Lavender waxbills

[marymac]

w.l.
That's what I wondered also! He had a group of them at the bird show last month. They were all so sweet. I watched them for awhile..... I wish mine worked out. I got an owl for my lonely boy!!!

[marymac]

isobea

Yes you can dream!!!

I have a Blue Capped male, however, I'm fairly certain that I have a Red Cheek female..... I absolutely love these two!! They've been out of quarantine for about 2 weeks now and in my flight cage with the others. They're very outgoing and sweet and very accepted by everybody else. They're curious and quite intelligent. I'm happy that I got them.

[isobea]

marymac - I noticed over this past week that my lonely blue cap is starting to show interest in some of the nests I have (most for those for my birds who are nest sleepers). He seems to prefer the bigger, teardrop shaped ones. I've seen him fly up to them, inspect them in detail, sit in them facing out, looking around and singing. Does that mean he is getting ready for breeding season? Have you experienced this type of behavior with your male?
Iso

[marymac]

isobea
I haven't seen anything like that from him yet. But the Owls are being so active and my Gouldian boys are going nuts in my cup shaped nest! They lay in it during the day and warn everyone away. But at night they go to their usual perch spots on the other side of the cage. Then only 1 owl goes to the nest and sleeps. The new one doesn't want to have anything to do with him.

[marymac]

w.l.@isobea

When I returned the Lavenders, I asked the owner to double check to see if I had a male and female. He put them beak to beak and said that the male will have a broader beak at the base. I pointed out which bird was being so aggressive and he said it was the male! He was a tiny bit darker and smaller. I was sure it was the female
They were really beautiful birds and in such great condition. I almost agreed to have him just get me another male to replace the aggressive one, but the other one was so stressed that I asked him to just put both of them back in his aviary.

[isobea]

marymac - all I can say is, "Can't we all get along?" That goes for your old + new owls as well as the lavenders. The little stinker in my aviary is my 4 or 5 year old red billed fire finch. He has his moments when he squabbles with my - compared to him - huge canary. Kind of like a tiny Chihuahua who barks at a great Dane because he doesn't know how small he is.
BTW, I think you should give the lavenders a second chance. Maybe the breeder can get you a better matched pair.
Iso

[marymac]

Funny you compare the dogs...... I have 3 Danes lol!!!!

[marymac]

So... I look over at the nest. And my two male gouldians are plucking wheatgrass and lining the nest. The owl finch is losing his mind LOL!!!

[isobea]

marymac - I have the pipsqueaks: two 15 lbs Border Terriers...
My owl finches used to build free-standing nests out of mostly coconut fiber in former Christmas tree. Go figure.
Iso

[isobea]

Hi everyone, can you take a look at my poor female (pic on page 4) and guesstimate how long it might take for those feathers to grow back? I've never had a bird that was plucked to that extend. Thanks.
Iso

[marymac]

isobea
I'm so new to finches I couldn't help. I thought new feathers didn't appear until the next molt

[w.l.]

marymac

You really should try Lavenders one more time.
You can see on this forum that bad experiences like yours are not the norm.

[w.l.]

isobea

Yesterday I caught two of my known-sex Lavenders, father and daughter.
The male's black and red areas are darker and more extensive.

[isobea]

w.l. - thanks for checking. Do they kind of look like Elana's in those 'butt pictures'? I'm glad you can see a difference, too.
Would you happen to know how long it should take for my female's feathers to grow back?
BTW, those little whisperings I heard them make the first night seem to be part of their evening routine. They do this several times every night as it gets dark (and to a lesser extent first thing in the morning) and it the sweetest thing I've ever heard. Sometimes there is almost a short little song mixed in there. For that alone I would love to keep them in the house but I know they will be so much happier outside where they have room to fly.
Have a good weekend,
Iso

[w.l.]

Feathers can be missing for reasons other than plucking.
Stress, poor diet, lack of sufficient light etc all may cause feather loss.
How long they take to regrow depends on what caused losing them in the first place, and how well they are kept currently. I found that balding birds recovered much more quickly in my large birdroom with its outdoor section where they could fly around and enjoy direct sunlight and breeze whenever they wanted.
Feathers lost for a physical reason like plucking can start regrowing almost immediately. If the cause is something else, it can take longer. I know that some finches remain like vultures permanently.