgal]

Thank you for your input!

Good to know they may like some direct sunlight, I can place the cage so that the do have that option.

It very rarely gets as low as freezing in my area, there may be only 3 or 4 nights a winter that get that low.

I will definitely look for a breeder that raises their outdoors, that's a great tip, thank you!

[MiaCarter]

I live in the Ft Myers area.

If you were able to provide good ventilation (e.g. a fan), cool water and keep them out of direct sunlight, I think they could do nicely.

I'd bring them in during the heat of the day on those super hot days in the summer.
And you may need to bring them in nightly during the cool nights in the winters unless you could provide a strong heat lamp. (For those non-floridians, winter nights can get to be around 40-50, so a bit too cool for comfort. Maybe 1 or 2 nights a year that freeze, though, so rare.)

As an aside, my AC died yesterday and my house is a steamy 87 degrees at the moment (7:15 am local time. So it'll get at least 10-15 degrees hotter in here as the day heats up.) I'm one grumpy duck!
But the birds don't seem at all bothered. An my guys are all spoiled house birds, accustomed to cool, so if they're okay, then I think you could go a bit hotter an be okay.
The cats and dogs are another story! We're all PO'd. LOL Can't wait for the repair guy to show up this AM!

[debbie276]

I have owls and gouldians in an outdoor aviary in NJ. Winters get well below freezing and the owls sometimes stay outside. I have a little door to a heated room for those cold winter days. The heat is set at 55 degrees F. and the gouldians do very well. Even on the coldest of days all will be outside playing in the snow, soaking up the sun.
The heat of summer doesn't bother them at all, they just go to the shady spots of the aviary and spend lots of time in the bird bath. It doesn't usually get over about 90 degrees F here in the summer.
In my opinion they are not as delicate as everyone thinks. I would put them outside when the temps are the same as where they are in the house so they have time to adjust to the weather of the changing season.

good luck

[dutch]

debbie276 is right.... goulds aren't delicate...hell my goulds are stronger than my zebras

Summers here get up to 40 celsius.....and my goulds love it....the hotter the better

Goulds come from the hottest part of australia.....they love the heat

[Toddmin]

I think they would be fine outdoors in your screened porch. If their flight was positioned so it gets some sun and some shade, then they can move between the two as they desire. I know Gouldians are from the hottest part of Australia, so I doubt the Florida summer would bother them. You could probably put them out there now and give them a chance to acclimate. In the winter, I would also make sure they had an area where they were protected from any cold winds. Laraine at LadyGouldian.com used to keep her birds in an unheated outdoor aviary, and they were fine.

[redhead]

Hello, I am in SW Fl. I got my gouldians from a Tampa area breeder who keeps theirs outdoors, and they are outdoors (on the lanai). I do have a ceiling fan available to them, which I turned on a couple days ago. They've been out there since March and despite people telling me they'd get eaten (mice/rats/snakes/raccoons/predatory birds), they'd get bitten (noseeums and mosquitoes), and they would perish from the heat---they are fine and even breeding.

Gouldians are from Australia and can survive in higher heat that what we have here in SW Florida.

I realize this thread was started awhile back; wondering if the OP got the gouldians and how they are doing?

[MiaCarter]

A question: is Australia (where gouldians and many other species originate from) have a dry heat or a wet, humid heat?

The only reason I ask is because the humidity can make it seem a lot hotter. So if you have 85 in dry heat and 85 in humid heat, the latter will seem much hotter. The heat index on the news says that around 87-88 will seem like 105-107-ish on the most humid days.

But I think they could thrive outdoors as long as they have constant access to shade, some fan action and cool water.

I'd also ensure they have a spot that's covered in the case of those afternoon T-storms. I'd worry about those T-storms, actually, as they can have really strong winds. So far this summer, I've seen a few gusts easily over 80-90 mph --- enough to remove shingles, bend over the stop sign and blow my ginormous half full 3.5 foot tall trash can across my yard, across the street and well into the sticker-ridden field. They were stronger than what I saw when we had a hurricane a couple years ago! Those winds could easily send a small 30x18x18 cage airborne. But if you have a little alcove in your lanai -- like a cut-in where it is surrounded by your house on 3 sides, then I think it would offer protection. And you could always bring them in.

I think the key would be protecting them from predators and bugs, but that's a problem that could be easily remedied by taking them indoors at night. (And some neighborhoods don't have lots of creatures. We get a ton since were right near a wildlife preserve. Plus, we feed feral cats and that also attracts raccoons and possums. So it would be ignorant of me to think that we weren't actively attracting predators!)

[debbie276]

Gouldians come from the northern most part of Australia which is considered tropical with 2 distinct seasons the "wet" and the "dry".

Darwin in the Top End of the Northern Territory has two distinct seasons, the 'wet' and the 'dry'. The wet season runs from November until April, and is characterised by high humidity, monsoonal rains and storms. Temperatures typically range from a minimum of 25°C to a maximum of 33°C. The 'dry’ season, from May until October, is characterised by warm, dry sunny days and cool nights. Temperatures typically range from 21°C to 32°C, and humidity levels are much lower.
http://www.australia.com/about/key-fact ... ather.aspx

[MiaCarter]

Ah, so it sounds more or less the same as what we have here in Florida! Wet season, dry season and the temps.

[cindy]

I am in the Tampa area...it has been brutally hot here and mornings even before the sun comes completely up it is an sauna, the condensation it just dripping. I contemplated doing a large flight on the covered lania overlooking the pool area but after some of the driving rains, hail and severe thunderstorms we have had I changed my mind, coupled with finding a dead snake in the pool, how it got in is beyond me we have taken all kinds of precautions to prevent them from getting into the patio area.

I am formerly from Ft Myers, lived there for about 17 years. The summers are a bit different there compared to here...there we seemed to have more of a rainy period of the afternoon, you could almost time it. Here the rains can come any time and all day. Both areas have issues with mosquitoes during the rainy season...in both areas you have to make sure your screening on the lania is intact or your birds will be a blood meal for female mosquitoes. Pet birds kept outside are susceptible to West Nile Disease which is carried by a certain species of mosquito.

[Jen]

I have a question about housing finches outdoors in Texas. Mosquitos are here year round! How do you protect finches in outdoor aviaries from them? I'm planning on getting a "gazebo style" aviary from a friend to house my gouldians and waxbills. Advise please!

[cindy]

I have seen people add a frame work of patio screening around their aviary, it is anywhere from a 1/2" to 1" from the wire but attached to the frame of the aviary.

Florida has over 40 species of mosquito.