Tokay Gecko

This looks like a young Tokay. Second one I caught. They must be breeding nearby. Didn't know they are around my house. Thought they thrives further North. 

The first one was released near my son's school, somewhere far away. This second one, I will keep awhile to see how it develops. 

Meanwhile, I will set traps again :) 

Wild Zebra Dove pt 1

This New Year day, first thing in the morning I rescued this chick from becoming the breakfast of a cat. It must have fledged recently but not a strong flyer. Its a wrong time to be out. The weather is mostly windy and wet. Decided to keep it and nurse it. 

I always had emergency stock of hand feeding formula in the fridge for emergencies like this. But I am never good at feeding with a syringe & moist formula. So, I did what I had done once before. I made the formula into small kibbles and air dry them. This way I can hand feed just like feeding merboks mung beans. 

The above is how it looks like. That should be enough for the day.

Its hard to estimate the correct amount, so I have some extra which I filled it in a syringe and pump out some to dry. When its dry, I intend to crumble them into pellets to see whether the finches will eat them. Waste not is the motto.... ;)

Blue-crowned hanging parrot

My son asked me today if he can select a bird and keep for himself. Of course I said go ahead and choose one. And he chose this as expected because its the cutest at the moment. Hmmm... time to hand tame it I suppose, or teach my kid to appreciate it as a songbird?... hmmm

Hybrid vigour

Something was pulling me home this morning. Don't know what, but I felt like I forgot to do something. So, I went home to have a look see on a bike because the traffic was terrible & I just want to drop by for an hour or two.

To my surprise, one of my mule finch was flying around the garden. I quickly put in some vege (kangkong) and was able to capture it back. Whew... I must have been absent minded and left the cage door open.

So, I went out again shortly, happy at the turn of events. Then when I came home again at night, the cage is again open & the bird is nowhere in sight. I can only hope it is safe for the night & will be able to come home again. I have never kept a finch or canary that has learnt how to open its own cage door. This is the first for me. Is it hybrid vigour at work?

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/18636282/

I think so. And that was also the reason I ventured into hybridising. Something better than the parents - cognitive, physic & health.