Cutest Finch Sound Ever!

[Corkysgirl]

Awww he's so cute!!! I played the video and my little boy started his....screeching! He's not singing yet...just in the screeching sounding stage. Oh...I so hope he sings nicely like your Squeepers! Nerien Such interesting read on genetics. I swear I have such a problem getting genetics to stick in my brain. I don't know why because I can learn languages easily. I have to read it over and over again. I want to understand. I'm really happy for your explanations...and will understand...one day...I hope! Thanks!

[lovezebs]

MiaCarter
Congratulations it's a BOY!
Love that rusty cloths line sound. I remember when Teddy abd Timmy started to make these little sounds oh so cute.

Squeepers looks renind me a little if my Max.

[Corkysgirl]

Awww Max is cute! Squeepers has a cute song. My juvenile really sounds awful screeching...sounds like a train coming into the station on the track...screeeeeechhhing. For real!!! He doesn't sing yet. I'm hoping this is going to change...and he sings likes Squeepers cute song.

[MiaCarter]

lovezebs - Max is beautiful!!

I believe that should be my Squeepers within a couple months!!
At least I hope so! I'd love to have a gorgeous CFW male like yours! I think the coloring is absolutely gorgeous.

His spotted flank feathers are coming in, along with his cheeks and chest bars, while the grey on his head is turning white.

@Corkysgirl - Oh, I'm just dying to hear your guy's awful song!
Can your son get a video on his next visit? I'd love to hear his train-screeching-into-the-station awfulness!

In seriousness, I can imagine how awful that would be to have annoying bird vocalizations! My guys are a normal sound of home and I don't really even notice them....but I bet I would notice them if it was grating awfulness!
I've actually been blessed with all the fosters I've taken in, I've never had more than one or two really awful squackers! And that was more behavioral vs. just having an awful voice.
I had a fostered umbrella cockatoo named Waddles who would *scream* and *shriek* to get attention and in sheer frustration. It was terrible. He was just a (near featherless) ball of nerves and frustration. (Likely due in part to the indignity of being named Waddles! )
It took a couple weeks of tough love for him to learn that yelling, biting and dive bombing (yes, dive bombing) does NOT get you attention....but pretty sounds and sweet boy behaviors do!
Poor kid had so many behavioral issues. Screaming, plucking, aggression - the works. There was a sweet boy under it all. He was ignored and neglected in his old home, so it's all he could to do cope. He'd shriek to get attention and when he was ignored, he'd focus inward and pluck or focus the frustration outward and dive bomb, bite, etc.
It was so hard to avoid giving him negative attention (as negative attention is better than no attention at all for a deprived bird) but it's SO hard to ignore a bird who's physically assaulting you! Just silently bringing him back to his area and refusing to engage until he's calm. But it worked! He was a very smart boy and *quickly* realized that sweet Waddles got lots of love and attention and treats, while evil Waddles gets put back on his perch and told to calm down.

He went to another home with two other cockatoos and a retired couple who lived on a big yacht. And he'd integrated beautifully and grown all his feathers back as of a few months ago!
Ah Waddles. Good times. He's all I think of when you mention shrieking birds! It would go right through you. So loud and shrill. So I guess it could be worse! LOL

[Corkysgirl]

MiaCarter this is his baby I'm talking about that is sounding like that. I fear he has his genetics. Something awful happened today to the dad. Remember he was in a separate cage on the dining room table because he plucked the chicks? Well today he escaped the sick cage into the house. It is defective, doesn't hook well to the plastic tabs and tips easily. He escaped into the main house, just as my husband came in from being out. In a freak accident, he flew down and out the door like lightning. He landed in the tree branch and just sat there the longest time. I swear I just heard his awful honking a minute ago. I would just think it was my imagination if my dog didn't quickly lift her head at the same time hearing something also. I'm sick over it! I don't know the coldest they can withstand. It's warmer than usual...50 degrees. I will have my husband try to look for him tomorrow in hopes he comes to the cage. Now I wish I could hear his honking again...at least to know he's okay.
Waddles...cute name! That's good you reconditioned him to stop that behavior. My parakeet Jo Jo does that screaming thing when his food is low or he wants the dog to pay attention to him...not that the dog does...but hes hoping...so he's calling to him. It's so hard to ignore him like I'm deaf...and then a few minutes later I go give him food so he doesn't think his screaming is the reason why I'm going to him.

