Hi! I've never owned birds before but I've been doing research beforehand. I'm thinking about finches! I'd like to get a flight cage at least 32' wide. And I want 2 of the same sex because I'm not interested in breeding. I think i'd like two females but will there be egg laying? How do I discourage it? Are females comfortable without nests? If I opt for two males, can they have a nest? I want them to be comfortable. Also I read varying reports on how long finches live? What has been your experience with their life spans? Thanks!
-
Welcome to Avian Avenue! To view our forum with less advertisments please register with us.
Memberships are free and it will just take a moment. Click here
I'm brand new and thinking of adopted finches. quick questions!
- Thread starter NavaTrace
- Start date
- Joined
- 6/6/20
- Messages
- 2,088
- Real Name
- Destiny
Excellent. Zebras are great little finches.
If you are worried about eggs/babies, getting two males would also be an option. No eggs to worry about and most guys do just fine together. These finches are also quite easy to sex, for most mutations which helps reduce the risk of accidentally ending up with a male-female pair.
As for your questions, females will lay eggs without a male present. They do not need a nest to be comfortable, so you can skip that. In fact, offering nests will encourage them to lay. For two males, the nest is not needed at all. I do recommend offering swings and platform perches for variety and comfort.
Not sure about average lifespan. I suspect it varies greatly based on level of care and genetic factors. Like parakeets, zebra finches often suffer from bad breeding practices. They are very prolific opportunistic breeders, so there is a lot of overbreeding and unplanned breeding of zebra finches, which can lead to health issues down the line.
If you are worried about eggs/babies, getting two males would also be an option. No eggs to worry about and most guys do just fine together. These finches are also quite easy to sex, for most mutations which helps reduce the risk of accidentally ending up with a male-female pair.
As for your questions, females will lay eggs without a male present. They do not need a nest to be comfortable, so you can skip that. In fact, offering nests will encourage them to lay. For two males, the nest is not needed at all. I do recommend offering swings and platform perches for variety and comfort.
Not sure about average lifespan. I suspect it varies greatly based on level of care and genetic factors. Like parakeets, zebra finches often suffer from bad breeding practices. They are very prolific opportunistic breeders, so there is a lot of overbreeding and unplanned breeding of zebra finches, which can lead to health issues down the line.
Thank you for your response and info! I think i was leaning toward females because I read that they are quieter. If I get a large enough cage, are finches comfortable spending the majority of their life in the cage? I don't know how I'd manage them flying through my house, if that makes sense? I also own one very docile cat , but i know that can spell trouble for the bird.
- Joined
- 6/6/20
- Messages
- 2,088
- Real Name
- Destiny
The birds should definitely not be let out, if the cat is in the room with them. Even a lazy cat is a potentially deadly threat to a finch or any bird. You would want to put the cat out of the room and make sure the door stays closed until the birds are safely back in the cage.
As for giving finches, out-of-cage time, it basically requires the same strategy as letting a parrot out, but with a little more patience and extra care to bird-proof the room and keep track of the littles. You will always need to bird-proof the space to the best of your ability before letting a bird out of its cage and allow yourself plenty of time to get them back inside the first time. Most finches will eventually figure out the routine and go back into the cage on their own, but the first couple of times are going to be a learning experience for both of you.
If you don't think that you will be willing or able to let your birds out of the cage, you should plan on getting the biggest cage possible. It will be their whole world, so it needs to be extra large. Opinions vary greatly on how much space a bird really needs if it is 100% cage-bound.
Personally, I don't think they make big enough cages to give birds enough exercise and freedom to fly. A lot of common cage sizes marketed toward small parrots/finches are not even big enough if you DO let your birds out every day. And for small birds you need to be extra careful about bar spacing - bigger cages will tend to have wider spacing which isn't appropriate for finches. You might look into indoor aviaries, if you have enough room. That can be a great option for finches. They will be safely contained and indoor aviaries can be quite large, providing decent space for flight.
As for giving finches, out-of-cage time, it basically requires the same strategy as letting a parrot out, but with a little more patience and extra care to bird-proof the room and keep track of the littles. You will always need to bird-proof the space to the best of your ability before letting a bird out of its cage and allow yourself plenty of time to get them back inside the first time. Most finches will eventually figure out the routine and go back into the cage on their own, but the first couple of times are going to be a learning experience for both of you.
If you don't think that you will be willing or able to let your birds out of the cage, you should plan on getting the biggest cage possible. It will be their whole world, so it needs to be extra large. Opinions vary greatly on how much space a bird really needs if it is 100% cage-bound.
Personally, I don't think they make big enough cages to give birds enough exercise and freedom to fly. A lot of common cage sizes marketed toward small parrots/finches are not even big enough if you DO let your birds out every day. And for small birds you need to be extra careful about bar spacing - bigger cages will tend to have wider spacing which isn't appropriate for finches. You might look into indoor aviaries, if you have enough room. That can be a great option for finches. They will be safely contained and indoor aviaries can be quite large, providing decent space for flight.
