getting into softbills

[princessparrot]

ok, I know this is all going to sound rather stupid, but id like to get into softbills one day and I know most of the species I want theres only like a 0.01% chance i'll get hold of them but anyway...
I would like to keep bowerbirds and rainbow bee eaters mainly but I don't wnt to spend thousands ($2000 for a pair of bee eaters)for them just to die. so I was wondering if there were any cheaper softbills or hardbills that require the same kind of care I could get some practice with. I know that when I think of necter insect eating hardbills I mainly think of lorikeets. I want to set up a large rainforest like aviary with native plants and stuff and am also wondering if I was to make it like their natural environment with fruit/necter producing plants that also attract insects if it would be any easier and if I would need to provide them with such specific care(though I know that's what comes with softbills) and any better for them. I also wonder why with captive diets most things say to provide them with mainly meat whan in the wild(bowerbirds anyway) mainly eat fruit?!? I just find it abit confusing.... I know that at most zoos and stuff that I've seen them at they feed them what looks like abit of dogfood mixed with heaps of fruit and veg. I know that most captive diets are rather different to their normal ones but I think the main thing im wondering is would their natural diet be good enough or do I really need to feed them all thins meat???(im vegan if that adds anything) though I do have a snake so im ok with abit. also others I would love are yellow bellied sunbirds, but I know theres like a 0% chance i'll get hold of them

[avinet]

Nothing wrong with getting into softbills, but there are a few fences to be crossed first, and I might add I have never kept them, but do know a few softbill aviculturists.. 

The first is the regulations - all states will require a license to keep Australian softbills, so you will have to enquire with your local state wildlife branch to find out what those regulations and requirements are.  Each state will have a list of approved softbills that can be kept, in Queensland I think that is about 20 species but each state has different lists.  From memory NSW and SA have the biggest list but don't quote me, it has been a while since I looked at softbill regulations.

The diet varies widely depending on the species from purely carnivorous (Kookaburra etc) to the purely vegetarian.  Most are somewhere in between, needing some animal and some vegetable food to do well or to even survive.  Many of these omniverous species need live food such as fly maggots, crickets or mealworms.  So it is very important to know the requirements for any birds you are thinking of keeping.

There are various ways to gain this knowledge - firstly it would be a good idea to contact and possibly join any local avicultural societies in your area to see if any members are softbill keepers.  If there is a finch society then you have a better chance of finding a softbill breeder.  Not only will this enable you to learn about keeping them but it will also potentially provide a source for birds - and note the they are not found in pet shops.

Secondly there are two resources that I would consider essential to get:

The only book I am aware of dealing only with Australian species is Australian Softbill Management - www.birdkeeper.com.au/finch-books-and-dvds/australian-softbill-management - which however from memory (I don't have a copy to check) has a fairly limited range of species covered.

Secondly there is a fantastic DVD - Birdkeeping the South African Way—Part 5 - Keeping and Breeding Softbills - www.birdkeeper.com.au/bird-dvds/dvd99-birdkeeping-the-south-african-way-part-5-keeping-and-breeding-softbills - which, while it is a South African DVD and covers many species we can only dream about (I would almost swap my Greys for the opportunity to keep Turaco! see www.turacos.org/ ), also covers quite a few of the more commonly kept Australian species.  A really essential DVD for anyone wanting to keep softbills.  I have a copy and just enjoy seeing all the amazing softbills from around the world.  It is so good that when I showed it at a recent local bird club meeting the audience clapped afterwards - and they are all parrot and finch keepers.

There are also some Australian Birdkeeper issues that have articles on softbills - I don't have them handy, packed away in boxes currently, but they might be worth chasing up either from Australian Birdkeeper or on Ebay

Volume 21 Issue 2 April 2008 - May 2008 - currently on Ebay - www.ebay.com.au/itm/AUSTRALIAN-BIRDKEEPER-Volume-21-Issue-2-Apr-May-2008-PB-/251280206765?pt=AU_Non_Fiction_Books_2&hash=item3a8177abad
Volume 16 Issue 7 February 2003 - March 2003
Volume 19 Issue 6 December 2006 - January 2007

There are no doubt other issues as well but I don't have the details to hand.

There is also a comprehensive care sheet for Fairy Wrens at www.geckodan.com/index.php?page=birds?caresheets?aust?fairy?wrens which is well worth reading since some of the species are some of the easier to keep and more available Australian softbills.

Also be aware that many species that are more available such as the wrens can be very aggressive to each other and only one pair can be kept to a flight - again you will need some expert guidance here.

I've always thought that softbills would be great fun to keep - a lot of work but great fun!  However it isn't going to happen now - I'm getting too old for new ventures like that

cheers,

Mike

[princessparrot]

yeah, as I said most of the ones I want to keep are fruit/necter(sunbird) and/or insect eaters(bee eater) and bowerbirds are both. but I just find it REALLY confusing, mainly with bowerbirds, that in the wild they mainly eat fruit but in captivity it says to feed them mainly meat with a small amount of fruit!?! I think the main thing im asking is would fruit and insects be enough or do I really need to add all that meat


Also where I am you can keep pretty much any species

[avinet]

Sept 16, 2013 14:43:00 GMT 10 princessparrot said:

yeah, as I said most of the ones I want to keep are fruit/necter(sunbird) and/or insect eaters(bee eater) and bowerbirds are both. but I just find it REALLY confusing, mainly with bowerbirds, that in the wild they mainly eat fruit but in captivity it says to feed them mainly meat with a small amount of fruit!?! I think the main thing im asking is would fruit and insects be enough or do I really need to add all that meat


Also where I am you can keep pretty much any species

As I said in my previous reply - find someone who keeps these types of birds and talk to them - they are not easy birds to keep and it will be essential to find out as much as you can from experienced keepers of them before making a decision to keep them.

I have found some information about them in my bird library and all the references stress the importance of animal protein in their diet, and that they do eat significant amounts of animal food - insects basically.  In fact some bowerbirds eat more insects and fruit when raising chicks.  And not surprisingly Bee-eaters are just about exclusively insect eaters - and by choice around half their preferred diet is bees, definitely a challenge to keep!  You would need a beehive next to their aviary.

I will go into more detail later in the week - at the moment I am busy preparing my avicultural society's magazine for a meeting on Thursday.

cheers,

Mike

[princessparrot]

I did find someone close by who keeps and sells bowerbirds he said he feeds them fruit and mealworms. I know bee eaters eat insects and prefer bees(hence the name). That's sort of why I want to plant heaps of native flowering and fruiting plants around, to help attract them