Indian Fantail Behavior

[Lara8190]

Hi everyone,

I bought a bonded pair of indian fantails yesterday and i want to know what the meaning of their behavior is. i was told the sexes before i bought them. the male is grunting and lieing down while the female seems to be grooming its neck. could it be the the one that is grunting is actually the female? are these signs of mating behavior? the male seems to start kissing the female on the beak as well sometimes. all help is appreciated. what should i feed them as well? they gave me chicken feed for them, but i dont think they really like that. i was also told to buy them grit, so i went to petsmart yesterday and only found grit for cockatiels, could i just give them that instead?

Thanks,
Joseph

[Msfreebird]

Originally Posted by Lara8190

Hi everyone,

I bought a bonded pair of indian fantails yesterday and i want to know what the meaning of their behavior is. i was told the sexes before i bought them. the male is grunting and lieing down while the female seems to be grooming its neck. could it be the the one that is grunting is actually the female? are these signs of mating behavior? the male seems to start kissing the female on the beak as well sometimes. all help is appreciated. what should i feed them as well? they gave me chicken feed for them, but i dont think they really like that. i was also told to buy them grit, so i went to petsmart yesterday and only found grit for cockatiels, could i just give them that instead?

Thanks,
Joseph

All that you described is mating behavior.
If you have a feed and grain store nearby, they should carry pigeon seed. And also pigeon grit. You should also pick up oyster shell for them.
If not, they should be able to order it for you. "Blue seal" and "Agway" have their own pigeon feed.
Cockatiel grit and chicken feed are not sufficient for pigeons.
In a pinch you can buy wild bird seed mix. They love safflower seeds and peanut hearts also.
www.foyespigeonsupply.com also has everything you could possibly need, and they ship.
BTW, welcome to pigeon talk. Stick around and you'll learn alot.

[Lara8190]

Thank you so much! also, the female seems to have directed her attention to the other male, which means the bonded pair is no longer. is that possible? the problem is that the other male is an american fantail while the female is an indian fantail. can they produce viable offspring?

[Msfreebird]

Originally Posted by Lara8190

Thank you so much! also, the female seems to have directed her attention to the other male, which means the bonded pair is no longer. is that possible? the problem is that the other male is an american fantail while the female is an indian fantail. can they produce viable offspring?

One of my older "bonded" hens left her mate for a younger cock. And her previous mate went for a younger hen - So I guess anything can happen!
You can get offspring from American/Indian Fantails. They'll just be mixed.
I'm not sure but I would think the crest and muffs would be dominant traits. I have all American Fantails.