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Post by passengerpigeon on May 6, 2011 16:27:27 GMT 10
Just wanting to see if anyone on the forum has any softbills?native or foreign, i'd be interested to see what everyone has, i'd like to delve more into softbills soonish.  cheers |
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Post by avinet on May 6, 2011 21:25:48 GMT 10
I've never kept them although I love to see and admire them both in the aviary and in the wild. I really don't claim to know much about keeping them except casual book knowledge, but there is a lot of work involved in diets requirements, and many of them are pretty feisty with each other.
I do have a really excellent book on softbills by Peter Karsten - Peking Robins and Softbills - that I consider essential to anyone getting into softbills. Can't recommend it highly enough. Only problem is the price of $75 plus P&P from the Australian Birdkeeper. I bought it because my vet had lent me his copy and since I tend to collect bird books I decided I should have a good softbill book just in case my birdkeeping headed in that direction in the future.
cheers,
Mike
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Post by blucalypt on May 6, 2011 21:41:15 GMT 10
No longer keep them, but a few years ago we did keep & successfully breed superb blue wrens. It was a sharp learning curve, but not that hard once we got the hang of their breeding requirements.
We housed them in a well planted conventional along with a pair of purple crowned lorikeets and the 2 species got along with no troubles at all. At the time we were advised that they (and all the other fairy wren species) were not to be trusted with finches, but in more recent times I know of a few others who house them in mixed finch collections with no problems to date.
If you are well organized they are no more trouble to feed than lorikeets, as the insectivore mix freezes well, and their live food requirements are not any harder than required for finches, just a larger quantity needs to be supplied.
we lost the 1st clutch of young produced, due to incorrect live food type. We fed mainly white ants, and they are just not enough for this species. once we changed to mealworms as the main live food, we had no problems fledging clutches of around 3 young. The mealworms were supplements with white ants, small crickets and vinegar (fruit fly) cultures.
Super interesting to keep. Always on the move (more so than any species of either finch or parrot we have ever kept) and obviously adding wonderful colour to the aviary. They are very territorial though. This was shown on a regular basis every tine the local wren population came too close to their home!!
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Post by passengerpigeon on May 7, 2011 12:50:00 GMT 10
:)thanks Mike, yer i have seen that book, i should probably look at getting it, i know the requirements though i have currently red-whiskered bulbuls and blackbirds, and native wise masked plovers, ive also cared for an injured koel for some time and a scrubwren that couldnt fly properly...i just have a general interest to see what other species everyone else has seeing there is such a range and most are rarely available so its good to see if anyone has anything different thats all, and blucalypt thats really interesting i really like blue wrens but my finch collection wouldnt agree with them, im sure theyd be busy i have them in my backyard wild and they are easy to watch for hours, how much mealworms were offered daily with the insectivore mix? they say a tablespoon a pair. i have been offered a pair of satin bowerbirds or blue-faced honeyeaters but im considering the bowerbirds to go in with my pheasants and doves for something interesting
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Post by blucalypt on May 8, 2011 10:38:37 GMT 10
Yep, about a tablespoon of the insectivore mix. They were also keen on the lorikeet wet mix and would usually hit that before the lorikeets could get to it!! Often saw them picking at the dry mis for the lorikeets as well, but dont know how much they really consumed.
The mealworms were fed 3 - 4 times daily while young were in the nest, by the time the young were fledging it was probably a total of 50 - 60 a day for a clutch of 3.
A couple of finch breeders I know that have them now seem to find that it is only the finches with a bit of blue in their colouring that are a problem with them, maybe the captive birds are slowly becoming domesticated after the generations they have now been bred for. This has certainly happened with the hooded parrot.
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Post by passengerpigeon on May 8, 2011 16:04:19 GMT 10
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Post by blucalypt on May 9, 2011 6:53:54 GMT 10
That quantity of mealworms was only fed while the young were in the nest, live food quantity didnt seem to influence breeding or not with them. Normal quantities were probably aroung 15 mealworms each morning for the pair, along with white ants. White ants were not fed at all once young were being fed.
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Post by passengerpigeon on May 9, 2011 16:40:38 GMT 10
interesting enough, hm, if i get a free spot in the aviary i wouldnt mind some splendid wrens,
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