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First time owner of 2 canaries. Help appreciated.

cinnamonpc

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Mandy
Hi Everyone,

New to this thread, and a proud owner of 2 canaries - 1 male & female, named Cinnamon (red factor) and Pinecone!

Now, I have them all set up in a large cage. Here are the specifications, if that helps:


Specifications:

Material: painted iron, plastic

Overall dimension (with top opened): 18 x 14 x 64’’ (LxWxH)

Overall dimension (with top closed): 18 x 14 x 59.5’’ (LxWxH)

Cage size (with top closed): 18 x 14 x36.5’’ (LxWxH)

Door size:1.8 x 11.5’’; 4 x 4.5’’ (WxH)



Now, the male seems quite well-adjusted. He was initially plucking at the female's feathers when I had them in a smaller cage for transport. Now, he's happy, singing. He does bug the female a bit, trying to mate with her.

However, it's the female I am concerned about. I initially thought she was hopping around to avoid the male's advances. She continues to do this repetitive behaviour of jumping from one levelled perched to the other. Very much in an OCD-like manner. I thought I could resolve the behaviour by readjusting one of the perches lower down. This didn't work much - she just bounches from the cage to perch - back and forth. The only thing that distracts her is stopping for a bite of food. She also likes to pick away at the cuttle bone, and another natural wooden perch set up.

I have a bird bath in the cage, a swing which they enjoy. I got seeds, corn on the cob, broccoli as fresh veg.

I have a mirror toy in transit, and an enclosed bird bath on the way. They are set up in front of a window. What can I do to help this behaviour - will she adjust?




Thanks,
Concerned canary owner.
 

Pixiebeak

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Hello and welcome to our group!
Congratulations on your new additions!

I've not ever kept canaries...

A picture might help better.

Length is generally better than hight. I think this 18 inches long sbd 14 inches wide is to narrow. A flight cage for budgie might be better they are generally 32-34 inches long and 20-24 inches wide with height between 54-62 I think....


White kind of perches? If they are all dowels you will need to swap out with some different shapes and diameter.
 

Sparkles99

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Welcome!

I thought the same thing. Birds prefer length.

Oh, & I love their names. :heart2:
 

WillowQ

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Some canaries are hoppier than others. And she’s adjusting to her new environment. She’s going to be super alert and more active.
 

cinnamonpc

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Mandy
Thanks for your replies.

Here they are. I do think you are on the money about a long cage. For space purposes in my home, I am hoping this one will suffice as it's pretty tight.

I'll keep a close eye on her behaviour, and hopefully she will settle. She eats a lot, chatters with the male, and often is seen eating from him.

I'd love to get to a point of letting them out of the cage, but as a new owner, I will pace myself and do some more research first.

If you have any input as to cage setup, I'd love to hear it!
 

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Sparkles99

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I’d remove the long dowel perches & replace them with short, natural perches. It’d give them more space & be better for their feet. You may see the hopping due to the upper airspace being filled with wall to wall perches.
 

cinnamonpc

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OK Thanks. I'll give that a try! They do enjoy sleeping on the upper perch, so maybe I'll replace the lower second one.
 

Sparkles99

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Birds always go for the highest perch, so if you put something else there they’ll use it.
 

Tyrion

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