Conference 7.286::pet_birds

596.0. "breeding difficult finch species - benign neglect!" by WAYWRD::TILLSON (Sugar Magnolia) Tue Aug 27 1991 19:50

    
    
    Last fall I bought a lovely pair of cutthroat finches.  My finch books
    all claimed that these birds were hardy, could be cage bred, but were a
    little bit aggressive with smaller finches.  I loved the way they
    looked and their bold personalities, so I took them home.
    
    I set them up in a roomy cage (about 24x18x15) with food and water
    dishes, bathing dishes, grit and treat cups, and a large wicker nest. 
    I gave them hay and soft white nesting thread.  They got a terrific
    diet - egg food, eggshell, fruits and veggies, mealworms, plus top
    quality seed - every day, cage cleaned out every few days, vitalites,
    and were otherwise left in private.  
    
    Well, they built a nest.  They laid - and laid and laid and laid - and
    wouldn't sit their eggs.  Or they would sit them and then throw the
    young out of the nest (already dead and pecked up).  I had heard of
    similar problems from other breeders, and decided I just didn't have
    what it took to breed them.  I planned to sell them or give them away
    as pets prior to relocating to Texas (sometime next month!).
    
    And then I discovered how to do it, quite by accident!  I came down
    with a summer flu for two weeks, and then took a third week out of town
    on business.  During this time, the cutthroats got fresh seed and
    water, got frozen mixed veggies and a few mealworms about three times a
    week, and didn't have their cage cleaned the entire three weeks.  I was
    feeling a little bit guilty about what I considered to be inadequate
    treatment of these birds.  Then, much to my surprise, when I returned
    from my trip, I went to feed my birds, and out popped two young, fully
    flighted, nearly weaned young cutthroats - one male, one female!
    
    I have come to the conclusion that I had previously been disrupting
    these birds with my concern for their wellbeing!  Benign neglect
    appears to have contributed overwhelmingly to their breeding success.
    I will be keeping the two parent birds and their cagebred youngsters
    (for whom I will acquire appropriate mates).
    
    I will also consider whether some of my other more difficult species
    are perhaps suffering from excessive nuturing on my part!
    
    Anyone else have similar stories to share?
    
    
    						/Rita
    

    
    Hello Rita,
    
    I like to reply at your note because I had the same problem, I have a
    couple of parrots, amazones green/blue forehead, I had them already 3
    years and the didn't lay eggs, the female one didn't go never into the
    nest, when I had to go away and left them for a couple of months 
    with a person who didnt' look after them very well, she laid eggs
    (3). When I came back I had to take them  with me and went with the
    couple of parrots and the 3 eggs to an other country. There the female
    didn't want the eggs anymore, we laid the eggs under a lamp in the
    living room and after a week, one did came out. we brought the little
    parrot to a lady who did look after him (or her) very well.
    Now he(or she) is almost 4 months old, very naughty but also very tame.
    Hoping to her from you!
    Bye, Bye
    
    Sandra