Young Gouldians won't pair

[Chris]

Hi all.
I am relatively new to Gouldians and am looking for tips/advice. I currently have 2 girls and 2 boys. They are all roughly a year and 3 months old. The boys continually sing and the girls beaks did darken. However, none of them seem interested in pairing up. They are all 4 in the same cage. I had hoped being together would allow a small amount of choice for mates. Also, I read somewhere that females prefer males of the same head color. My females are greenbacked with red heads. Males are yellow with orange heads. Any tips? Am I just being a bit impatient (I had read they start breeding between 6 months to a year)? I don't need them to breed and can certainly wait; I am just curious how typical this is for the species.

[lovezebs]

Chris

Are you offering them hard boiled eggs, egg shells, and a variety of greens?

[Icearstorm]

Chris

Head color shouldn't be much of a problem, as different head color pairings are fairly common with captive gouldian finches. Wild gouldian finches tend to stick with their own head color due to a slight genetic incompatibility between red-headed and black-headed birds, but this doesn't seem to be an issue with captive-bred gouldians. Even if it was, orange-headed birds are genetically red-headed with two alleles on a different gene that turn the head from red to orange, so orange-headed and red-headed birds should be compatible.

My pair of gouldians took about half a year to pair, so it might just be an issue of time. While letting birds choose their own mates is probably ideal for pair-bonding, it may take longer, as each bird will have to choose between two potential partners for a male-female pair.

Do they have access to nesting material? Some males use grass in their courtship displays, and nest-building may encourage the birds to pair for breeding.

[Chris]

Thank you for the replies.

I have given my birds some egg food and some "eggcite" food along with their seeds. They do not seem to interested in it. Due do winter I have not been getting many eggs from my chickens... but as it warms up I will try to feed them some hard boiled eggs. (It just seems silly to buy some at the store these days!) What greens do you recommend?

As for nesting material; they have access to some coconut fiber. So far no one is interested in it but I have noticed a bit more interest in one of the enclosed nests. In the past no one would go in and now one male has been exploring it.

It is good to know that letting them chose their own mates will take a bit longer. I would rather have them select according to their own preferences since I am not attempting to breed for any colors in particular.

[Babs _Owner]

Chris

Your females beak blackening means they are in breeding mode. Now you have to figure out the puzzle. Who is attracted to who? Are both hens attracted to the SAME male? Sleeping arrangments are VERY telling!!

First step is see who is sleeping beside who at night. Bonded pairs sleep within 1-3 inches of each other every night. If both females sleep beside one male (leaving a male alone), you have 2 females wanting the same male. You can safely pair that male with either female (I'd pick the female with the darkest beak). But separation for mating would be mandatory, as both females will wish to breed with him.

If they have split into pairs at night while sleeping, then the decision is easy, separate them into their chosen pairs for breeding. If they still haven't bred, the female doesnt like the new "house"

If a bird is always left alone at night, then no bird in the flight has (or wants to bond with that bird. But ALL gouldians will bond eventually, given the right partner.

Indoor gouldians do better with their nests premade, and a few coco fiber or tommy hay strands thrown on the floor so the male can - - contribute but claim all the work (wink...its a gouldian guy thing). They need roomy nests (I use room nests that clip on the outside). If the female accepts the nest she will visit inside it, calling the male into the nest and repeatedly mating inside over the next few days. If she doesnt like the nest, she will NOT mate. She will be BONDED but refuse the "house".

Gouldians are smart and very individual. But that is the basics to learning how to get them to breed. Tweaking things here and there are up to you to observe and judge.

[Icearstorm]

Chris

My gouldians occasionally eat broccoli and live ferns that I planted in the enclosure. My other finches also like peas and corn.

It's promising that one is checking out the nest. It took around a week for my male to go from checking out the nestbox to actually going inside. My female took at least twice as long; then again, she does seem to have a bit of a mental problem, so that could explain some of her hesitation.

[Chris]

Babs
Thanks for the housing advice. I did not realize the boys are kinda lazy when it comes to building a nest! My two boys always sleep side-by-side. Sometimes one girl joins them.

Icearstorm
Thanks for the feeding recommendations. I will definitely try them. (I don't know why I never thought of sharing my parrot's broccoli with the finches...)

[monotwine]

The breeding cue for Gouldian is half ripe green seeds (like millet etc), so offer those if you can get them, or soaked seeds will aid and stimulate them to breed too.

[Chris]

Thanks for the tips everyone. I now have a pair who have started laying. So excited for these first-time parents!

[Fraza]

[quote="Chris"]Babs
Thanks for the housing advice. I did not realize the boys are kinda lazy when it comes to building a nest! My two boys always sleep side-by-side. Sometimes one girl joins them.

So this sorta proves it to me I don’t own gouldians but it’s the same with every other species I have I think ur males are maybe paired and then ur females are I think it would be good if u spectated them from each other and just left one Male with one female for about a week to two weeks then let them all together

[Babs _Owner]

Chris

Congrats!! A bonded pair must not be separated.