[MiaCarter]

Corkysgirl --- Oh no! That's awful about the dad!
Did you find him yet?
I think he should be able to survive the night at 50 degrees. Obviously not ideal, but hopefully he should be alright.

I'd put out a bird feeder if you haven't already.
I would also put a cage with one of the other males that he knows. Hopefully he didn't go far and he'll hear the familiar vocalizations and come near.

[Corkysgirl]

MiaCarter No! What a day! I have a large bird feeder with finch seed in it..always, just outside the window. I hear him out there. He has that awful honking...which is a benefit now. I put his female mate out in the cage for a while on the step. She's very loud...has a cry...like a pleading cry that she does over and over...but we had to leave. I actually took Little Fawn to the Avian Vet, left at 1:00 and just got home at 11. Nearly killed me! What a trip! I was afraid it would kill her before we got there but she did okay after a while. She was frantic...hates change so we covered her. She had a hurt wing. It was really hanging down. It looked like she was in pain and her eye of course, so we made an emergency appointment because they had no hours. He said she needed an anti inflammatory for her wing...meloxicam. I think she fell off the nest...down the side between the nest and the cage and she wrenched it. She does that trying to escape me when I try to catch her. I'm going to have to secure it so she can't get down there any more.
Her eye...he said she has an infection in the bone...most likely. That's why it won't clear up all this time. He gave me Baytril. OMG....trying to get it in her...she bit the crap out of me and she never bit me!!! I need to figure out how to do that better. It's a syringe and I never used one on her. It's tight, wouldn't release the meds...then shot down her throat and I almost aspirated her. She has to stay on it for months...and maybe eye drops if this isn't enough. He said...put ACV in her water to boost her immune system. He said no Herb salad because it's too fine and she's kicking it into her eye. He said to put palm oil on her food for the omegas and for her immune system. (One envelope per 1 pound of food). He gave me some...though I told him I had it. I'll attach the link for his kind. http://www.naturechest.com/red-palm-oil ... 645XLFWwmI I think that's it. He cut her toe nails. She only weighs 12 grams. She was so funny in the little plastic container. She had to stay in there a long time waiting for meds to be made. She's scared of everything but she was checking it out...pecking...looking around. We were laughing at her. She really adjusted well and got in her nest on the way home and ate salad I put in her nest with her. It was too dark for seeing seed so she didn't eat all day, and I was afraid she wasn't getting water with the chaos of the day. When we got home...she was so excited to see everyone! She wagged her tail like when they mate. I haven't seen that in years.

[MiaCarter]

Corkysgirl -- Oh no! I was hoping you'd have him.
At least you can hear him and know he's okay!
That means he's still nearby and alive!! Can you go outside and listen and try to track him down by his vocalizations? Bring along some seed to toss onto the ground. Then sit very still and wait for him to come down and catch him!
If you can't catch him, but locate him, I'd bring the cage over, leave it open and hope for him to come home!
I did that once when I lost my hamster in the garage as a kid. I'd taken the cage out to clean it and she escaped. The garage door was open and everything. I was sure I'd lost her forever.
Discouraged, I just left the cage outside, open, with food, at my mum's suggestion. I never thought she'd come back, but I did it to humor her.
But she did! She found her way back! I still can't believe it.

What a bummer on Little Fawn's wing!
That's terrible.
But at least it's fixable and not broken. That's a relief!
Baytril works nicely for infections, so hopefully it will help her. Bone infections are not good. Not good at all. Been there, done that.

For the syringe, dip the plunger tip in oil, then run it through the syringe a couple times. Repeat if necessary to apply a super light coating onto the walls of the syringe. That works wonders for sticky syringes!

