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The Brilliant Gouldian Finch – Care Tips and Newly Discovered Facts – Part 2

Posted by: Frank Indiviglio in Bird Species Profiles July 3, 2009 Comments Off on The Brilliant Gouldian Finch – Care Tips and Newly Discovered Facts – Part 2 10225 Views

Please see Part I of this article for a look at Gouldian finch (Erythrura gouldiae) natural history and emerging research items. I’ll cover the care of these popular beauties in a future article, but would like to point out a few of their unique requirements here.

Cage Size

Gouldian finches require more room than similarly-sized finches…there is some evidence that cramping may lead to metabolic disorders. Please provide yours with a large flight cage, or, if possible, an outdoor aviary.

Group-housing seems to stimulate reproductive success, another factor that favors using an outdoor aviary, but you’ll need to be aware of aggression in such situations.

Temperature

Hailing from a warm climate, Gouldian finches are rather cold-sensitive, and are best housed at temperatures of 75-78 F, with an ambient humidity of 50-75%.

Live Food and Protein

As mentioned above, Gouldians rely heavily upon insects as food for part of the year. Be sure to provide ample feedings of live insects and canned invertebrates (silkworms, grasshoppers, crickets, etc.). The Zoo Med Bug Napper, an effective insect trap, is a wise investment for the Gouldian finch owner.

Egg food, hard boiled egg and young sprouts are all appreciated as well.

Further Reading

For more information on adding insects to the diets of Gouldian and other finches, please see my article Feeding Insects to Pet Birds.

 

Image referenced from Wikipedia and originally posted by Martybugs

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I believe that I was born with an intense interest in animals, as neither I nor any of my family can recall a time when I was not fascinated by creatures large and small. One might imagine this to be an unfortunate set of circumstances for a person born and raised in the Bronx, but, in actuality, quite the opposite was true. Most importantly, my family encouraged both my interest and the extensive menagerie that sprung from it. My mother and grandmother somehow found ways to cope with the skunks, flying squirrels, octopus, caimans and countless other odd creatures that routinely arrived un-announced at our front door. Assisting in hand-feeding hatchling praying mantises and in eradicating hoards of mosquitoes (I once thought I had discovered “fresh-water brine shrimp” and stocked my tanks with thousands of mosquito larvae!) became second nature to them. My mother went on to become a serious naturalist, and has helped thousands learn about wildlife in her 16 years as a volunteer at the Bronx Zoo. My grandfather actively conspired in my zoo-buildings efforts, regularly appearing with chipmunks, boa constrictors, turtles rescued from the Fulton Fish Market and, especially, unusual marine creatures. It was his passion for seahorses that led me to write a book about them years later. Thank you very much, for a complete biography of my experience click here.
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