My love for animals began as a child. I don't ever remember a time in my life when caring for a "critter" of some kind wasn't a part of my daily routine. Animals are part of who I am, and I would be incomplete without them! My "Lil' Bit of Everything Farm," as my kids call it, consists of horses, miniature horses and donkeys, chickens, ducks, geese, zebra finches, parakeets, button quail, and of course dogs and cats. And, when my husband isn't paying attention, I'll probably add something else soon!
I started raising zebra finches approximately 20 years ago when I bought a group of birds of various colors from Garrie Landry. After a couple years, I found that Florida Fancies were my favorite and focused my attention on this mutation. I improved their size by incorporating English birds to my flock. I also began to add the Phaeo gene to my FF's. The effort I put into improving my birds over the years paid off. The impressive size and confirmation of my birds was acknowledged by Garrie when he began advertising the "Ragas Florida Fancy" as some of the largest FF's he had ever come across. Then came Hurricane Katrina in 2005! I lost my home and community, but I was lucky enough to save my birds, thanks again to Garrie Landry. Katrina put me out of the bird business for over three years while my family and I rebuilt our lives and relocated to a safer area of the state.
In 2008, I was settled and able to return to raising zebras. Although my favorite mutations still remained the Florida Fancy and Phaeo, I added Orange Breasted, Black Faced, and Black Breasted birds to my flock in the attempt to add the most orange color possible to my FF's. The mutations mentioned above are still the main colors I work with to date. The addition of English sized fawns and greys will serve to improve the size and confirmation of my birds. Through larger breeding stock and selective pairings, I am constantly striving to further improve my birds with each generation.
My Breeding Stock
I breed my birds as individual colonies in large flights. Rarely do I cage breed. I have been very successful in this method of breeding. Pairs of similar colors/ sizes are grouped together and allowed to choose their own mates.
A SELECTION OF SOME OF MY
CURRENT ZEBRA FINCH MALES
FROM LEFT TO RIGHT
Lightback, Black Breasted
Florida Silver, Triple Orange Florida Silver (BBBFOB Florida
Silver)
Prices
“All prices determined by color and size of the individual bird.”
You may contact me directly by email for more info on available birds.
Laura Ragas
Goldie0088@aol.com
Payment & Shipping Policy I accept PayPal (if you choose this method of payment, there is about a 3% additional charge), direct bank payments, or check/money order. Checks must clear the bank before I can ship the birds.
All shipments are made via USPS Express Mail in approved Live Bird shipping boxes (Horizon). Shipping cost will be quoted according to your zip code plus $10.00 for the shipping box.
What About Guaranteed Live Delivery? If you choose to ship birds by mail vs. the more expensive airline delivery, you agree to some acceptance of the risk involved in the birds live arrival. I cannot be held fully responsible for losses when perfectly healthy specimens are shipped. It is a risk that you must be willing to accept. I have no problems shipping birds by mail and I am confident they will arrive in good shape, but if any losses do occur, then we share the losses together and arrive at some acceptable settlement for replacing the birds. Photos of any losses need to be taken immediately, showing the band number for identification. I cannot refund your purchase price, but I am willing to send replacement birds.
How To Order
Please call or email me with your order to confirm that the birds you want are available and to determine the exact shipping cost. Be certain to indicate the types of birds you are ordering and the cost of the birds. Your name, complete address with zip code and a telephone number must be included. I will email or call you to confirm shipping and will also provide you with an express mail label number, allowing you to track the progress of the package when in route. This tracking number is essential to have if the shipment is delayed for any reason.
Contact:
Laura Ragas
Goldie0088@aol.com