Paddock is acting out of character...

[TheCanadian]

Okay so my female, Paddock, is acting different. She seems to be hanging out in her nest more than usual and she's started chasing my little male (who's smaller than her) around the cage. She sits in the nest and sorta fluffs up a bit. She seems to be rocking herself back and forth a little.

I feed them Sunseed Sunscription Vita finch formula which is fortified with calcium, vitamins and minerals. I also give them hard boiled egg with shell and they got a millet spray too. She has been eating and drinking but then she goes back to the nest. She seems to have energy (she has no problem chasing my young male) and she isn't having a problem perching but she is definitely acting different. They were all getting along just fine until today and I'm worried that she might be sick.

Paddock and Baker were my first two finches and I've had them for a while now, if anything happens to Paddock I'll be heartbroken.

[L in Ontario]

Have you by chance checked IN the nest? Her rocking a bit when she's in there sounds like she is settling her brood-patch onto eggs!

Good luck!!

[TheCanadian]

There are no eggs in the nest yet but a week ago today she laid a single egg (Which I knew wasn't fertile because I didn't have any males and I have had her since early august) but I removed it after a few days because she didn't seem to feel like sitting on it.

Is it possible she may be laying another egg?

[TheCanadian]

When she laid the egg a week ago she laid it almost instantly. I put their boiled egg in their dish, no egg, put the rest of the boiled egg in the fridge and came back to watch them eat and there was a tiny little egg beside their boiled egg dish.

[TheCanadian]

I just reached into the cage and she actually let me touch her head before she flew away and that NEVER happens.

[Zebrafincher]

Generally if finches let you touch them, they may not be well. I have a finch undertaking some application of anti-fungal stuff on his beak once per day - which stresses him. It was twice per day - but he can't cope with it. He puffs into a ball for a while after this. Even my star finches and my canary will try and bite at anyone who picks them up (ie for clipping nails).

[TheCanadian]

I didn't get to pet her, as soon as my finger touched her head feather she bolted. I'm assuming she blamed my little male for me trying to touch her because she chased him around the cage for a minute or two, ate some seed, had some water and went back to the nest.

[TheCanadian]

Worried birds..

They can sense things I think. But they are all snuggled together in the nest right now.

[TheCanadian]

Today is day two and she is still hanging out in the nest. She comes out to eat occasionally and then heads back to the nest. There are still no eggs in the nest (or anywhere in the cage)

EDIT: She just put the run on my little male again. It's strange because she seems fine when she's out of the nest but she is spending a lot more time in the nest. When she's in the nest I can reach in and almost touch her when she's not in the nest she's flighty like normal.

[lovemyfinch]

I tend to agree with Liz here. Sounds to me like a broody hen, that wants her mate to get his act together.

[TheCanadian]

I hope so, she just got two males last saturday. Before it was just her and my other female (Baker). One of my males has been courting her but she seems to be ignoring him although I think its because he tried to hump her like 20 minutes after they met. When she DOES leave the nest its usually because she wants to chase my other male around the cage for a minute or two and then get some munchies from their food dish or millet.

Also, ever since I added the males and got rid of their old poop filled nest (which was too small for two let alone four birds) they don't seem interested in filling their new nest with stuff. They liked using dry grass and cotton string strands. I took all the cotton string out though because Baker got it tangled around her bracelet and I seen her dangling under the nest. She wasn't there long though but as soon as I noticed I reached into the cage, grabbed her and removed the string. She wasn't hurt luckily but it scared me enough to remove what I think was their favorite nesting material.

[TheCanadian]

Day three: She seems to just be enjoying sitting in the nest, is it possible Paddock is a bit daft and think she's sitting on eggs? There are no eggs in the nest but when she lays in their she puffs up in the middle of the nest and lays there. I'm starting to think that maybe she's not sick because she seems fine other than spending lots of time in the nest.

[wilkifam]

I have two male societies that act that way too, and of course they don't have eggs in the nest.

she seems fine other than spending lots of time in the nest.

[dcompt]

I too have a male society (all male flock) that spends most of his time in his nest. I worried about him when he started doing this, but decided he was just an old homebody that liked his privacy and quiet space (like me). He interacts normally with the others when he's out. If she is eating and drinking, active and alert, when she leaves the nest, it sounds to me like she's ok. Maybe just a little eccentric like my Ruffle the Hermit.

As for her chasing the male, in my group, I have two, Pippin and Whistle, who get along just fine, as long as one doesn't go near the other's nest. Trespassers are shown off abruptly with lots of angry wing flipping when they perch again. Maybe Paddock is just aggravated with the male over something and is making it clear that she rules the nest.

[TheCanadian]

At night they all crash in the nest together but during the day its just her.