Button Quail Chat

[Serin]

I love society finches so much. They are lovely. But I do not have the space right now.

Re: cage cleaning , take this with a handful of salt because I don't have buttons yet, but I want a naturalistic cage setup and I've been watching a lot of hamster videos on YouTube. For those cages they typically put spacers in the cage floor that section it off so you can make different levels. I think birds will be messier than rodents (who only potty certain places) but the sectioning makes it easier to spot clean every couple days. And I think the deeper litter might help as well, so you can scoop the dirty stuff off the top without having to also replace it constantly.

Ya'll feel free to tell me if I'm wrong. I'm making assumptions about quail behavior.

That would be a good idea to implement in a custom build, but not practical in a tank, bin cage or most pre-made cage systems.

As far as mess it depends on the rodent. Gerbils for example are very clean and their urine has little to no odor unless it really builds up. Whereas mice and hamsters have strong urine, and pee on everything. In that respect, quails are much cleaner.

 

[Kale the Quail]

I got this pic for you today heres my lil silver hen watching me watch TV

View attachment 1931472
Sorry its poor quality but if id gotten up she would have gotten down so its zoomed in too far

awwww!!!!

 

[muddy75]

my buttons are 9 weeks old today!!

 

[muddy75]

I'm new to keeping the species but everything I read on their husbandry and natural behavior says that button quail are monogamous and you cannot keep four of different sexes together once they grow up without some very bad fighting, so I'd recommend pairing them off once they are older (they look young, or are they all girls? If the latter you may be okay..)

That cage will be hard to clean with finches and quails in it. Mine are pretty calm, I can just scoop bedding out and they run to the other side and kinda pace but don't freak out. You'll have to try and scoop out through that door, maybe clip a towel over it so they dont fly through? The quails will freak out but you'll have to work around them unless you can herd them into a box to take them out each cleaning. But that will stress them.

I have a lot of finches too but I keep them in a larger cage with a pull-out tray. For yours I'd recommend some more perches, some silk greenery to hide in and a swing or two. Only keep a nest in if you want them to breed, otherwise it encourages zebra finch hens to lay eggs constantly and males to get aggressive.

I have 7 society finch in here... 30 x 18 x 36 high. They do have a nest as this species is much more good natured and I switch their eggs with fakes for population control or is have dozens.View attachment 1931511 View attachment 1931512

i found a couple eggs in the nest tonight!!! I doubt they are fertile but planning to candle them just in case!! now i know why they have been spending so much time in there!!! mickey has not shown any aggressive behaviors though.....so that’s good!!

 

[Serin]

If there's a male in there you do need to split them into pairs before someone is hurt. Even if they don't attack each other studies have apparently demonstrated high stress hormone levels and reduced lifespan in button quail housed communally.

 

[muddy75]

If there's a male in there you do need to split them into pairs before someone is hurt. Even if they don't attack each other studies have apparently demonstrated high stress hormone levels and reduced lifespan in button quail housed communally.

it’s looking like all 4 buttons are female, but if i end up with a male will definitely pair off.....i was referring to zebra finches having eggs in their nest tonight.....i’m not opposed to letting them hatch babies, but doubtful that the eggs are fertile.....previous eggs were not.

 

[Serin]

I have gotten Grover and Annie some more decor to climb and hide in and a covered dust bath... But still have to get some sand for it. They really like the big silk fern to hide and scurry around in mimicking the undergriwth they'd live in naturally.

And I picked up some mealworms for them. They love hunting for them when I scatter them in the bedding!

 

[mixedUPturk]

I have gotten Grover and Annie some more decor to climb and hide in and a covered dust bath... But still have to get some sand for it. They really like the big silk fern to hide and scurry around in mimicking the undergriwth they'd live in naturally.

View attachment 1935327 View attachment 1935328 View attachment 1935329 View attachment 1935330

And I picked up some mealworms for them. They love hunting for them when I scatter them in the bedding!

Verrrrrry nice!


@blackoaktammy says she breeds alot of buttons, please tell us more about your setups ma'am and the knowledge of the color varieties would be great too!

 

[blackoaktammy]

@blackoaktammy says she breeds alot of buttons, please tell us more about your setups ma'am and the knowledge of the color varieties would be great too![/QUOTE]

I am definitely button obsessed lol My father was a master carpenter before he retired, and he built me an aviary that is 6' x 2 1/2' x 5 1/2'. I attached a picture of it before I put any birds in it. I can't get a full picture now because I had to move my furniture back in my living room It is 4 sections, the top two hold my cockatiels and rosey bourke, the bottom two have buttons. That was the beginning of my obsession. I usually have 2 males and three hens in each side, but I've pushed the limit a bit with my group of grey cinnamons. There are so few of them around, I want to produce as many as I can. The other side has my red breasted/Darth Vader group.

I use guinea pig cages for pairs, trios, and bachelor groups. I try to stick to 1 sq ft per bird, but that all depends on personalities.

I use Little Giant incubators to hatch, forced air for the incubator and still air for the hatcher. My brooders are aquariums with heat lamps. This works best for me, since I don't need to worry about drafts and can keep the temperature fairly steady.

My current color varieties:
Wild type in normal, pearl, cinnamon, grey cinnamon, and silver
Blue face in normal, cinnamon, grey cinnamon, and I just hatched slate!!! (silver blue face)
Red breasted in normal, cinnamon, and silver
Darth Vader in normal and recently hatched cinnamon!!! (still working on silver)

Sorry I'm long winded, but this is my favorite subject

 

[Serin]

@blackoaktammy @mixedUPturk

Do your cocks call at night?

Mine started to crow yesterday and then on the hour all night from 2 am to sunrise. Its not a horrible sound... Kind of sounds like a little dog going "awooooo!" But it is shrill.

There is no light at all in the room at night.... And there under a blwck sheet as well. I checked to see if they had gotten separated but he was calling while sitting next to the hen.