What to feed Gouldian Finches?

[Sandra]

I am getting 2 Gouldian Finches, that I dont plan on breeding them.

What is the best seed mix I can get them here in Canada?

What about for supplements?

[tinysparrow]

Hi Sandra,
Where do you live in Canada? I can recommend a few good places to go and get seed in Ontario, if you are in this part of the country

[Sandra]

Hi Sandra,
Where do you live in Canada? I can recommend a few good places to go and get seed in Ontario, if you are in this part of the country

sounds great! thanks so much!!

I live in Ottawa, Ontario

[tinysparrow]

Oh man!! So sorry I live near Toronto. I'm sure there are other forum members who live close to Ottawa who could recommend good seed stores for you

[Sandra]

Oh man!! So sorry I live near Toronto. I'm sure there are other forum members who live close to Ottawa who could recommend good seed stores for you

oh! well if you know a place I can order from? Might be cheaper from Toronto than the States.

[Sally]

You might want to try Hagen seeds. I use the Finch Staple VME seed mix, give it to all my birds, and they do very well on it. I have mostly waxbills, but my Cherry finches (Australian) also do well on it. Since Hagen is based in Montreal, the seed is much more available in Canada than in the U.S.

[Sally]

You could always look into the Birds R Us diet, which has been developed specifically for Gouldian finches. Unless there is a distributor in Canada, though, the shipping would probably be far too costly.

[Sandra]

Thanks but cant find the Birds R Us mix here. For some reason I can't get them in.

[nixity]

You could always look into the Birds R Us diet, which has been developed specifically for Gouldian finches. Unless there is a distributor in Canada, though, the shipping would probably be far too costly.

The only distributors in the US are myself, Bill Van Patten and Laraine (that I know of, I believe Kristen Reeves pulled out). There are currently no distributors outside of the US or Australia to my knowledge.

I checked with Bill about shipping it to Canada and evidently the seed requires a USDA Phyto Sanitary Certificate which is not cost effective on an individual order, and the STGF SoftFood can't go at all because there is fish meal in it (he believes the only processed fish that can go through customs is canned fish). Bummer

[Sally]

Thanks for that explanation, nixity, now I understand why it is not available in Canada. Lots of paperwork involved in export/import.

[tinysparrow]

Hi Sandra,

Do you have any seed co-ops in your area? you can google it and see. this is what i did. the one by my house carries a lot of high quality finch seed.

you can also google farm stores in your area. the local farm store by my place has really great local seed that you can buy in large quantities. they also have a lot of supplies for my button quail, and diamond doves, which comes in handy.

i order cuttle bone, toys and pellets from this canadian site (in quebec)http://oisellerielavoliere.com/perroquet/boutique/ they have really great prices and great customer service! oh they also have sprouting seed and other things.

hope this helps!!

[Sandra]

Thanks! I'll see what I can find in my area.

if i find, what mix to follow?

Sandra

[Sandra]

I guess what I am trying to figure out is if there is a mix specifically made for Gouldian Finches?

Mixes are labelled as for 'finch' but I know not all finches have the same diet requierement.

[L in Ontario]

I guess what I am trying to figure out is if there is a mix specifically made for Gouldian Finches?

Mixes are labelled as for 'finch' but I know not all finches have the same diet requierement.

Actually they are not a whole lot different. I give all my finches (see my signature below) the same finch seed (Moores Vitafinch and Moores Soakseed) and they all eat what they want. What one specie may not eat - another will.

I asked a breeder / petstore owner about seeds for Strawberry Finches (back when I had them) and he sold me a bag of seed for "Australian Finches". I ended up just mixing that into my Moores seed - no big deal. When I had Strawberries, they ate the same as everyone else.

[Sandra]

Ahhhhhhhhh! ok, that clears things up for me. I'm suppose to get my Gouldians in a few mins, will also ask the breeder.