Zebra Finch Advice

[phedgehog]

:)We have set up a small aviary this year with 2 Budgies, 2 finches and 2 canaries. Unfortunately one of the finches died. They were bought as a pair of males and were always together, so sadly he missed his mate.

To try and help we bought another 2 - a male and a female this time and I really hoped they would all sit together in their nest - but sadly no, the new pair are together and he is still alone.

Now I don't know whether to buy a single female mate or male mate for him - do you think they would bond. I hate to see him sitting on his own. If I buy another pair the same thing might happen.

I would be most grateful for any advice.

[kiwi]

Hi there

I'm no finch expert but as a general comment with birds I would buy him a lone female. Is there any chance you could seperate them into a smaller cage so they could bond before you introduce them back into the aviary?

I hope you find him a mate soon - do come back and let us know what you decided to do and how things are going, I'd love to hear what happened

[phedgehog]

Hi, Yes I think I will try and get him a lone female, although so far it seems they can only be sold in pairs, but I will keep trying and let you know.

Thanks for the advice.

[skyfeather]

I would also suggest you buy another lone female for your Zebra. They like to pair up and if you have one female and 2 males that could be a recipe for trouble in paradise. But 2 M/F pairs could fight for the rights to the nest OR they might all share laying eggs in it. It is always a complicated equasion when pairing up finches...especially Zebras.

Also it is usually not recommended have budgies in with fniches as they can be agressive and kill the finches or bite their toes off. If you have a really large aviary then it probably wouldn't be a problem but if they are in a smaller cage then one of them might have killed your Zebra. It would be hard to say not knowing your whole setup and how big your aviary actually is. Zebras tend to be more aggressive than other finches. The less room you have the more problems could arise especially once more babies are added to the mix.

Good luck...keep us updated!

[phedgehog]

I am trying to get a female finch for my chap and will keep them together separate from the aviary for a while to settle, then i will reintroduce them.

The budgies! I have noted what people have said about them, but to be honest I have seen no hostility between them, they are older and keep themselves to themselves. The aviary is not big - 6ft tall by about 5ft wide and 2ft deep - Hence we haven't got too many birds.

I thought maybe if I keep the new female and chap together and give them a nest, then once they have settled, I could put this nest in the aviary in the hope they will still use it.

I am very grateful for this website, its good to 'speak' to people with experience of birds. Most people don't understand what I am going on about.

Thanks.
Pauline.

[Liz]

Hey, looks like the advice is already distributed... ;D

I can say though, from experience, that it is better to be on the safe side by having extra nests for multiple pairs. Also, if you are going to be breeding, then please remove the budgies. I had a problem mulitple years in a row where the budgies (who were fine when the finches weren't breeding) would get jealous and pull finch babies from the nest and kill them. Budgies in general are pretty territorial when it comes to nests. (Even if the nest in question isn't theirs!) It would probably just be a lot safer to remove the budgies for a bit during breeding.

Good luck with getting everyone settled.

[laurie]

I agree with everyone else, Liz is right, when in a aviary always figure 2 & sometimes 3 nestboxes or baskets per pair..& dont be surprised if your once angelic birds turn into little boogers come breeding season lol its BPMS! (Birdie PMS) lol

[george]

Hi! I keep zebra finches and agree 100% with what everyone else has said. Get your male a girlfriend. Although he may have "paired" with his male friend, it would have just been as there wasn't a female in with them. They are socialbe little birds and will make do with whatever company they can get! Also, getting him another male friend would result in the one hen you have being picked on during breeding season, and that's never good!

And, without meaning to sound patronising... take the budgies out!! I had a 15X9ft avairy in my old house that was full of canaries and finches and quail... My neice got bored of her elderly budgie so I took it and put it in the avairy. It was fine, I guess it was too old to bother chasing the quick little finches around. But I worried it was lonely and got it a friend and I cannot even begin to tell you how much devisation the little s*** caused within a few days. They are NOT compatible. They may seem fine but one day there's a very real chance you'll go outside to feed them and find all but the budgies dead on the floor. I'm sure there are exceptions to the rule but I just wouldn't risk it.

[remacaj]

Have heard the news lately? Well, there's an observational study that has decided that homosexual couples develop hardy commitments to each other, at least in Zebra finches (Same-sex twosomes of finches form strong bonds). The goal of the study was to see if gender played a factor among animal species that partner for life. Are people just so paranoid about this ? Same sex friendships can be found everywhere, there's nothing wrong with that.

[zebra]

I have an issue. On Thursday night, I bought 2 out of the 3 zebra finches they had at the pet store. I love them so much that I wanted them to have a third one (in case one dies before the other, they'll have another one). So, I went back to the pet store last night and got the third one (also the smallest one). Put her (Lori) in with her sisters; an hour or so later, her tail feathers are gone. Then, I watch Andrea (the middle sister) poke Lori and Lori just moved over. So, I tried to lecture Andrea. Then, they all flew/played/chirped together. Later, I saw Lori with a mark (thin white line on her face). A little bit later, I covered the cage for bedtime but checked on them a little bit after that and saw a huge black and white mark on Lori's beak. I poured a little bit of water on it and a little bit of it washed away.

I have noticed Lori bumping into her sisters when flying onto the perch but not doing anything bullying.

Any ideas? I only had the first two for 4 and a half days, I didn't think they'd bully the newcomer that they knew from a smaller cage in the pet store. I'm getting a new cage tomorrow (if it gets delivered on time) that's twice as big as the current one. Will that solve the problem? Could Lori have just bumped into something and gotten that mark on her beak?

Any insight/advice would be greatly appreciated. It's killing me to think I brought a healthy, happy bird into a house to be bullied.

[zebra]

About an hour and a half ago, one of my zebra finches got her toe stuck in the nest. When she pulled it out, it was stretched out, out of position and partially black. She started resting on the uninjured foot and flying only. Now, it's less black, back in position and back to its normal size. She seems happier and standing more. I have an appointment with the vet in less than three hours. Should I cancel the appointment?