BellaOnline Forums Home and Garden Birds Breeding Java Rice Finches

Hi there! I have a question regarding my java rice finches, and i was wondering if you could give me some advice!

i have four normal grey java rice finches that are roughly 2 years old (i've had them for two or three months) housed in a cage that is 36" tall, 18" wide and 18" long. [i know they prefer longer cages, but space does not permit <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> ] i believe i have 3 males (that sing) and 1 female. one of the males and the female have definitely paired up (which causes a little bit of bickering here and there). their only other cagemate is a canary.

about two weeks ago, the female laid an egg that we found smashed on the bottom of the cage. concerned that she may become eggbound if not provided with a suitable area to nest, we added a wooden nestbox (recommended for budgies) that hangs on the outside of the cage with the door facing in. we've provided nesting materials such as various grasses, shredded paper and fine threads.

the pair has shown no interest in the nest box, and the female has not lain another egg since. the funny thing is, one of the "single" males sits in the door of the nestbox with his head and shoulders inside the box and makes quiet little "screaming" noises. he has never gone completely into the box.

we feed them a mixture of canary, finch and budgies seeds and extruded pellets, as well as spray millet, cuttle bones and fresh fruits and vegetables (such as broccoli, apple and carrots.) we also give them grit and seed treats a few days a week.

i was just wondering what these behaviours indicate, and what we should do. we did not get the birds with the intent to breed them, but it would be interesting to see them raise the young.

any advice or information you could provide would be greatly appreciated!

emily

p.s. can two normal grey parents produce colour mutations in their young?

Although I love the Java Rice Finch, I've never done any breeding with them & don't have answers to all your questions Emily.

I'll answer the ones I can though. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

You can get different colour mutations from 2 birds that are normal in appearance, if one or both of them are split for another colour This happens if the parent or grandparents (or even further back) of your birds was another colour. Unless you know the background of your birds you would not know if they are spit to another colour until you see the babies.

The diet you are feeding your birds sounds great & if these bird are actually going to breed & produce babies, they may need to be in their own cage - away from the other birds, who may be distracting them.

I know that this is a rather late response to your questions, but I can attempt to be of help. :rolling: I have never bred Java Rice Finches but I know some folks who do and I have bred LOTS of other finches! LOL

First of all - you have an overcrowded cage by any standards, and this will lead to bickering, feather plucking and a major stinky mess. Its hard to juggle how many birds to put in one spot, but there is not enough space in this cage to allow any true escape from attack should one bird get chased or injured and need a place to be separated from the flock. The mix of birds you have chosen might be okay in a large flight, but even there I would expect to find the males fighting over the female. Males are going to argue as long as there are females in a mix. In fact, its far better to have too many females than males. Your canary, being a different a different species, will be less likely to be picked on.

This cage is also not going to allow for breeding - Even if you just have a pair, you are going to need more space when the babies come along. This is why "breeding" cages for finches are always wider instead of taller. There are ways to be creative with the space you have (I live in a single room over a garage, so I know how close quarters are! *S*)

Another issue to think about is that the "pair" will become defensive of any nest, far more aggressive than what males do to get first dibs on the female. And even if they succeeded in using the nest box, there is no safe way to fledge out their young with the threat of other males who may even try to kill the young and destroy the nest by instinct. Short of adding a cage to separate the pair, the only thing I see as a best move would be to always remove eggs when they are layed to prevent further fighting.

I have found that Ebay truly has a HUGE variety of cages constantly available - all shapes and sizes. Also, you could easily build one to fit your needs. I wish you the best of luck and hope whatever you choose to do will work out for a happy and at least somewhat peaceful flock *S*