# November grass?



## bluedragon (Nov 20, 2017)

hi all i just need an id im not sure if this is November grass but if it is im using it for my finches thanks.






or is it just normal grass?


----------



## SpottedPythons (Nov 21, 2017)

I'm definitely not an expert on grass... but I do keep finches. Do you need it for nesting purposes? Because if it is nesting, the finches won't mind what kind of grass it is unless it's poisonous.


----------



## bluedragon (Nov 21, 2017)

yeah but want to know were to get it because when its dead it looks realy nice in aviary


----------



## Flaviemys purvisi (Nov 21, 2017)

bluedragon said:


> yeah but want to know were to get it because when its dead it looks realy nice in aviary


No idea mate, but if it is November grass, it's only going to be for another 9 days.


----------



## Bluetongue1 (Nov 21, 2017)

@bluedragon, it has been too many decades since I kept finches and the names November Grass and Swamp Grass, used today in conjunction with finches that line nests, were not around in my day. From the one photo I can find (on Gumtree) your grass is too coarse to be November Grass. Given its flower heads I’d say it was a species of _Themeda_, a genus found throughout Australia and New Guinea (and through to Asia and even Africa). The Aussie species are commonly called Kangaroo Grass. Some of these can be abrasive - you can tell straight away by running your hand up and down the stems and leaves.

I used to supply my finches with basically three grades of dry material to build their nests. *Broad:* Wild Oats, Bulrush and Ponytail Palm leaves and the like. *Medium:* Any taller weed grasses with moderately thin stems and leaves. *Thin:* Coconut fibre, pilfered from old mattresses and lounges that had been left to rot, the dead leaves from Blue Fescue tussocks (_Festuca glauca_) and annual_ Isolepis_ that came up in the garden. The leaves of ‘Fairy Lights’ _Isolepis cernua / Scirpus cernuus_ would be even better if you can get hold of some. You can also get fine palm fibres from Kentia palms - the old leaf bases have them attached.

Plus I would supply feathers. Waterfowl and pigeons and doves are unusual in that they moult down feathers as adults. So I would collect these when available, along with feathers that were fluffy but only had small quills. The feathers just need to inspected or stored or fumigated before use to ensure that they are free of bird lice.


----------



## SpottedPythons (Nov 21, 2017)

My finches will nest in anything, coarse or not. They once tried to rip up some newspaper they painstakingly extracted from the tray underneath (still don't know how they did that).


----------



## bluedragon (Nov 21, 2017)

is this November grass


----------



## Bluetongue1 (Nov 21, 2017)

I'm afraid I don't know. What I can say is that this is extremely similar in structure to the dried material I saw for sale. It certainly is fine enough. So the only question is how pliable it is when it dries out.

@SpottedPythons, Maybe they were looking for softer material? It depends on the species how finnicky they are. Most are not too fussy but some definitely prefer to line the nest with soft, pliable materials. I just aimed to cater to all tastes and it worked well.


----------



## bluedragon (Nov 21, 2017)

Bluetongue1 said:


> I'm afraid I don't know. What I can say is that this is extremely similar in structure to the dried material I saw for sale. It certainly is fine enough. So the only question is how pliable it is when it dries out.


all that i know that its just off google but i think its called mexican feather grass


----------



## Bluetongue1 (Nov 22, 2017)

Mexican Feather Grass (_Nassella tenuissima_) is a Class 1 declared pest plant in Queensland and considered an invasive noxious weed in other states. So that would not be the identity of November Grass.

EDIT: 
@bluedrago. After a measure of further digging, it seems that ‘Swamp Grass’ and ‘November Grass’ are one in the same: _Lachnagrostis filiformis_ (syn. _Agrostis avenacea_). The common names used outside of aviculture are Blown Grass or Fairy Grass. The mature inflorescences detach from the plants and are blown by the wind, and can pile up against fences and other farm structures in substantial amounts. It is these flower stalks that are most collected for aviary use.


----------



## SpottedPythons (Nov 22, 2017)

Bluetongue1 said:


> @SpottedPythons, Maybe they were looking for softer material? It depends on the species how finnicky they are. Most are not too fussy but some definitely prefer to line the nest with soft, pliable materials. I just aimed to cater to all tastes and it worked well.


I just ran out of the coco fibre/down/dried grass stuff I normally give them, so they started weaving newspaper in...  But my finches are NOT finicky, they literally will nest with anything that looks vaguely long, skinny, and fairly soft. They are society finches.


----------



## Bluetongue1 (Nov 22, 2017)

SpottedPythons said:


> I just ran out of the coco fibre/down/dried grass stuff I normally give them, so they started weaving newspaper in...  But my finches are NOT finicky, they literally will nest with anything that looks vaguely long, skinny, and fairly soft. They are society finches.


I used to know them as Bengalese. They are one of the hardier and easy to breed species. A bit like Zebra Finches, you start off with one pair and end up with an aviary full.

As I say, it’s been a long time since I kept but I have heard of providing machine shredded newspaper. You no doubt cut your own. If you know of a nearby produce store that deals with hay bales you can usually collect some of the spilt stuff with their consent. I have done this in the past (but not for finches). It will normally have a mix of thick and thin stems, depending on what was harvested and when. Hessian or hemp pulled out into strands and bits of an old (clean) cotton mop head unwound into single strands, can all be used for construction. Teased out bits of soft cotton cloth and the flower heads from pampas grass are good substitutes for feathers. There is other stuff but these I know have worked for various people. Just a few alternative backup ideas should you ever want to try them...


----------



## SpottedPythons (Nov 22, 2017)

Bluetongue1 said:


> I used to know them as Bengalese. They are one of the hardier and easy to breed species. A bit like Zebra Finches, you start off with one pair and end up with an aviary full.
> 
> As I say, it’s been a long time since I kept but I have heard of providing machine shredded newspaper. You no doubt cut your own. If you know of a nearby produce store that deals with hay bales you can usually collect some of the spilt stuff with their consent. I have done this in the past (but not for finches). It will normally have a mix of thick and thin stems, depending on what was harvested and when. Hessian or hemp pulled out into strands and bits of an old (clean) cotton mop head unwound into single strands, can all be used for construction. Teased out bits of soft cotton cloth and the flower heads from pampas grass are good substitutes for feathers. There is other stuff but these I know have worked for various people. Just a few alternative backup ideas should you ever want to try them...


No, I didn't give them newspaper... they ripped it from the poop tray underneath when I ran out of the hay/cocofibre stuff!  I do use the hay bales though, my guinea pigs eat them, and that's what the finches normally get. Thanks for the ideas, haven't tried them but I'll give them a go.


----------

