Zebra & Society Finch Compatible Companions?

[forestfox]

Hello Everyone,

I am new here, and I was guided here by @Atomiklan to seek out some advice regarding his society finch, Atticus, and my zebra finch, Boo.
I have a fair amount of experience with birds, having raised a couple of wild birds and also rehabbing several abused/neglected parakeets. A friend of mine messaged me recently about her Zebra Finch. She was about to move across the country in a matter of days and had desperately been trying to rehome him with no luck when she remembered my history and connection with birds. I have always admired finches, but have never had them in my care before, so I made sure to do plenty of research about them before I told her I would take him. I drove 2 hours away to pick him up, and now he's been with me for a little over a week. His name is Boo, as in Boo Radley. Boo was born to two zebra finches that had been given to my friend originally by someone else. He had 5 brothers, all of which unfortunately did not live long, and his parents passed as well. My friend guessed Boo to be about 4 years old. He's a sweetie, but is not tamed and was not hand raised, so he is pretty afraid of people. He has not had a companion since his brothers died and he has never had a mate. He's very energetic and chatty, but I can definitely tell that he is lonely. So, I began my search for a companion for Boo earlier this passed week, looking everywhere online that I could; adoption sites, breeder sites, and I have asked local pet stores. I finally came across a listing online posted by @Atomiklan about his hand-raised society finch, Atticus Finch. Once I saw the name, I immediately felt like it was kismet that I found the listing; Boo Radley & Atticus Finch, seems meant to be. Andrew and I have had some really pleasant exchanges through email, and I would really love to give little Atticus a forever home, and for he and Boo to become companions. So now comes my question for all you experienced finch owners on here:

Will Atticus and Boo make good companions for one another? I have been reading that society finches can live pretty comfortably with zebras, but I am wondering if it makes a difference if its only the two of them, being that they are both males. I would really hate for there to be aggression between the two of them, I know this may be the case with two male zebras, but I am not sure if the same applies to two males of a different species. I have an adequately sized cage for the time being, though I am planning to purchase an aviary for my screened-in porch, and when I am home I plan to leave the indoor cage open anyhow so they can come and go as they please, which would provide them space from each other when/if they need it. Additionally, it would be my hope that perhaps Atticus, being hand raised, would encourage Boo to be trusting of me and humans in general. @finchly , Andrew also specifically suggested to tag you for advice on this since you already know and understand his reasons for rehoming Atticus. Any advice or opinion you could give would be greatly valued! Same goes for anyone else's input! Thanks in advance

Christian

 

[Monaco]

Excellent cast of characters coming along! I suspect that everything will go well in the larger cage options. Keep two regular sized flights in case they can't get along while confined together.

 

[Cynthia & Percy]

I have raised zebra and society finches I believe they should be able to be together after quarantine and 60 days when you want to cage them together use a new cage or take out the bird that is in the cage and rearrange it so that it’s not its territory anymore

 

[taxidermynerd]

I will tag @finchly for you, as she has a lot of knowledge about finches

 

[Hawk12237]

I will tag @finchly for you, as she has a lot of knowledge about finches

I was going to too, @finchly is the best there is on finches.

 

[finchly]

Here I am! Gosh, the things you miss when your body clock chooses a child’s bedtime.

First off Forestfox, welcome to the Avenue. We hope you’ll stay and become part of the family.

Chances of the two getting along are anybody’s guess. Many people keep 2 male zebras with success, but Atticus Finch (love the name!) has already learned that he can be pushy. So it’s going to depend on Boo’s reaction.

As @Cynthia & Percy mentioned, you need to introduce them to a new cage or completely rearrange the cage one is living in when you bring in #2. That will cut down on territorial behavior. I would also put in some fake plants (I string them across the cage top using twist ties) so they can hide from one another during the stranger danger phase.

Next, expect some bickering while they try to establish who’s boss. The term ‘pecking order’ must have originated with zebras!

Once all the drama is over, they’ll probably only peck/chase occasionally.The idea of an aviary makes me think they will become buddies since they’ll have plenty of room to call their own. They may each choose a specific spot that is “Mine!Mine!” To bicker over, and otherwise act like a bonded pair.

