Considering Red Face Parrot Finch

[danaday]

Hi everyone

I am wanting to get a pair of red face parrot finch and would love to get some advice, personal experiences from people that have them. I've looked up and read most of the information you can find on them on the web. I look forward to reading all the advices and experiences with them.

BTW can I house them with gouldians?

[nelloyello11]

I don't have them, but think they are beautiful! I'm not 100% sure, but I think I've heard others have housed them with goildians. What a colorful cage it would be!

Interested to hear what info others offer, as I might consider them at some point in he future

[birdclaws]

I had some for a couple months but had to rehome them. The male was very aggressive towards other birds and they would stay up late at night shrieking. The song was not pleasant to me. They are very active and require a lot of flight space. The ones I had loved bathing more than any other finch I've had.

[bugaboo5]

I would definitely not house with gouldians unless you have an large aviary. Parrot finches are very charming birds, but can be little terrors. The more space you can offer them, the better, as they can become obese in small cages and if you get a pair, the males have tendencies to harass the females nonstop.

They are beautiful birds and David Drumm has beautiful parrot finches, but you'll need to provide as much space as possible. Gouldians are very docile species and wouldn't stand a chance against parrots in a cage setting. Not to mention that parrots are very very active.

[dfcauley]

I have about 10 of them in a large walk in aviary. They are housed with gouldians, but they have enough space that they do not bother the goulds. My aviary is 8x22 so there is plenty of room.
They do love to take a bath and will do so about 6 times a day. They are first ones up in the morning and still flitting around after dark. The males have a trill and I think it is nice when they sing. They can be very aggressive with the hens and you need loads of space so the hen can get away from the male if she needs and wants to.
Personally if I kept them in a cage, I would get them their own cage (as large as possible) with plenty of greenery to hide in and house them alone.

[monotwine]

I love my parrot finches. The Red throat's are the best out of the lot to keep in my experience. Great characters and they are inquisitive, not shy and get quite tame. I do agree with the others though. They are birds that need space, the more available flight space the better.

I always try keep more hens than males to avoid the rather amorous and boisterous males mating the hens too often and plucking them senseless. I give them a few ladies to chase after to rest their mates. I find that pairs stick together year after year, although a particularly strong/stud male may take more than one hen per season and interestingly the hens work as a tag team both caring for the incubation and young.
I find that in my aviary (3.5 x 4m) if I keep more than 3 pairs then the amount of young they produce declines by half or more. The most dominant pair produce the most (3-6 young) and the third or fourth pair, 1 or no babies.

I have kept them with Gouldian without major worry. The Gouldian did more damage to the Parrots by pulling young etc for nests. So if you keep them together make sure there are plenty of nesting spaces and for Gouldian partially built nests, or they will invade the parrots nest as they make wonderful cumfy ones.

If you have the space for them, you won't be disappointed.

[RC#1]

My pair is in a flight cage and do fine. I provide lots of meal worms and egg food. They bathe multiple times per day. I did have an issue with the male plucking the hen behind her head but that eventually ended. They are very active and are a favorite amongst my finch collection.

[elepaio4]

Cumulatively, they are one of my favorite species that I have kept (perhaps my favorite!). They are gorgeous, and if well maintained, can be prolific breeders and very rewarding for the keeper.

Some observations:
1) These birds love water. They drink a lot and can bathe up to 10 times a day. I'm not exaggerating....
2) They are ready to try new foods, and they enjoy eating.
3) They are energetic and acrobatic.
4) My pair makes great parents, though I suppose this is likely to vary across pairs.
5) They can be aggressive to other birds. I have had problems with other red-throated parrotfinches and with gouldian finches. However, a larger aviary/ flight cage that's well-planted would likely solve the problem. While they are not absolute terrorists, I would consider them as somewhat pushy.
6) The courting "ritual" is quite unpleasant to say the least. Basically, the male just grabs the female, and well....
7) They are really the most nocturnal finch species I have owned. They are up at night, eating, drinking, and even bathing after dark! Its crazy. My pair calls it an evening about 3-4 hrs after sunset.

Matt

[danaday]

A big thank you to everyone that has shared information and personal experiences with parrot finches. They are a great help to me. I've decided to get a pair of them and house them in a 5x4x2 flight cage. It will be a young pair from 2013 just coloring up. I'm excited.

[Ginene]

Best of luck with your new pair

[danaday]

Thanks Ginene! Will post pics up once I get them and they are all settle in and etc.

[Sam007]

Very informative thread!

[RC#1]

Best of luck. that flight seems roomy enough.

[bugaboo5]

6) The courting "ritual" is quite unpleasant to say the least. Basically, the male just grabs the female, and well....

Mmmm hmmm..... and what horrified me once was I had to temporarily house (literally 10 minutes) a group of PF's with a group of societies and my dominant male PF took hold of one of my societies and forced himself upon the society and would not let go. I don't know if my PF was trying to establish his dominance or he just felt the overwhelming urge, but it was horrifying to watch. You hit it on the nail with your description.... that's basically the "courting ritual" I've seen as well.

[debbie276]

Best of luck