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Golden Pheasants?

  • Thread starter swords
  • Start date
Just wondering if anyone here has raised Golden Pheasants? I showed my uncle a link to purchase them off ebay and I'm hoping he'll get some for his farm in Wisconsin since he's into exotic pets (iguanas, birds, fish...) and his wife made him sell the scarlet macaws (too loud). He raised pheasants and quail when I was a kid but these are so much cooler than the game pheasants he used to raise.

example from google:
GoldenPheasant%20e.jpg


If you have experience with them I'd like hear from you what is good or bad about them compared to regular pheasants and then I'll pass my uncle the link.

I sure hope he gets 'em - I know I can't have em in the condo! :D
 
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... and his wife made him sell the scarlet macaws ...
Had it been me, I would have showed her the door. lol Birds make better housemates than a spouse. They make less noise, talk back less, make less mess, and spend less money. lol

Be careful who you buy from on ebay. A lot of the sellers of various fowl there are in the habit of using photos from other sources to sell their stock and you often don't get to actually see the line you are buying.

You're better off to buy from a reputable breeder than buying anything from ebay, unless you find a breeder you know selling there.

I've never raised them myself, but know people who do. I'm told they aren't that difficult. They just need a predator proof large aviary with perches, something to hide around, and a shelter they can get into.

A friend who is one of the moderators on my forum raises them. If your uncle would like, he could contact him to see if he has anything available. This is his website.


David
 
She has several cages of smaller birds and doesn't mind his huge iguanas it was just those two. They were pretty loud to have in the house when they didn't get constant attention but they were a lot of fun to interact with since they talked and all that.

Thanks for those links I'll pass them along!
 
I've seen them at zoos, pretty bird.
Did not know you could buy them off ebay....
 
Are they selling eggs or chicks? I wouldn't buy chicks from a random eBay seller because of the risk of disease transmission.
 
when they didn't get constant attention
That would be the key phrase. I've spent extended stays in homes with African Greys, Amazons, etc. They aren't that noisy if you have the space for them and can give them a lot of attention. My peeve is people who get them, can't give them the attention they need, and then dump them onto someone else. Often times, it keeps going that way for them. They're like having small kids. Would you ever leave a two year old alone and unattended in a cage? Same rule with any of the Psittaciformes. Changing homes and owners is hard on a bird. Just like any other animal, they need a "forever home" and should not be passed around from one place to another. IMHO I hope that at least this time they will have a lasting home with better prepared handlers.


David
 
Eggs only, I don't think selling live chicks is allowed.

His macaws had free run of the house roosting in his palms in the big living room with 2 story ceiling only in the cage at night, lots of children/people to interact with but she never wanted him to get them so every little thing was one more thing on the list. They went back to their original owner, who had paid my uncle for replumbing her house with the pair.

They were loud though, even when they were playing around. I know my neighbors would freak out, I don't even have dart frogs cos I'm afraid they might bother the neighbors.
 
It sounds like they had a good habitat there. It can be tough finding someone who wants the same things in life as you. Too bad she didn't take to the birds the way he apparently did. How is your aunt with the idea of the pheasants?

Speaking of dart frogs, as soon as my terrarium get filled in some more I need to post some pics. I don't have the frogs yet, but one I get growing the plants down, I'll start saving for a couple.


David
 
Somehow they've stood each other for 35 years though he still intends to buy a property in Belize when he retires "whether she comes with or not" but I bet that never happens, he'll just never retire.

She puts up with a lot (the big lizards, fish, kids and grand kids in and out all the time, her own birds, etc.) but she seemed to have something against the big birds in the house. I guess it was just the "limit" that everyone is said to have! LOL :D
 
  • #10
I've often thought I would like to live in a tropical paradise too, but I'm not sure how I would handle all of the tropical biting insects. I think those would be my limit.

What kinds of birds does she keep?


David
 
  • #11
I think they are Lovebirds and Parakeets but I'm not much for IDing birds.

My uncles pal came back from Costa Rica and he asked his wife to take a look at this welt on his back, she squeezed it and a grub popped out. I think I'd freak out if I had a big maggot inside me, like a horror novel!
 