Do you have a syringe with a crop tube?
I'd just crop her. Waaay easier.
I have this one:
http://www.ladygouldianfinch.com/product_croptube.php

Hopefully she'll quit with the nipping once she gets used to it!
Though some remain naughty about it. I've been giving my chihuahua meds daily for 8 years and every day he gets all riled and nippy.

[Corkysgirl]

No crop tube. It's the stupidest tube he gave me. It took me 10 minutes to even figure out how to get the meds out of the bottle. I was trying to get the tip off of it off. It looked like it came off. Then it looks like you can suction the liquid out, (no instructions...that would have helped) but I couldn't. I have serious eye things happening and I couldn't see the measurements. I was trying, and trying until my husband got there. I almost gave her 3x the amount...except the girl said it was just a tiny bit...so that made me second guess it and it's a good thing. I would have measured wrong. Its' good to know about Baytril. I didn't know about that one. I wrote to Laraine, mentioned the antibiotic you are sending me. She said it was good...and to start it. Also said of course she would never recommend keeping a bird on continual antibiotics...if it wasn't this situation, her age, and the chronic eye infection...3 years. I assured her I knew that. I would never do it with another bird. It's good to know she agreed the TS is a good drug for that...and thank you so much for it. I feel badly that you sent it, but also don't know if the Baytril will work either. I'm happy her wing isn't broken but it's really hanging.
I was going to do that with the cage...and will tomorrow. I didn't get up early. I only go to bed at 6 am...ish so I didn't get much sleep and got very little yesterday going to bed about 11am so I was exhausted. Then had to leave for the vet. I only had a little time. I will put his mate out there tomorrow and put a cage out with food on the porch next to her. I hope that works! It was a relief to hear him, but I'm so sad, and worried!

[wildbird]

Keep putting the cage out with food & water in it & some millet inside near the door. If he can hear his mate, there is a good chance he will come back. Mine did & stayed in the cage. Put a bath dish in too. Slide the cages right against each other. If you have a Boston fern, you could put that on a stand near the cages. Mine used to sleep in them at night. Good luck, I hope you get him back.

[Corkysgirl]

Thanks wildbird. My husband put his mate's cage out yesterday and and empty cage with seed in it right next to hers. (no fern plants). He went out yesterday and the male was sitting atop her cage. He quickly went to get our large net, but he moved too fast when he went back down and the male flew away. He had to go preach today, as he's a Pastor of a small church and we had a lot of chaos with my 10 year old bird dying last night. I sleep day time hours and also can't go up and down the stairs as I'm not well...so I have to wait for him...so we'll try again. Earlier though all my birds alerted! They behaved like they heard "something" and started frantically chirping. I know it's that they heard him outside nearby. He has an awful...and distinct loud honking sounding chirp. Now I miss it. I can't believe I'm saying that! There's no confusing it with another bird. There would be no other reason for them to go crazy like that. I think he'll hang around near by now...and at least he know where to get seed from...the cage.

[MiaCarter]

That's great news!
If he did it once, then he'll come back! That means he's staying close, which is great!
He'll come back, especially if it's easy food.
Just keep at it! You'll get him!

[Corkysgirl]

Yes MiaCarter, I'm hoping my husband can just come home...walk up while he's in the cage and quickly shut the door and catch him. That is my hope! I think he's staying close.

[wildbird]

Yes, that's the best way. Maybe you could tie a string to the door, then to a post or something nearby to keep it open. Then when he is in the cage, release the string from a distance to close the door. Make sure it drops easily ahead of time. Let him get used to being fed inside the cage. Don't want to scare him off too much with a net. He might come back at night to roost there eventually. Mine came into the screen porch, so I just went around the outside & closed the porch door. Do you think he would come into the house if he heard the other birds & the door was open? Keep a cage on the porch though. Don't want to discourage him from coming back. Best of luck!

[MiaCarter]

Corkysgirl -- I love wildbird's idea!

I might also put up a heat lamp, focused inside the cage, making it even more of an appealing place to roost during the cool nights.

You'll get him. I know you will.
House birds and other pets are usually loathe to work for their food. So he should stay close to the food source.