Pair of Strawberries

[birdclaws]

I decided to get a pair of strawberries today.
Ended up getting another pair of firefinches as well.

Here are the strawberry finches. I like them so far.

[debbie276]

Very nice, best of luck with them

[wellingtoncdm]

They look nice.

[Ginene]

Beautiful!!! Congrats and best of luck with both new pairs

[Sally]

Congrats! Many of these wild-caughts are quite dark, which surprised me. I expected wild birds to have lighter color, but the broker that sold me some of mine said that it is normal. You will enjoy them!

[Chirpington]

Oh my goodness, they're beautiful! Nice picture taking too. I have a lot of trouble taking pics of my birds, they just don't sit still and then the shots are one big blur

[lyzzyjayne]

Congrats! You will love them! I love mine. =) I just got them recently also and they are building a nest! Fingers Crossed!

[Rox]

Beautiful!! Huge congrats and wishing you lots of successful breeding with them

[birdclaws]

I bought them as a young male/female pair, but can barely tell the difference. Can anyone tell is there is a young male in one of my three photos?

Is it ok to give them a nest this young?

[Sally]

It is sometimes difficult to tell the difference betwen a male and female when the male is not in nuptial plumage. The hen will have smaller and fewer white spots. If you see even one red feather on the head or breast, it is a male. The middle photo looks like a male, but I can't be positive. I notice that the nails look a little long. One drawback to Strawberries is that they grow nails so quickly, they need frequent trimming. I have the cement pedi-perches in each cage, and they will need trimming.

I was told by a very experienced finch and softbill breeder that I am waiting too long to breed my Strawberries, that I should be setting them up at 6-7 months of age. He said that they are at the bottom of the food chain, and so they need to reproduce quickly in the wild. I woiuld go ahead and set them up with a nest, though you may find that they want to build their own in a plastic plant, using coco fiber and white feathers.

[Martie]

Beautiful birds, Brian! I am really looking forward to following all of you new Strawberry owners. Hoping for lots of new babies for you!

[Sally]

Yes, isn't it great that so many are getting them! I have felt so bad that I have not been able to share Berries with others, but until the numbers came up, I only swapped with other breeders. I was told that I should never sell my F1 or even F2 babies, because those are the foundation of my breeding program, but it was hard to constantly say no to people. Now there are enough Berries in the U.S. that those who want them should be able to get some. And I'm looking forward to swapping bloodlines with even more breeders.

[Pukasand]

Oh, they are beautiful.. and WAIT till you hear him sing. Get ready for an early morning sernade, though, I mean 'early'..like 4-5am. I love their song best of all. They sound like tiny bells tinkling. When you get some young, please put my name on the top of the list for a female. I had an opportunity to buy a pair, but they were still quite expensive. I have a male (thank you, Sally), but my hen died. I"m anxious to get a mate for him. Good luck, Brian, and keep us posted. Strawberries are my favorite finches. I'm so excited for you. it's almost like I got them.

[birdclaws]

doublepost-

[birdclaws]

Oh, they are beautiful.. and WAIT till you hear him sing. Get ready for an early morning sernade, though, I mean 'early'..like 4-5am. I love their song best of all. They sound like tiny bells tinkling. When you get some young, please put my name on the top of the list for a female. I had an opportunity to buy a pair, but they were still quite expensive. I have a male (thank you, Sally), but my hen died. I"m anxious to get a mate for him. Good luck, Brian, and keep us posted. Strawberries are my favorite finches. I'm so excited for you. it's almost like I got them.

I hope the pair I got doesn't sing at 5am. So far they have been quiet. I told a friend in PA she could buy them from me if they start to do this.

Just put the nest in the cage. We'll see what happens...