  • #12
Oh eww, that's the nastiest thing I've heard in a while and actually everyone who I know who has gone down to Costa Rica or Belize or the like have come back with horror tales of parasites. *shudder*

I liked Vermont because it's too cold for critters to try that hard where I'm from.
 
  • #13
That sounds like the botfly larvae that gets injected by a mosquito. I've not seen that in person, but have seen it on TV. It's really disgusting. That is one good reason not to live in a tropical climate!

My first bird was a parakeet. They're fun, but nothing like the larger species. Good pets for more people than the full sized parrots and macaws though.


David
 
  • #14
There's so many horrific parasites in the tropical jungles and I don't want to be infested by any of them. Unfortunately so many cool plants and animals come from those same jungles.

Some people are keeping medical leeches as exotic pets... I'm not into worms of any type and a leech is just an awful aquatic worm as far as I'm concerned! LOL

I don't think I'd like to have a bird of any kind myself. I'm mostly a hands off type of pet owner, things in vivarium habitats is good for me so I can go about my other activities after the daily maintenance and viewing of the critters. I have 2 cats but they keep themselves busy in and out of the house most of the time. Unless I'm busy with some project, then they have to come and insist on "helping".
 
  • #15
It's good to know what pet isn't for you before just going out and buying one. You're ahead of a lot of people in that way.

Leeches... yuck. :0o:


David
 
  • #16
Awesome utilization of leeches in forensics.... http://www.the-scientist.com/article/display/57168/


I am also fond of Lady Amherst pheasants...never had any birds more exotic than chickens so no advice on that. Except maybe if your uncle does go about buying them to second the idea to try to get chicks or eggs from a local source. Eggs over the internet can be iffy due to shipping.

I've ordered eggs twice. One time 12/12 and not a single chick, another 6/6 all eggs produced chicks (although 5/6 were males but I can't blame the seller for sexing them in eggero (as opposed to in utero) and sending me all the males he doesn't want :-D)) So basically in conclusion my advice is ordering eggs can be a bit of a gamble with success levels from 0-100% and everywhere in between.
 
  • #17
Mantid & other exotic insect eggs are the same way, the ooth might be fertile but then it might not, might have gotten to dry or too cold or... but I figure it's all part of the fun of the gamble.

I guess the males of these are the pretty ones so you might want 5/6 males but perhaps they squabble if there's not enough hens? I have no idea! LOL

I research all kinds of pets that I might like to get but the more research I do, often it turns out the less I want them. I too hate it when people decide "today I'm buying a Asian Water Monitor or alligator" and have no idea what to do with it other than what the kid at the store tells them.
 
  • #18
but perhaps they squabble if there's not enough hens? I have no idea! LOL
Male pheasants fight worse than chickens. They will fight to the death. Some can even be man fighters. You can really only have one male per pen. Wild jungle fowl (ancestors to the domestic chicken) are the same way. It cracks me up these animal rights groups who claim game birds have been "trained" to fight. Galliformes require no training. They ony do what their ancestors have done for untold generations in the jungles. That's like saying they need training to take a BM and we all know how birds excel at that. lol Not that responsible pet owners should enhance that tendency. Anyway, "Trained to fight", lol, they need to get a clue. You haven't seen a fight until you see footage of two male peafowl going at it in the wild in Indian.

Not peafowl, but I just found this video. It should give you an idea as to why two male Galliformes of most species can not be housed together. Even all outdoors is not big enough.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoqFang-afQ

I too hate it when people decide "today I'm buying a Asian Water Monitor or alligator" and have no idea what to do with it...
Yeah, animals are the worse kind of impulse purchase.

other than what the kid at the store tells them.
Which usually isn't entirely accurate or complete. With the net being so widely available as it is today and there being so many helpful articles and forums, there really is no excuse for people making impulse pet purchases and then not being able to provide the care they need.


David
 
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  • #19
I actually had one of these briefly about 35 years ago. There was a release of them made in SE Michigan, where I grew up. One of them flew into our yard and refused to leave. Because of the threat of neighborhood dogs, we had a friend who owned a bird sanctuary who came by and moved the animal. Very cool bird with the most spectacular colors. The one who visited all those years ago wasn't exactly tame, but was very docile and would accept food by hand. Good luck with your search.
 
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