Conference 7.286::pet_birds

    
    Lisa,
    
    I currently have a pair of silver button quail sitting on a clutch of
    eggs. The are *so* cute! and are a beautiful, soft silvery grey colour. 
    The males have a little black and white bib under the chin - very
    formal!
    
    If this clutch hatches out ok, I'll have babies for sale in a few
    weeks.  Unlike the other birds you have, quail babies eat on their own
    from the beginning (instead of being fed by the parents).  They do need
    to be taught to find their food, though.  If you remove them from the
    parents at hatch time and teach them yourself (by tapping the food
    container several times daily for a few days) they become very tame and
    sweet (like a handfed bird), and will follow you like puppies, fly to
    your shoulder, and permit handling.  Quails that are not raised in this
    manner are very skittish and shy, and will fly straight *UP* when
    startled.  (I was unaware of this until *after* I got my pair - the
    male nearly scalped himself when I tried to put him into his new home!)
    
    Either the bottom of a large zebra flight or a 20 long aquarium will
    house buttons just fine.  They will eat keet seed, chick mash, fruits
    and veggies, rice, eggs, pasta - just about anything!
    
    The one thing I can't yet provide is a true breeding pair - my babies
    will all be related.  If you want pets, keep in touch and I'll keep you
    on my "babies list".  If you have another source for buttons, I could
    get you an unrelated bird to mate with it.  Let me know.
    
    					/Rita
    
    PS:  Are you interested in more zebra finches?  I have more than I have
    room for, and have several lovely adult breeding pairs that I want to
    sell/swap/place, as well as some babies, normals, fawns & chestnut
    flanked whites.  Good homes more important than $$.
                                                       

    Rita,
    
    I now have a brown button quail (male) and would like to get a mate for
    him at some point.  Could a silver be a compatible mate?  if so,
    I would also be interested in a female if you get one from your clutch.
    
    Your information was valuable.  I did buy a button quail at the BOAF
    auction, where Lisa saw them.  He is a great little guy.  I have him in
    a very large flight cage with 2 zebras and a paradise wydah and they
    all get along great.  you're right, they eat just about anything.  He
    eats corn, finch seed, broccoli, apples, etc.  I really like the noises
    he makes.  They sound almost like a dove (a type of cooing).  He is
    quite agressive and chases away the zebras when they try to steal his
    food.  They are quite comical.  I think it is a game with them now.
    I appreciate any info that you can give me on these delightful little
    birds. 
    
    Thanks so much,
    Denise B.

    
    Denise,
    
    A silver would indeed be a compatible mate (I'll add you to my "homes
    for babies list" if you'd like) - the silver is just a colour mutation,
    they are the same bird.  I suspect the silver is a simple recessive.
    (Although it could be sex-linked, I'm not sure.)  What that means (the
    case of simple recessive, that is) is that when mated to your brown
    male, the silver hen would produce a clutch of brown babies.  The brown
    babies would be genetically split-to-silver.  Two brown split-to-silver
    birds would give you a clutch of 50% brown, 50% silver babies when
    mated.
    
    There are other colour varieties, too - fawn, redbreasted, albino - and
    some of them are clearly rare and *very* pricey (as in 5-10 times the
    price of normals or silvers!)
    
    I love your story about your quail with the zebras.  I have a diamond
    dove in one of my zebra flights.  Recently, I caught a couple of young
    zebras perched next to the dove, begging it for food!  (silly zebras
    ;-)  The dove responded by walking over the top of them :-)  It didn't
    hurt them, but they looked most indignant!
    
    My favorite thing about button quail is the way they walk.  Their
    little heads just *go* places, and the bodies always seem to be
    struggling to keep up.
    
    			         	/Rita
    

    Great!  I do indeed wish to be added to you list for the quail babies.
    Thanks for the info! They must be so cute as babies.  I really love
    the silvers.  I like my little guy. (My husband named him Beep, Beep,
    because he reminds him of his longtime favorite cartoon, Beep, Beep,
    the roadrunner.) He is not as shy and skittish as he used to be.  I
    don't believe he was handled much when he was little.
    
    Your information is so helpful!  I didn't know much about him.
    
    Those zebra kids must have had a rude awakening when the dove 
    walked over them! That must have been funny.
    
    Thanks so much!
    Denise

    
    Denise,
    
    Want your Beep-Beep to be *really* happy?  Here's something I
    discovered last night:
    
    I bought mealworms to feed all my kids - mostly my owl finches and
    waxbills, but I like to be equitable, so I put them in the treat dishes
    in all the flights.
    
