u/hellothereskibidi

The Chinese painted quail have started laying these gorgeous and delicious blue and speckled brown eggs. Of course, Ashley Graves had his fill as well as a fried Bengalese finch egg.

The first of the Australian zebra finch eggs and my clutch of Bengalese finch eggs are all due to hatch tomorrow and the surrounding days. I got custom rings with my aviary name. I'm not associated with any registry but it feels nice to put a name to my beloved pets as they travel to new aviaries.

Sadly no eggs from my Lady Gouldian finches as they are all cocks, and no babies from my Chinese painted quail as they are all hens. But I am so lucky for all that I have already, I don't feel like I'm missing out at all. Everything is as it should be.

P.s. - large bags of seed make GREAT chairs.

With various local aviary homes lined up I've decided to have a crack at breeding again. I always say "never again", yet every year since I first bought finches I've had at least one clutch. And here Fizzy is, building a nest as if he shouldn't be dead right now, the cheeky little guy.

I've said it so many times that it's getting annoyingly repetitive, but essentially something that is likely a fungal infection has killed the majority of my large flock. Everyone who got it died other than 3 sisters who were so unaffected by it and healed on their own. The vets never gave medicine and we never got a positive test.

One of the sisters unfortunately passed a while back from a stroke - she and another sister were in very bad shape when I bought them. The other sisters flourished into something hardy and beautiful with care. The sisters' chicks inherited their resistence to the illness.

When Fizz got ill, instead of preparing to say goodbye like usual, I tried really hard. Isolation under heat an UV, crushed pellets and suet, deshelling and crushing seeds, antifungal water treatments. I finally had a set up where I was able to do so. I took time off college for him. My parents know nothing about my finches, but when Fizzy showed up with a song for them they knew "It's Fizzarolli!" I loved him so much.

Somehow he got better. Then worse, then better, then worse. But now it seems he's reaching a very slow and slightly unsteady increase in health. Sadly he was already quite ill before I could treat him, so it seems like some parts of his illness will linger with him forever.

It must have affected his brain somehow. The shine in his eye is gone, his charm is dulled, and there isn't a bond between us anymore. He seems nowhere near the notably intelligent finch he was born as. And he's far from old mind you.

As he gets better it seems like he is healing into a new finch. Someone I'll have to get to know again. Someone who, as rude as it sounds, doesn't stand out. Is just another random zebra finch. Which feels as horrible to say as it is. I feel like crying for Fizzarolli to come back, but that's stupid so I try not to.

I remember a while ago begging Buer to heal my birds once or for all or let them die quickly. Either put a stop to it or do not let them suffer. I sacrificed a feather of a bird who died of it. I think my biggest mistake was going to church. Ever since I promised myself I'd never step foot in one, Fizzarolli's gotten better more consistently even with the cold spells that seem to haunt this weak excuse of a spring turning summer.

Luckily, for a while, no one has caught the disease. A chick of the sisters did in early 2026, but he healed himself with a little help from a heater.

I don't think it's gone. I think I'll lose at least one bird to it this year, especially come September. But I do think the flock-wide treatment and the consistent cleaning has helped slow it maybe. Though who knows, I have no real proof.

I feel kinda lost. I honestly have no clue what I'll do if another birds gets it. Stop breeding for one of course. And for real this time. With respect to the inheritance of the sisters' resistance maybe, I dunno.

But once they're all gone, either to old age or the diease or something else, this house is going to feel so empty. I'll have no use for a shed anymore. And it'll hurt to see it when I go to the garden, being used as storage or something, I know.

I'm not someone who can plan the future well, sort of because I panic when I think of the possibility of not making it to the future to live out those plans. I have no dream job, dream house, dream city. But I always made plans of ways to keep the birds, even better than before with more space and plants. And now, thinking about the high possibility of another bird getting ill makes the future feel like it just doesn't exist at all because they were my future and they'll be gone by then.

Anyway, hope everyone's keeping is going well 😊 Best of luck to you all and your finches. And thank you to whoever reads this.

Heya quail people 👋 clueless finch breeder here! These are my sibling (half sibling?) trio of CPQ, I've fell in love with them! What characters they are, hehe. I can't ID their mutations by comparing them to images of mutations online... so if someone could do that for me, that'd be great.

They're all 2026 birds. I was told by the breeder that they're all out of the same cock, a pure white. I take it the 'splash' markings are the split/SF/heterozygous form of white? Idk if they share a dam. Unsure on sex but 1 definately crows (or shouts real loud for no reason).

Nicole is the dark one, Jecka is the white one, and Emily is the silvery one. Nicole's colour is very interesting to me! I love the dark black-ish head with the lighter, cream back.

Peregrine got so excited that he got up close! He was scared of my phone though lol. I think bengies are THE best finch, hands down. So easy and cage-tame.

Didn't catch the zeebs or gouldies eating since they were too busy scrapping over nest boxes 👀🪺🤭

Ashley went mad over some sprouts even though he gets a pinch of bird seed daily... and his food bowl was full of wheat and mealworms! 😂🐁🩶

92x40x40. Much smaller than ideal but sadly no one locally who will do better will take him.

Tummies full, fighting coming to a still, flocking together for the night. Every evening this year has felt like a peaceful summary to the day even in hormone season.

!!! HE CANNOT REACH THAT UV LIGHT IN THE BACK, AND IT IS NOT ON. IT IS GOING TO BE REMOVED TO BE PUT IN MY AVIARY FOR MY QUAIL ASAP !!!

When I bought my first mouse a year ago (a 4wk old buck), I thought they could be kept in tiny plastic tubs... Wrong ofc.

For the sake of ventilation I changed my buck from tub to a 42cm x 63cm barred enclosure.

After moving about some breeding pairs of birds and changing around the aviary, a breeder cage is available. It measures 90cm long by 35cm wide. Thinner than his current cage, but longer. It is a rabbit hutch technically.

He has a little dig box, his wheel (that needs upgrading), lots of clutter coming as soon as I'm paid, hay, and straw. Lots of platforms too.

Given he cannot climb for some unknown reason that seems to be caused by his back legs, and that he never digs even with an ungodly amount of soft bedding, I think this enclosure is better for him? Let me know though.

He has a giant hide that is filled with tons of tinier hides, tubes, straw, and hay which is his favorite enrichment.

Lots of DMs too 😂

I'm looking for something that can help with mild axniety at college. During practical exams I get nervous and unable to talk (which is required to pass so I'm getting worse grades than I could be getting), and also during group projects. Are these any good? Also any help with doses would be appreciated, I'm 98lbs for reference :-)