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Hi All,

I have got a single male Gouldian finch who has started tunneling under the newspaper at the bottom of the cage. He is over 2 years old (not sure of age). He seems quite healthy, eats well, sings... He is alone because he has a deformed foot, and the lady who gave him to me did not want to breed him. I don't particularly want to add any birds to his cage, and when he goes, I will be happy to have one less cage of birds. That said, I want him to be as happy as possible.

So what is with the tunneling? It is cute, but is it a nesting thing? Should I give him a nest and nesting material, or would that just frustrate him? Since he is alone, would a mirror be good or bad? How about other ideas to enrich his life?

He is in a room with a cockatiel, but they seem to totally ignore each other.

Thanks,
Kathy

Please don't take this as me having a go at you, but..... I really hate seeing a bird alone in a cage if it isn't a companion bird. They are flock animals by nature, and I can't imagine what it would feel like to be isolated and craving companionship. I assume that the cause of the deformed foot is genetic and that's why the lady you got him from didn't want him to breed, but that doesn't mean he can't have a little friend. I don't know about Gouldians specifically, but there might be two solutions. Get him a male friend...if they are a species that co-exsist with same gender cage mates, or get him a little girl, and if they do lay eggs, then pull the eggs immediately.

Another male would coexist with him well. I would stick with a gentle breed like a society. Since various finch species can interbreed, I would keep nests out of the cage if you choose to bring in a hen.

He's probably tunneling because it's too uncomfortable to perch with his deformed foot. Give him a nest box and add the nesting material to it. He'll be warmer, more secure, and able to take some weight off his feet.

If you decide to get another bird, I would get only another Gould...male or female.
Maybe the breeder that gave you that one has another one that needs a home? A Society would be a second choice but even they can become too active for a Gould. I'd rather see him alone than with a bird that's going to harrass him.

If you don't want another bird then give him the nestbox, a preening toy, a mirror and a place the cage near a window (with no drafts) so he can look out. Also place his perches so that he can get to the top of the cage easily. Adding a ladder may be an option. Finches can't climb like parrots and need both feet and their wings to get up the side of a cage or from perch to perch. Observe him as he perches and if his feet tend to slip on the perch then wrap the perch with some vet wrap so that he has a better grip. I've never had a bird get their nails caught in vet wrap.

Thanks for the replies. He actually gets around really well. He has a big cage (17"Dx30"W X36"H) and uses it all. He sleeps on perches, and seems to have no trouble balancing. He has one perfect foot, and he can support his weight on the bad one, he just can't hold on with it. I don't think he is uncomfortable. I have had him for about 2 years, and he just started the tunneling thing. In fact, he only did it for a few days, and then he stopped.

Patti, I know where you are coming from - I expect he would be happier with a companion, and I do feel guilty that I am depriving him of that. Trouble is, I am looking forward to the day when I have one less bird cage, and don't want to get into the cycle of needing to keep getting a friend for the one who is left. I do play the radio during daylight hours, and he is right next to a cockatiel. There is a bird feeder in the window near his cage. I will add a mirror and a preening toy and see what he does.

As far as a nest goes - I have one of the enclosed wicker ones. Is that OK, or should I get a small nest box? I'd hate for him to get toes caught in the wicker...

He gets seed, greens and a rice/veggie mix daily.

Thanks again,
Kathy

Goulds tend to prefer the box type nests, with a landing or a perch at the entrance hole. Like you, I'd worry about the wicker catching toes, especially since he has a foot he can't control.

I'm sure he gets around well, but carrying all his weight on one leg will eventually take it's toll as he ages. Birds often rest each leg when they're snoozing and he's not able to do that, so as age and arthritis set in it'll be more painful for him to perch for long periods. Goulds average lifespan is 5-6 years, so he may be starting to show a few aging signs.

kfay....I am glad you took my comment in the spirit in which it was intended. I certainly do understand how you feel.

Annz has a good point about the wear and tear on his one good leg. I don't know that much about finches, but I have an IRN with severely deformed legs. She can climb, and perch for short periods, but we felt like she was missing out, so we took some offcuts of PVC pipe and cut them lengthways and attached those inside her cage. That way she can perch properly when she likes, but she also has the pipes so she can still sit up high, but not have to worry about her balance. She absolutely loves them. Maybe your little Goulds would too??

Patti,
I'm trying to visualize the PVC setup you have. What diameter pipe? Is it mounted so she can sit cradled in it?
I'll be shopping for a nest box on Wednesday (the start of my weekend).
Thanks again,
Kathy and Elliot Gouldian

Yep. They are cut lengthwise so they are half circles. Cradle is a good word. We wire those to the horizontal bars of the cage at varying heights with perches near by. She often uses them during the day and always sleeps in the highest one at night. At first we used a few plastic feed troughs, but she quickly shredded those. But for a gouldian they would work too. But we found that Fang prefers that the ends are open so she can move from them to the wire more easily.

Edit: Sorry...was half asleep when I originally wrote this reply. We use a larger size pipe for our IRN than would be suitable for your little guy. The idea is to give then support on both sides so that they can just rest on their belly while the sides of the pipe keep them upright. Fang's legs are basically permanantly folded at right angles across her belly, and she gets around using 90% beak power so she's a bit more challeneged than your Goulds.