    The zebra finches ignored them, but Dan and Marilyn (my button quails)
    went NUTS!!!  One would grab a meal worm, and the other would try and
    take it from the first.  Once they even disected one in their
    enthusiasm!  They chowed their way through about 15 meal worms in as
    many minutes!  (That's probably too many for them to have at one time
    on regular basis, but the were *supposed* to share them with the
    zebras:-) I've never seen them that excited about anything before.
    
    Mama Marilyn has a dozen eggs now and is sitting in earnest.
    
    						/Rita
    

    Rita,
    
    Thanks for the tip!  I will definitely get some for him pronto!
    I am so excited to hear that your quails are still sitting on
    the eggs...and so many! Is that the norm? They are such great little
    birds.  I am so glad that I got Beep Beep.  I love the names of
    your pair. Dan and Marilyn! That is really cute.
    
    I have a question around Zebras.  I have two that I believe are fawns,
    not sure they are very light beige w/white.  I cannot tell if there
    is a male.  I get eggs but they seem to break them or kick them
    out of the nest.  One is crested and one is plain.  At first I thougth
    that they were a pair since I purchased them from a pet store that
    way, however it seems that there are more eggs than normal when they
    start laying.  I am not too familiar with zebras or finches so I
    cannot tell.  Especially since they are not normals.  They both sleep
    in their nest together at night.
    
    Thanks for all of your valuable info!
    Denise

    
    Denise,
    
    >I am so excited to hear that your quails are still sitting on
    >the eggs...and so many! Is that the norm?
    
    Button quails normally lay between 10-16 eggs, but can only hatch out
    as many as they can sit - about 6.  In most cases, (provided there was
    a male quail around!) the entire clutch is fertile, and the rest of the
    eggs can be easily hatched out in an incubator.  This is why I've asked
    Santa for an incubator and an automatic egg turner for Christmas :-)
    
    Mama Marilyn looks sooooo funny sitting on her clutch - very  w i d e
    and very  f l a t !  She and Dan had the whole flight to theirselves,
    until last weekend, when I moved in 3 of my best marked white zebra
    pairs.  I was worried that it would disturb her, but it seems to be
    causing her to sit more conscientiously and consistently.  I'd guess
    now she feels that she has "turf" that needs protecting, and she and
    Dan don't have the distraction of that big, empty flight to play in, so
    they are getting down to business!
    
    >I have a question around Zebras.  I have two that I believe are fawns,
    >not sure they are very light beige w/white.  I cannot tell if there
    >is a male.
    
    A short answer: you have two females.  They are probably fawn, but
    could be recessive cream (which is also called dilute fawn).  The
    differences are subtle, I'd have to see the birds to say which one.
    If you had a male bird (either fawn or cream/dilute fawn) it would have
    orange cheek patches and rust-orange flanks spotted with white.  Both
    colours are sexed-linked recessives, so there are more hens available
    than there are cock birds.  I'll enter a new topic describing zebra
    finch colour mutations and simple avian genetics.
    
    						/Rita
    

    
    Denise,
    
    Just a quick thought...I have a young normal gray male zebra who is
    *probably* split-to-fawn (ie; bred to a fawn hen, the offspring would
    be 25% fawn hens, 25% normal hens, 25% normal split-to-fawn males, and
    25% fawn males).  He is brother to my fawn hens, so I can't breed him
    back to them.  If you'd like to take him and mate him with one or both
    of your fawn hens, I could give him to you in exchange for a fawn male
    (if he produces one) in the future.  (By breeding my fawn hens out to
    normals or whites and breeding their brother to your birds, the
    offspring are related distantly enough to mate without problems.)  He's
    very well-built and handsome; I'm sure your girls would find him
    suitable :-)
    
    						/Rita
    
    PS: The note on genetics and colours is still coming - I just hate it
    when work gets in the way of noting ;-}
    
    

    Rita,
    
    How are the button quails doing?  Just trying to get back to beginning.
    My zebras are brother and sister and I can't breed them :(.  They are
    so beautiful.  I was wondering if maybe you had a use for them.  I love
    the Beepers dearly but I'm afraid they may mate eventually.  They love
    people and will even sit on my finger when I'm trying to change their 
    cage.  I love the way they sleep all curled up under thier feed cup.
    Any advice?
    
    Lisa

    Rita,
    
    Not to interrupt Lisa's message to you, but yes I would be interested
    in one of your males.  he sounds mighty handsome.  Thanks for clearing
    up my sexing problem.  Mine are definitely girls.
    
    I look forward to reading your genetic info.
    
    Thanks so much Rita,
    
    Denise