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Maintenance
of Pin-tailed Parrot Finches is much simpler than Waxbills which require
live food
but less easy than Bengalese or Gouldians.
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Colony versus cage?
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Why isolate
a bird which breeds in small colonies in the wild?
Why isolate
birds which nest happily within a foot of each other? Cock
chasing cock is part of the build-up to mating.
No harassed
cock has ever suffered injury, water or food deprivation - in my experience.
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Why miss
out on this undoubted colony 'hormone' effect?
A cock
is dominant until laying commences. Then he settles down completely
and another takes over the dominant, singing, chasing role.
When
one starts breeding you can almost guarantee that all your pairs will
have eggs or chicks within weeks.
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Screening
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Not too much can be
stressed about the necessity for these birds to feel secure. Imagine
you are the predator.
They must be able to retreat away from your gaze but keep an eye on you.
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On entering
your aviary most times you won't even see a Pin-tailed - they will have
retreated.
If you can see one once you have entered your aviary either your set
up is wrong or the exposed bird is ill.
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Conifer
screening plus green plastic wind-break mesh available from most garden
centres will suffice. A look at the photograph of 'The egg factory'
shows the screening better than any description.
The photograph and diagrams will also show that the birds
can retreat to a separate quarter during the weekly clean - again adding
to their security.
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So -
how to tell whether any are ill? Simply place a bar/ perch that
is too close to the wall (< 1cm) but immediately under a lamp.
Being too close to the wall it will hardly ever be used by a fit Pin-tailed.
One sitting there fluffed up seeking heat is a sure sign of illness.
I have never lost an adult without having considerable warning of its
being unwell.
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Staging
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Pin-tailed
Nonpariels rarely go to the ground.
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The staging
or benching upon which the food, grit etc. is available might be important
to their feeling of security.
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How to Feed
the adult Pin-tailed Parrot Finch is shown on the
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