Case of the Missing Star Finch...

[finchmix22]

Colt
How terrible! Have you put out an open cage with seed and water near the flights? Also, when you looked for the hen, did you check all nests, even other species? Maybe she is incubating someone else's eggs? I've had finches escape and have not noticed until later in the day or when I saw one flying around the bird room. They're indoors, but they can slip past while I'm putting a food or water dish in through those large breeder doors on double flights. I've had to catch at leat 6 finches this last month alone! They are quit and hard to catch!
I hope you find her and she is alright, just hiding really well somewhere. I thought I lost a Spice finch a couple years ago, but we found her about 24 hours later, behind my dining room hutch! We could not reach her and she couldn't fly up that high to get out, so eventually, we used a thin pole to scare her to the side and catch her with a net!

[lovezebs]

Colt
Hugs your way ...

[Colt]

The birds certainly throw enough seed on the floor to feed a flock of stars but I have food and water on top of the flight. The weather has been awful all day and I've been in class (and now work till 11:00 tonight) so trying the male outside in hopes she might come to him if she escaped outside was out of the question.

As to her being in the nests, she isn't. The Owls and Gouldians are acting so ugly to each other now it's unreal. I had to hang a solid divider across the top portion of the cage so the birds can't see each other. It's helped tremendously. They are fine eating and drinking, but no. The three empty boxes are empty, and the male Gould hisses and attacks if anyone comes on his side of the cage. And the Owl hen sits all the time while the male Owl retaliates against the male Gouldian whenever the opportunity presents itself.

What really throws me off is that the male sugar glider that was stuck to that stupid sticky rat trap is also missing again. He was being caged separately as after multiple baths the father no longer recognized him and was being super mean. He's been getting better each day and I went to check on him before work and his nest box was empty. He's only in a 30 x 18 X 18 so there's not anywhere for him to hide.

So after I go home and scream and curse and kick things for a few minutes, I guess I'm tearing apart that stupid room again. I just can't figure out how they've both gotten out when all the doors to the cages are shut.

[wellingtoncdm]

We were all hoping for better news. Sorry.

[lovezebs]

Colt
Hey Colt
Are you sure you don't have some unknown, unwelcome tenant living in there??? This is just too wierd in my books. What sort of wildlife around the area that might pose danger? Snakes? Children?
Is there anyway that someone has access to your bird room? I mean I can see one bird perhaps accidently slipping away, but now another animal as well? No way!!!
If I were you, I'd be going home tonight and start moving cages into the house, one at the time and checking them very carefully before you bring them inside.
I know, huge pain in the a_ _ , but that's what I would do before someone else disappears. Once room is empty, you can check for any ways in or out or any unwanted hitchikers that might be dwelling in some dim dark corner.
Just my suggestion. Maybe get some friends to give a hand.

[wildbird]

It sounds like a snake may have gotten in. I hope not. Check closely for any way a snake could have gotten in. Try Mayble's advice with the divided cage, if you have one & keep an eye on it. If she got out, she should stay close by. I hope she comes back.

[Sally]

Colt, I can't say what could have happened with the sugar glider, but in my experience, when I've had birds disappear, it was because a snake got in. Usually, I knew it because once the snake swallowed a bird or birds, it was then too fat to get out of the cage, so I would find it sleeping off its meal. But I did find a Goldbreast once that obviously had been swallowed and then regurgitated. Figured the snake wanted to leave and had to regurgitate the bird in order to fit out of the cage wire. In your case, a snake could have gotten the Star finch, slept it off, and then crawled out of the cage while you were gone. What size wire mesh? If the cages are those white or black economy Chinese cages with bars, snakes can easily spread the bars wide enough to slip into the cage. Snakes are a big problem in our area.

[lovezebs]

Colt
Hi there.
Any news?

[Colt]

It's just not been my week. Lol

I got home from work at 11:30 last night and realized the cordless phone from work was in my pocket. Drove back to work and made it home about 12:20. Got dinner eaten and went out to the bird room. Slowly moved boxes and cages one at a time neatly going through all of them. I found the glider, or he found me. Either way he's back in his cage with all the doors twisty-tied shut.

I did not find the star, or any sign of her. I also did not find a snake, thank goodness. I had the shovel at the ready until I was done at 2:30 this morning.

In regards to the cage it is one of the big flight cages that I got from Helen. I think it's an HQ but is the same model of the ones that she has joined to make double flights.

All the other birds seem to be doing fine. I am just worn out from this weekend now.

[Ginene]

Glad to hear you found the glider baby...so sorry to hear that your Star hen is still missing...

[monotwine]

So sorry your star is missing. That is weird. I hope by some miracle she appears as did your glider.

[lovezebs]

Colt
Oh hon, you sound like you need a weekend to get over the weekend. .
A nice little vacation, eh?
As to the Star. She must have slipped out somehow. Maybe she didnt like the arranged marriage and decided to take off with some handsome sparrow.

[Colt]

I'm quite disappointed that I can't find her. I still scan the bird room each time I go out and watch the bird feeders in the yard for her to pop up but I've just about given up on her.

After destroying the bird room looking for the silly glider and not finding her she was either eaten or escaped to the wild blue yonder.

The thing that really frustrates me is that I don't know what happened. When I bird dies it's upsetting but you can see and sometimes figure out what happened. Sunday when I realized she was missing that afternoon, I hadn't been in the cage at all that day. I know I saw her in the cage Saturday afternoon, but wasn't in the cage that day either. Friday I had changed everyone's papers and fed and watered so logically that would have been when she got out except that she didn't. Because she was in the cage on Saturday. Ughhh.

If a snake got her it would have had to be a tiny snake. Because this is the cage that she's in:

http://www.birdscomfort.com/flight_bird_cage.html

Those bars don't have any flex to speak of. And since the bird can't get out of the bars, a snake having eaten said bird shouldn't be able to get out either. And I would have certainly noticed a snake in the cage. I have a weird 6th sense about snakes. I can spot one really easily.

As to her escaping, I only go through the bottom door on that HQ flight unless I'm fiddling with something like a perch I can reach. Then I literally stand in front of the open door blocking it with my body. And they are really surprisingly good while I'm in there. I think it's because they have room to get away from me, but they aren't nearly as crazy as some of the birds in smaller cages.

I just don't know. If she turns up I'll be thrilled, but I'm so tired of going over that room (which is pretty large and also filled with stuff) every day hoping she'll turn up.

[Zebrafincher]

Hi Colt,

Check thoroughly. Star finches are VERY sneaky, and like to hide. I lost my small star finch, Merl, when he slipped out of the cage (usually I keep an eye on him as he's virtually flightless). I hunted around for about 30 minutes then managed to frighten Merl out of where he was hiding under my shelving unit by waving around a bright cloth. If I hadn't done this, he would probably got stuck there and died, or I might have squashed him. He is very small, and surprisingly fast for such a small fry....a LOT of trouble in such a small package....wouldn't change him for the world...

I hope you find your little one. Good luck.

Zebrafincher
Proud owner of:
*Kevin aka “The Old Man” - cranky canary – 12 years old
*Beaky aka “Beakster” the Zebrafinch – 1 year old – and a real, real cutie!!!
*Merlin aka “Merl” the Starfinch – 2 years – and “bossy as anything for such a small fry!”