Lady Gouldian
Common Names:
Lady Gouldian, Rainbow finch, name sometimes shortened to Gould.
Origin:
Australia
Disposition:
Relatively calm, quiet, and independent.
Physical descriptions:
The Lady Gouldian finch measures about 5 inches from head to tail. Many mutations and suspected mutations exist in aviculture, including: red head, yellow head, black head, purple breast, white breast, lilac breast, blue body, seagreen, yellow body or sex-linked pastel, dilute-backed, Australian yellow, blue breasted, cinnamon, lutino, Fallow or red-eye, and dark factor .
Diet:
Like other finches, the Gouldian Finch is a seed eater. During the breeding season, Gouldian Finches feed mostly on ripe or half-ripe grass seeds of sorghum. During the dry season, they forage on the ground for fallen seed. During the wet season, spinifex grass seed is an important component of their diet. So far Gouldians have been recorded as consuming six different species of grass seed, but during crop analysis, researchers have yet to find evidence of insect consumption.
Breeding:
Before deciding to breed your gouldians, you need to make sure you have allotted the space, time, and money it may take to set your birds up for breeding and to accommodate the young which they might produce. You will need a separate cage in which to house the young once they are weaned, and you will need to decide if you are ultimately going to keep the babies or find other homes for them. Once your decision is made, the following guidelines should aid you in breeding your finches:
First, select a male and female that are:
Sexually mature (and at least 6-9 months of age)
Of the same species
Unrelated to each other (do not inbreed)
Physically healthy (not too thin and not too obese, normal appearing feathers and droppings, appear bright and alert)
Free of (potentially genetic) physical defects Bonded to each other
Sexing:
The hen is paler than the cock overall: the color of her back, breast,* and abdomen is less intense, and she has very little if any blue border around her mask. If she is yellow or red headed, she will likely have far more black feathering in her mask than the cock, who only has a thin black border around his mask. When in breeding condition, the hen's beak will become black .
Song:
Songs vary among individual males.
Before you buy any pet
- Ask for the vaccination card and match the dates against the animal's stated age.
- Ask to see both parents if the seller is a breeder. A refusal is an answer.
- Video call before you travel. Ask the seller to walk around the animal on camera.
- Never pay a deposit to hold an animal you have not seen in person.