Gouldian Finches
All About Gouldian Finches
The gouldian finches are a very colorful bird which originated in the northern part of Australia. It is currently on the Endangered Species List, with only 2500 of them thought to be alive in the wild. A recovery project for gouldian finches is underway in Australia. Many people have kept gouldian finches as pets but Australia banned deportation of the finches back in 1960.
Gouldian finches are a medium-sized bird that is about 5-1/2 inches long. They are in the Estrildidae family of birds. Colors include yellow-headed, black-headed and red-headed. They have also been bred to be specific colors, such as yellow and blue. Although they have a friendly chirp, these finches do not like to be handled. They are shy around people but it is best if they are kept in pairs for socialization purposes.
Gouldian finches are not a bird to be kept by beginners as their care is more demanding than that of many other birds. They need the largest cage you can afford, with a minimum amount of space being around twenty inches. Cage bars cannot be greater than a half inch. These birds are easily stressed so you should try to keep them as calm and unafraid as possible.
Keep the finch cage in an area with a temperature of at least seventy degrees. They also like their living space to be humid--above 50 percent--so the use of a humidifier is recommended unless you live in a naturally wet and humid region. Try giving your finch as much sunlight as possible. As for diet, they eat various kinds of millet and niger seeds, and special attention must be paid to their feeding.
Whenever possible try to supplement your gouldian finch’s food, such as giving him a cuttlebone for additional calcium. They also can get this mineral from crushed egg shells. Plenty of greens are in order, including fresh leafy lettuce and spinach, chickweed, watercress and sprouts. Gouldian finches are among the types of birds that need to have some grit along with their food to help their digestive process along.
You might even want to consider giving your finches a total vitamin supplement, especially if you are going to be breeding them. Experts recommend that you start a breeding pair on the baby bird formula you intend to hand feed before they lay eggs. That way they will get used to the food by the time the babies are born. Mixing in an egg is a great way to give protein to both parents and newborns. Soft foods are also especially good for after the babies are born because Gouldian finches regurgitate some of their food to feed their young. This will allow the newborns to be as healthy as possible right from the beginning.