Parrot Finches working nestbox

[L in Ontario]

I put the Red-throated pied Parrot finch in a single flight cage with a nestbox last weekend. He may have put a strand or two into the nestbox but nothing much at all. Today I added the female Seagreen Parrot finch and they have gone all out using up everything I've given them (twice!) and are "going to town" building their nest. I've seen them both going in and they eat together at the seed hopper. They have been separated since I saw him plucking her back in spring this year. I actually expect that they are just playing or practising rather than being serious about breeding right now.

However, I know from others posting here that he may well puck her quite severly in their mating but what else should I expect or provide for them? Anything out of the ordinary (eggfood daily, LOTS of cocofiber). Do they have to have mealies or can they raise a clutch without those? Are they likely to toss or mutilate their first clutch(es)? I do have Soc's ready.

It's so difficult to get a photo of them both!

[cindy]

Best wishes, hope you get lots of little Parrot finches fluttering about.

[L in Ontario]

Thanks Cindy though I won't really get my hopes up with this first clutch - it would be kinda cool

[dfcauley]

Liz,

I think that Candace will be the best one to answer all your questions about them, but I can tell you for sure that they are the most obsessive nest builders I have EVER seen. Mine built nest all over the place and had them so stuffed they could hardly get in. They would steal from other's nest too!

I think they are usually good parents and mine hardly ever ate meal worms.

[L in Ontario]

Well this pair are alone with only one nestbox in a single flight cage. So they can't steal from anyone and I hope you are right about them being good parents and hopefully they won't need ANY mealies! I'll see how it goes without offering those.

[Domenic]

I love seagreens, I think their just stunning little birds. Those two make a really nice pair. I really hope they do a good job being parents and what not Liz, they sound like devoted little birds.

[CandoAviary]

Beautiful birds Liz. Like Donna said, they are builders. They will over build so after they have a good amount hold back on the fibers. Mine one time was unhappy with me when I didn't give him more fiber and went to the bottom of the cage collected carefresh beeding and added that
I never had one to toss. They feed the chicks well and lots. Twice the amount my gouldians do. Wonderful birds to breed. I wish all species were as doting as these.
I have a seagreen and regular set up too. the seagreen is the female and the male is red. They are sitting on eggs as we speak. I had seperated their 2 offpring about a week and a half ago and they immediately went back to starting another clutch.
The 2 chicks were, 1 seagreen and 1 red. They are seperated and each in their own 30" cage. They are side by side and in front of the parents aviary. I like to seperate them to ease the sexing identification. easier to tell who is singing
Best of luck with your parrots They are some of my most favorite birds.

[lovemyfinch]

They are beautiful birds Liz, I guess the icing on the cake now would be eggs.

[L in Ontario]

They are beautiful birds Liz, I guess the icing on the cake now would be eggs.

Mmmmmm I LOVE cake with lots of yummy icing (translate to "birds with lots of healthy chicks")

[L in Ontario]

Thanks Candace. Do you feed yours any mealworms?

[CandoAviary]

I did feed meal worms with my first pair and they ate them and eggfood. Had 6 chicks, beautifully colored out now. My next 2 pairs seemed to play more with them than eat them so I quit giving. They do eat an insect patee mix and lots of eggfood. Have had 2 different pairs sucessfully raise without live food I have even gotten the goldbreast to raise with eggfood so no more meal worm farming
The first pair, they came proven from a Lousiana breeder who had always fed live food so they expected worms and ate many.
The others I ordered had some live food but was already accustomed to insect patee. See what the breeder fed when he raised those if you still have his contact. Also do you feed them live food now?

[L in Ontario]

I haven't given them any mealies since I've acquired them in Feburary so hopefully they will have forgotten about them IF they ever got any. I'll try without the live food. I do and have given them eggfood since February too and they like that very much! Perhaps I'll try adding some insect pattee to that when I see the first egg in the nestbox.

Thanks again Candace!

[Leda]

They are so very beautiful!!!!! When you breed a yellow head to a red head what color babies do you get?

[CandoAviary]

You get both colors

[Leda]

WOW!!!! I hope they have babies and looking forward to seeing pictures of them!!!