Buying Gouldians at 5 months old?

anne22 · Post by **anne22** » Wed Nov 26, 2008 5:24 pm

I am considering buying some young Gouldians that are just about 5 months old and not colored up yet. I can get them for a good price but wonder if I have a higher chance of loosing them at this age or not? I don't care if they turn out to be male or female as either would be fine.

atarasi · Post by **atarasi** » Wed Nov 26, 2008 5:57 pm

Seems odd that someone would actually sell a Gouldian that isn't in it's mature plummage.

L in Ontario · Post by **L in Ontario** » Wed Nov 26, 2008 6:30 pm

I've heard that if they are moulting, it can be very stressful to catch them and move them to a new location.

anne22 · Post by **anne22** » Wed Nov 26, 2008 6:35 pm

They are being sold by a small breeder who is wanting to get out of the breeding business.

L in Ontario · Post by **L in Ontario** » Wed Nov 26, 2008 6:40 pm

I understand, but it's not ideal to sell juvie gouldians that have not coloured up. They may be fine but then again...

jamezyboo21 · Post by **jamezyboo21** » Wed Nov 26, 2008 6:41 pm

I dunno. I got my goulds when they were about 3 or 4 months old and they are they are now just over a year old and they have already started on their 3rd clutch of eggs. They have done better then the rest of any of the finches i have.

Post by **Sally** » Wed Nov 26, 2008 8:25 pm

I personally would not sell a Gouldian that wasn't colored up. The juvie molt is stressful enough, without adding all the other stress of moving to a new home. Gouldians cost enough that I would want to be able to see the adult colors before I bought anyway. If these are super cheap, and you want to go ahead, just be sure to really pamper them.

atarasi · Post by **atarasi** » Wed Nov 26, 2008 8:33 pm

jamezyboo21 wrote:I dunno. I got my goulds when they were about 3 or 4 months old and they are they are now just over a year old and they have already started on their 3rd clutch of eggs. They have done better then the rest of any of the finches i have.

But weren't you complaining or at least concerned that it was taking a long time for them to finally complete their molt??!!

atarasi · Post by **atarasi** » Wed Nov 26, 2008 8:35 pm

anne22 wrote:They are being sold by a small breeder who is wanting to get out of the breeding business.

Maybe since she is getting out of breeding, she could sell the cage they are kept in as well to cut down a wee bit on the stress.

gomer · Post by **gomer** » Thu Nov 27, 2008 6:22 am

The main benefit of buying uncoloured birds is you know the age of the birds.As long as you have an idea or don't care about the sex.or they are not moulting.It can be the ideal time.

dfcauley · Post by **dfcauley** » Thu Nov 27, 2008 7:38 am

gomer wrote:The main benefit of buying uncoloured birds is you know the age of the birds.As long as you have an idea or don't care about the sex.or they are not moulting.It can be the ideal time.

I agree with gomer..... I did not sell, but I gave my sister two gouldians after they were weaned last year. I knew their sexes because one was singing and one wasn't. But they were not going through their molt yet.
I would not move one while it was molting for sure! Too stressful for them.

The pair I gave her did fine because they were not molting. And of course she pampered them.

atarasi · Post by **atarasi** » Thu Nov 27, 2008 1:38 pm

gomer wrote:The main benefit of buying uncoloured birds is you know the age of the birds.As long as you have an idea or don't care about the sex.or they are not moulting.It can be the ideal time.

That is a good benefit, but in some cases, some don't go through their first molt until a year or more. Some as little as 4 months.
Any responsible breeder should be able to tell you the exact age of any of their birds. It's only the non-banded birds that folks purchase in pet stores that you need to be leary of.

mickp · Post by **mickp** » Fri Nov 28, 2008 7:24 am

a few months back I bought a dozen uncolored gouldians and they are now all fully colored having recently completed their moult.
Gomer is right about buying uncolored goulds, you can guarantee the age fairly well.
the only time that I would not purchase a bird is while it is going through it's moult. it is to stressful for the bird, the chances of losing it increase greatly