GBW Chicks!!

[vienneparis]

Karen, congrats on the babies. They're so adorable!!!
I have a pair of GBW as well and have been waiting for them to get around to playing house. They're pretty cozy with each other & have been checking out various nests in the aviary, but haven't started building their nest yet. Soon I hope.

[Sally]

I never had a problem with the fledglings getting out of the cage, but they were always in cages with 1/2" x 1" mesh, not bars. They could get their heads through the mesh, but not their bodies. I don't think you have to worry about it too much if you aren't around, as mine only tried to escape the cages when I was reaching inside. That's when they would panic and try to get away from me.

[Jen]

Oh soooo cute! I have a pair also. They are one of my favs! They are beautiful!!! I have them in my outdoor flight and when they sit in the sun that gorgeous orange breast of theirs glows! Before they were out there I had them in a wire cage with 1/2" spacing and the little female became my escape artist. She found the one spot where the bars with spaced slightly farther apart than the others and as Sally said, if something scared them she flew out that one spot faster then the eye could see!!! Really!!! Unbelievable! And that space was so tiny I had a hard time finding which bars were spaced differently.

Wish my pair would do a little more than preening together!!! Best of luck. Post more photos when they fledge! Congrats!!!

[KarenB]

Sam007, I covered the bottom 2 feet going up from the bottom with hardware cloth and window screen. I'm hoping that the babies can't get out from the top section that's not covered. I am tempted to go get some more window screen, but if I cover the rest it will be difficult to see in there. I have gone all the way around to check, and all the bars are evenly spaced. I would think the only way the could get out from the top section would be where the ends of the perches attach. I may put some clear plastic sheets in those spots.

[KarenB]

vienneparis, Oh, I hope yours give you some babies! What do you have for nests? Mine like the smallest sized wicker nests. They have an open perching nest that they like to hang out in sometimes, and I thought they would lay in it, but I think they're just using it for date night. They ended up using the small wicker one to raise their clutch. My first pair used the small one, too.

[KarenB]

Sally, If I hadn't already had this event planned for the past EIGHT months, I would stay home this weekend. Oh, the timing.

[KarenB]

Jen, Oh, I would love to see them in the sun! I have full spectrum lighting on all my flights and cages, but nothing compares to the real thing. The flight will not fit through my doors, or I would love to roll it outside since the weather is so nice right now.

I hope you do get your pair to do more than preen. What type of spacing do you have on your aviary?

[vienneparis]

KarenB
I have my GB in a mixed aviary with various sized wicker nests, including the smallest size. My pair have peeked into different nests but haven't settled on one yet. Still house shopping I guess

I read that GB require live food to breed. Do you feed your pair any live food? What kind?

[KarenB]

I don't think my first pair of GBWs "require" it for breeding, but the second pair do appreciate it. I haven't NOT given it to them (double negative there), so I'm really not sure. I only got this second pair at the beginning of the summer, and this is their first clutch. I have been giving them all fruit flies, wax worms and mini mealworms on a regular basis for months, mainly for the RCCBs, because they do require it. Now that I have a true pair of lavenders, I will probably continue to offer all three critters.

[vienneparis]

KarenB
Thanks for the info. I have a pair of RCCB as well so looks like I better get used to handling bugs

[KarenB]

Ya know, the worms and flies have never bothered me in the slightest. Now, if I had to feed them roaches, all bets are off.

[Jen]

Jen, Oh, I would love to see them in the sun! I have full spectrum lighting on all my flights and cages, but nothing compares to the real thing. The flight will not fit through my doors, or I would love to roll it outside since the weather is so nice right now.

I hope you do get your pair to do more than preen. What type of spacing do you have on your aviary?

The screen is 1/2" little squares...no way the adult GBW could get out, but I've never had to deal with the babies so I'm not sure about them. I would think that the 1/2" would probably still be okay. By the time the babies fledge they would have grown some, right? I guess you are going to answer that question for all of us! Congrats again on a job well done! This breeding season you are "on a roll"!

[vienneparis]

Ya know, the worms and flies have never bothered me in the slightest. Now, if I had to feed them roaches, all bets are off.

lol. No roaches for me. I don't have any problems with big worms, but small fruit flies just give me the icks . . . But I'll get over it for my birds. The things we do for our finches !!!!!

[KarenB]

lol. No roaches for me. I don't have any problems with big worms, but small fruit flies just give me the icks . . . But I'll get over it for my birds. The things we do for our finches !!!!!

Very true!

[MiaCarter]

Aw, that little guy is so cute!
It's funny; I don't ever remember this species being all that striking in coloration or size. I must have seen big, bland colored specimens! (Or just wasn't paying attention...very possible. LOL)

Can you post photos of your lovelies?

I do remember loving them for their cool barring on the sides, like the cherry finches that I'd love, love, love to have someday! Does your variety have this?
Is there a good writeup with pictures of the two subspecies?

I'd love to see them beside others to get a feel for their size!

Small like a silverbill? My Silva is super tiny, tiny. Like a good quarter smaller than zebras. And probably around 70% the size of the gouldians.

For the babies, I would NOT do tulle or mesh. Their little nails could get caught up.

I'd get some cardboard and make a 5-inch "fence" right where the sides meet the cage bottom. I'd also cover the walls in any areas where they could stand and easily access the cage walls (like on top of a nest, at the ends of a perch or on a shelf.)
I think that's the most important area to get covered -- the bottom segment of the walls.
I can't envision a finch randomly sticking a head through the bars while clinging to the side walls, which is relatively rare anyways. They don't usually hang out clinging to the walls.

Those orange breasted waxbills would look so pretty with some cordon bleus. That would be a lovely combo.