Male being bullied?

[midash]

Hi all

I have recently purchased two pairs of finches - two males and two females, from the same aviary shop. They were kept separate in the shop (Males + females).
They are in a large cage that is plenty big enough for all four birds to live together. I have two nest boxes in the cage, on either side.

Since bringing them home, I've noticed that one of the males seems to be being bullied by the other 3. Is this normal behaviour, or am I misjudging it?
I noticed that at night, M1+F1+F2 all cuddle up on a perch together, but M2 is on a lower perch by himself.

Similarly, when I go in the cage to change water etc, I noticed that M1,F1 and F2 seem to be attacking (pecking, or lunging at) M2.

They are all around the same age as the shop said, but M2 is perhaps a little smaller than the others.

Is there anything I can do to help stop this behaviour and perhaps help them get along, or should I just leave them alone and it'll sort things out.

I'm a new Finch owner, and everything I've read so far hasn't given any indication as to what is happening.

Thanks in advance!

 

[expressmailtome]

Welcome! What types of finches are they? This could be common in some species while uncommon in others. Nest boxes stimulate breeding behavior and hormones which can increase aggression. With most species of birds if you are setting up multiple breeding pairs separate cages are required for each pair.

 

[fashionfobie]

Zebra finches do best either as a single pair or a group of 6+. It is common for groups of 3,4 or 5 to fight sometimes severely.

If you have a large flight cage or aviary, adding some more birds may balance things out. However do make sure that new birds Go through a quarantine period before you introduce them to the flock.

 

[midash]

Oh thanks so much! I don’t think it could handle 6, what do you think?
I’d be happy to add another pair to stop the fighting.

this morning I found a tiny little egg in one of the best boxes. The bullied male and one of the females were sleeping in it first thing which was lovely to see!

(since the photo I’ve separated the nests, one on either side of the cage)

 

[midash]

Welcome! What types of finches are they? This could be common in some species while uncommon in others. Nest boxes stimulate breeding behavior and hormones which can increase aggression. With most species of birds if you are setting up multiple breeding pairs separate cages are required for each pair.

Thank you! I think they are zebra finches. Three are plain white and brown, and another is black and white.

I

 

[fashionfobie]

The cage in the photo you shared is too small for finches, for their permanent home at least. Unfortunately that cage is suited at best to be a travel cage. I don't know why pet stores always undersell the space birds need. It is a real shame. If I were in your shoes I would look at upgrading the cage before you get more birds. I would also remove all nests, to help reduce conflict until you get more space. My last tip is to add more enrichment so that the birds have more to do. Finches love ripping up natural leaves. They also do peck at toys and the like. They are pretty smart birds, and like to keep their minds busy.

I will share a picture of my finches cage. I keep two finches in this flight cage. The foot print is 95cm Wide x 63cm Deep.

 

[midash]

That’s great advice, thank you so much.

oh god now I feel really awful! The shop told me that the cage I bought was absolutely big enough for the birds and they’d be absolutely fine in that.

I deffo want to give them a much larger home now that I’ve seen yours. I’m going to look at options to build my own I think, then look at adding another pair eventually.

I think I may even use yours as a basis for the design, talk about cage goals!!