 

[Atomiklan]

Thanks everyone for the input and the replies. I think Christian is going to be a great new parent for Atticus. Looking forward to reading any other fantastic suggestions to help Atticus and Boo get to know each other. Working on setting up some time for Christian to come pick up Atticus. Thanks again!

 

[forestfox]

Thank you everyone for all of your replies and your welcoming words! I'm so excited to know that Atticus and Boo should get along nicely if given the space needed, and that they may eventually act like a bonded pair as @finchly said. Luckily, I do have two cages that they can live in separately for now until I move them both into the new indoor aviary. I decided to order two aviaries, one for inside my home and one for my screened-in porch. The one I keep on the porch will only be for daytime during nice days. I'll make sure to provide different nesting areas for them in the new aviary once I move them over.
Any other suggestions and information anyone wants to share are very welcome, as @Atomiklan said! I am still learning with finches, and I'm sure I will have other questions once Atticus is here and he and Boo are starting to interact. Appreciate the help!

 

[finchly]

No nests! That’s where the trouble starts.
They can sleep on perches; no need for nests.

 

[forestfox]

Oh okay! Thank you @finchly - did not know that!

 

[finchly]

Oh you're in SC.... where? I went to college in Spartanburg - Converse College.

 

[jh81]

Zebra’s get along with everyone they are gentle little creatures! They are also very easy to care for.. if you have a pair, throw in some seeds and before you did a full circle turn arround you’ll have 100! I eventually gave our Zebra’s away because there was no stopping them from procreation, even without nests they would just nest in the bottom corner

you can even keep them outside permanently just make sure they have some shelter against hard wind and rain, and they can be outside almost the whole year round. Myself i have always chosen to lock them inside when freezing got a bit too harsh though.

 

[forestfox]

Oh you're in SC.... where? I went to college in Spartanburg - Converse College.

I live in Murrells Inlet, about 30 miles south of Myrtle Beach; an hour or so from Charleston!

 

[forestfox]

Zebra’s get along with everyone they are gentle little creatures! They are also very easy to care for.. if you have a pair, throw in some seeds and before you did a full circle turn arround you’ll have 100! I eventually gave our Zebra’s away because there was no stopping them from procreation, even without nests they would just nest in the bottom corner

you can even keep them outside permanently just make sure they have some shelter against hard wind and rain, and they can be outside almost the whole year round. Myself i have always chosen to lock them inside when freezing got a bit too harsh though.

Thanks for the info! During colder months I will definitely keep them inside, but the weather has been nice right now, so I think they'll enjoy having some time out there. I love the idea that a male and female will mate for life, but I have been leery of the baby situation. We will see what happens in the future, but for now I am only comfortable with having two finches, and that's how I landed on looking for a male friend for Boo. Good to know you've had a good experience with zebra's temperaments

 

[Cynthia & Percy]

I live in Murrells Inlet, about 30 miles south of Myrtle Beach; an hour or so from Charleston!

Not to take away from the theme of this thread but I used to be station at myrtle beach and My son was born there 46 years ago

 

[finchly]

Been there many times! Lucky you.

 

[forestfox]

Been there many times! Lucky you.

Lol! It's a nice and quiet place to live
I grew up in the Myrtle Beach area, but I enjoy being more away from there, it's too busy for me. Murrells Inlet gets busy too, but not as bad. Much calmer and a nicer area, in my opinion.


@Cynthia & Percy That's awesome!

 

[Atomiklan]

So funnily enough, I was born in Myrtle Beach as well

 

[Atomiklan]

You will have to update your thumbnail to Boo and Atticus perching together once you come pick him up (well once they are together after quarantine), or at the very least upload an image to this thread so we can all see them snuggled up together

 

[forestfox]

You will have to update your thumbnail to Boo and Atticus perching together once you come pick him up (well once they are together after quarantine), or at the very least upload an image to this thread so we can all see them snuggled up together

Oh wow! Its a small world we live in, isn't it? Had no idea you were born in Myrtle

I absolutely will both change & post the picture(s)! I can't wait! I hope they are the best buddies!
I've been preparing for Atticus's arrival already
I put together the two aviaries I mentioned to you, one is on my porch and one in my house. I'll take pictures and post them when I get a chance, they're quite nice and were pretty affordable on Wayfair.