The RCCB have a new place...10/6

[cindy]

If I had not seen this I would have continued to blame my second pair of Gold Breast. My RCCB pair is now known as the dastardly duo of their aviry!

They work on either side of the cage, the female takes over an established nest with young in it and feeds the young until she decides to toss the chicks out. The one I found was about a week old and still alive in the tray. I put him in the first GB nest (the male built a lovely cock's nest on the roof of the nest) and they are feeding it, I found another last week alive, one dead and a baby still alive trying to get out of the shell, that was placed in the other Gold Breast nest. The RCCBs have knocked GB eggs out. Here I thought I had a pair of bad parent GBs!!!

The male RCCB takes over another nest on the other side of the cage. thankfully, no eggs were in it.

Tonight after discovering why all the GBs were chirpping in distress and discovering what these culprits are doing we witnesses two GBs go into their nest where the female RCCB was and chased her out, dive bombing her. She flew off screeching very mad!

Needless to say they can not stay in the avairy with the owls and GBs. They are going back in a breeder cage...Perhaps now the GBs can go peacefull back to raising their young and maybe the owls will reproduce. They are banished forever from aviary living!!!

[L in Ontario]

You've got to do what you've got to do to keep the peace. I'm glad you found out the true culprits!

[cindy]

The little buggers ruined a whole clutch of babies last time. I happen to be in the room and caught all this trouble....The GB and owls are some of my favorite finches, I'm heartbroken to think they purposey were doing this...those little blue buggers!!!

[wellingtoncdm]

I have 4 pair of owls that start to investigate and maybe hang out in a nest or two but never get past that. They are in with a nosy pair of rccbs and several parrot finch pairs. Could they be too overwhelmed to nest in that atmosphere? Previously they have nested, laid and incubated but never raised (tossed) in breeder cages. So I put them out in the aviary thinking a colony may work better for them. Now that they are in the "group" they aren't even laying. I was blaming the active parrot finches but after reading your post I might change my mind and remove the rccbs.

[cindy]

They previously were in a cage on their our, built several nests, dropped one egg...on the floor. They just sat on the perch, hardly moved. I built the aviary and added them along with owls and GBs. At first they established a nest, built it out, sat in front of it and in it but as soon as the GBs had chicks I noticed the female peeking in, thought the begging sounds caught her attention.

About a month ago they took over a nest the GBs were in but life got hectic and I was not home much. I noticed young but was not sure if they were GB or RCCBs or a combination of both. They tossed the chicks out, lost 4 that time.

The RCbs then established a nest at the very top of the cage, I noticed tonight that the male stripped it of nesting material and took over a GB nest on the other side of the aviary, built out the front to the point it has a tiny entrance hole.

Could RCCBs be parasitic?

[annague]

Wow. Disturbing post. I hope they are not parasitic since I have 1 pair of active breeders and have set up 2 other pairs for next year.

I will say this, though, Cindy -- I had 1 female RCCB about 2 years ago when I first started with finches, that would continually break into my black-rump waxbill nest (you know how tiny the black-rumps are!) and eat their eggs, and/or throw out a baby or two while she was in there. I had to see it to realize it was her. The male was fine but I couldn't keep the black-rumps together with this particular female BCCB. Fortunately, my other birds were way too fiesty for her to try it with them.

I don't think I've EVER had such a problem with the BCCB's-- they seem to be way more laid back.

I think the

[Ursula]

How terrible!!

I don't think they are parasitic at all! My males chase each other but I have NEVER encountered any aggression from my CBs towards any other species. My gouldians sit in a nest now that the CBs built in summer and laid some eggs in, but none hatched. (Luckily, because 3 of the 4 are related and I don't want them to breed anyway.) I never saw them disturbing the goulds, or the blackcheeks when they had their nest last year.

I guess it's with any other species, bird or mammal, you can always have some individuals that are - for whatever reason - more or less aggressive than others.

[cindy]

They do not go into the nests the owls built but I do feel that since the GBs are timid and tiny that this might be why.

[Ursula]

Yes, that could be right! I don't have GBs, and my other waxbills are not much smaller than the CBs. The gouldians are bigger, maybe that's why they don't bother them either.

[cindy]

Tomorrow they get new living quarters, it was to late in the day to disturb the owls and other GBs. All is quiet and I am watching for chicks and the RCCB female left the nest...the GB went back to the remaining chicks.

[monotwine]

Wow I am glad I have never witnessed that scenario with my BCCB's! Glad you found the culprits and can now enjoy the more relaxed breeding season with your GB and owls.

I think it really is personalitites at the end of the day. Some probably will interfere and others won't.

[cindy]

Monique this is not good, and rather sad...about 8 little ones lost. I checked the other nest the RCCb had entered, the GB abandoned their two young, they died. The nest she raided and has occupied had a GB baby in it, good size to. Apparently she tossed it and I found it sitting in a silk fern, the oversize leaf broke it's fall...I am attempting hanfeeding. Two feeding down and it pooped and seems to be a fiesty little thing, hope it makes it.

[cindy]

I am also begining to wonder since I see the RCCB female peek into nest of GB when babies are begging that this is not some sort of survival thing on the RCCBs part. Perhaps the RCCB female wants to nest and sees the babies from the GB as a threat possibly to the food supply for you future young...even though there is enough food for about three days at a time in the cage.

The only time I see her even interested in the GB nest is when there is young in the nest begging. Moving them is the only way to tell what might be the issue and answer.

[annague]

Let us know how that goes!

[cindy]

Well...they have been relocated! The RCCBs now have a studio suite, it is not as lavish as the flight but it will do in a pinch. They were moved in by 10 am and have already started building and the male was courting. And now we wait...

Everything with the GB and owls are much calmer now. Hopefully this baby tossing will stop.