FEATURE
pick out of it what they want. They could certainly be tried with other green foods but the only one outwith the mix that mine showed enthusiasm for was broccoli.
Bathing water is available at all times, as are cuttlefish bone and grit mix – I find Madagascars use more of both than most of my other birds. A word of warning – although they are used to feeding dishes on the cage floor my birds (established birds, new arrivals and newly-separated chicks) often refuse to go down to the floor to eat after being moved. They take millet sprays of course, but be prepared to offer loose seed and softfood mix in dishes hung on the cage front as well as on the cage floor for the first few days until they settle.
Breeding Admittedly my birds are in an artificial environment, but I find that
Madagascars will go down at any time of the year if they are in condition. I tend to put mine down December/ January simply because it suits my own planning. Others start their birds August/October.
Madagascars show no pair bonding, so as well as separating the sexes off- season fresh pairings can be made the following year to improve genetic diversity.
Once given a nest box most pairs will go down quite quickly – usually within a month. There are, of course, exceptions and I have had birds go down after three to four months – so don’t be in a hurry to write them off. I use external standard budgie boxes with an inspection lid and with a 4” x 2” wood block at the pophole end to give a 4” wide entrance step. The concave is retained and covered with about 1” of wood chips. As mentioned earlier, my birds are
BIRD SCENE 13
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