Few questions on zebra finches...

atarasi · Post by **atarasi** » Sun Sep 21, 2008 2:22 pm

What about button quail eggs? You can purchase those thru the mail. Or, you can ask a pet shop for any eggs that may have been laid at the bottom of the cage. A friend of mine, who works at a pet store, is always collecting infertile eggs at the bottom of finch, canary and parakeet cages.

Eggs = new born puppies? I don't see the comparison at all. My dog has never gave birth to a puppy in her food dish and abandoned it.

kittani79 · Post by **kittani79** » Sun Sep 21, 2008 3:01 pm

In georgia at least, the DoAg keeps close tabs on bird selling. The store I work for tosses all eggs on a daily basis; you would have to ask nicely and hope for a nice manager, but I don't see why they would object to saving the eggs for you as long as you were prompt in picking them up.

tammy w · Post by **tammy w** » Mon Sep 22, 2008 9:12 am

It does sound a bit hard to hear to us finch lovers however I think you are doing a good thing researching the health and well being of all your animals. Reptile or bird!

Pukasand · Post by **Pukasand** » Fri Jan 09, 2009 5:35 pm

Wonder what the replies would be if I asked for 'baby egg-eating snakes' to be food for my vulture?

j/k

bonnies_gouldians · Post by **bonnies_gouldians** » Fri Jan 09, 2009 9:12 pm

I agree with Kittani on this one, we through out the eggs quite a bit, what harm is there in allowing a zebra finch to lay an appropriate number of clutches a year and remove the eggs when they are still not "baby finches" inside and refridgerating them. I hardly can compare a finch egg to a puppy.

I am sorry that you have gotten reemed on this forum for this question, yes it can be hard to approach the subject with people who love these animals, just as it is hard to talk to a vegetarian about wanting to eat a cow for supper (please don't jump me on this one guys, I know some will take offense, but everyone has an opinion on this forum and "take what you like and leave the rest behind" as the saying goes.) I personally have never kept an egg eating snake but find them to be fascinating. I am not sure if the young would be able to eat such a small egg as the finch egg, they are tiny, probably the only comparison is about the size of a squished mini marshmellow. I know several people who have had success with scenting pinkies or lizards with raw egg yoke to get these animals to eat a more conventional and readily available food. Purhapse that might be an option? Just crack open a chicken egg and dip the pinkie or lizard into it then put the food item into the cup with the little snake and see if it works.

Pukasand - as for your question about baby snakes being fed to voltures, all I can say is that everything has to eat, though I doubt a volture would eat live food...you would have the dirty job of freezing the snakaes first. I dont have a problem at all with people raising livestock - and yes, this applies to any animal that is raised and used for human related things in my eyes - to be used as food for other animals, humans afterall are just another mammal that has to eat.

I personally keep reptiles and sometimes get nasty looks from people when I buy rodents or rabbits to feed to my snakes, however, people have no problem poisoning these animals or allowing them to be stuck to glue traps unable to do anything but starve to death. I do not feel that putting them to a quick and merciful death is anything compared to seizing and having their eyes bulge out and their guts rip apart as poison infiltrates their body. And yes, I have in the past euthanized these animals in a humane way to feed to my reptile collection. I don't care to do it, but if I want my snakes to live, it must be done as I prefer them not to suffacate if the snake will eat prekilled or frozen thawed.

Pukasand · Post by **Pukasand** » Sat Jan 10, 2009 1:50 pm

I was J/K about the vulture. I was raised on a mink farm ... now that's inhumane! Anyway, to each his own. Just google Rendering Plants if you really want to gasp in horror. ... and life goes on.

# I'm so happy with my little singing birds.

bonnies_gouldians · Post by **bonnies_gouldians** » Sat Jan 10, 2009 4:10 pm

Pukasand - I am notorious for taking stuff too literally. I dont know much about mink farms but I imagine they can't be any nicer to minks than they are to gators and cows...

Pukasand · Post by **Pukasand** » Sun Jan 11, 2009 11:36 am

bonnies_gouldians

It's the best way to become an anti-fur advocate. My father would break their necks to kill them. Any other means of 'murder' would damage the fur, ie: lethal injection, gas, etc. ..just so someone could look good on the 'Red Carpet'. .. And we had hundreds of animals... all living their life in individual 1x1x2ft cages with a 'nest box'. To this day it makes me shutter to know what those animals went through for that! Sad, sad, sad. Enough said.