Owl Finches

[elena_moscow_russia]

[quote="cindy"][/quote]

very nice!!!!!!!!!!!

[monotwine]

Wow you guys cough up a lot for owls. Here I thought they were expensive but now I count my blessings. Owls here in SA too are not always readily avail but they are only around $60 or so per pair.

I have one pair and am looking at getting more soon. I find them rather quiet birds that don't interfer with others breeding etc if in a mixed aviary. They have a soft song that I find really sweet.
I did have an initial problem of pairing. I had a male and female, but she was a fussy one and never was happy with any male I provided for her. I swopped out many a male to try make her happy. Eventually I swopped her out for another female and now my first cluch is being incubated. My old owl female is quite happy now in my friends aviary and has her pick of males and is finally choosing one.

I did learn that they need to be able to choose their mates from a flock if possible or so one or the other of my sources said.
I thought I had a breeding pair because the initial pair preened, built nests, nested / roosted together etc but I never got eggs until now with a new pair.

Perhaps I just had the fussiest female around.

All my owl prefer the wicker baskets and love meal worms.

[cindy]

My owls slept in their nests and played with materials for months and are now just getting to the ritual mating dance and building non stop.

Usually when I turn the lights on in the morning both pairs hop out, this time one pair stayed tight to the nest and only the male came out after a while. This pair has been the most active in the mating and building effort in the last week or two. I thought the other pair would produce first since they had been actively doing the same for longer, but they slowed down.

As I am writting this I notice the female came out of the keet box and is now eating, later I'll see if there might be an egg, if not she may be getting that "nesting" behavior that ladies get before having children!

[Kathryn]

Wow. Owl prices seem to vary. My MIL just purchased us an Owl as a gift. She paid $139.99.

[Sally]

Did she purchase the Owl at a pet shop? Pet shop prices are almost always much higher.

[Kathryn]

He's coming from a breeder.

[Sally]

He's coming from a breeder.

That is pretty high for this area. When you are ready for a mate for this bird, check around--you should be able to get one for about half the price.

[Kathryn]

He's coming from Washington State.