Split band substitutes

[Sheather]

Is there anything colorful, lightweight, and small which can be used in place of a real split band to put over the leg of an adult bird? I wish I'd done so before but lacked anything to do it with, but I'd like to band my three spice juveniles before they grow up and I can't tell them from their parents (or at least father - mom has a characteristic droopy wing).

Or at least how does one remove a split band? I have a zeb and a silverbill who came to me with a band on each of their legs, I could take these and put them on the parents at least but they don't seem to come off and I don't want to hurt the birds they're currently on.

[Sally]

I remove split plastic bands with the same banding tool used to apply them. I carefully slide the banding tool between the leg and the band, with the split opposite the banding tool. As the band slides up the tool, it opens up and I can free the leg. You must be careful, or you can scrape the leg--have something like Neosporin handy just in case.

I like the new EZ bands that NFSS is carrying. They are easy to apply and remove. The only downside is that they only come in 8 colors right now, but you can apply multiple bands, since they are very narrow.

http://nfss.org/product/e-z-ring-starter-kits/

[Sheather]

I suppose that is the issue, I don't have a banding tool.

[KarenB]

I can send you a bunch of different colored split bands if you'd like. I have about 22,000 of them. You can order a banding tool for a couple of bucks

[lovezebs]

Sheather

I got perler beads (hobby shop), sliced them thin into rings with a very sharp knife, stretched them out a bit over a screw driver, rubbed a bit of olive oil over birdie leg, and slipped them on, 3 toes forward, over joint and back toe, slide back toe out, and all done. Works on babies, juvies and adults too, makes a quick, cheap closed band. In an emergency, just put a tiny drop of food colour on birdie to tell apart untill can band them.

~Elana~

[cindy]

I use perler beads..slice them by using a very thin pointed pair of scissors..to make half band I use a pill cutter to cut them then I split them. Half bands are great you can use the father's color and mother's color to ID the young

[Sheather]

I've ordered a bag of colored split bands on Ebay. It's probably going to be unnecessary with these three chicks as I've decided to sell them, but I'll be able to band any future offspring from this pair, or the Javas, or any other bird which might throw offspring identical to their parents.

[CHIRP]

Sally, now those elastic rings are very nice, now that is a real keeper!

[Sally]

CHIRP I really like them. So far, I've only had one issue with them. They are smaller than the split bands, so harder to see, but I can live with that. No slipping down around the toes, no coming off (even with the tiny Goldbreasts). Being safer for the birds trumps being easier for me to see!

[passiflorafinch]

I'm a big fan of the new EZ bands because they're so much less obtrusive than the old split bands, and as someone said you can use multiples. Here's a new baby that got one last week, so you can see the size.

[Sally]

passiflorafinch Thanks for that photo, that will really help others see how these new bands work. For family banding, you could use two bands on one leg, or I imagine you could even fit three if needed. Or for those who don't closed band, you could use two on one leg and two on the other--keep track of family genetics for quite a few generations.