Zebra Finches Make Wonderful Pets

Zebra Finches have been one of the most popular cage birds for over one hundred years. When we bring them into our homes, they quickly become a treasured member of the family; stealing our hearts with their quirky personalities, beautiful colors and patterns, vibrant singing and their endless activity. They are also one of the easiest pet birds to care for and they are rather inexpensive. They make a cheery addition to any home.

Zebra Finches are so popular you can easily find them at your local pet store or from local breeders. When well cared for, these birds will maintain their happy quirky personalities through their lifespan of about seven to ten years with continuous song and activity.

Never buy a single Zebra Finch, always plan to buy at least two birds. Finch birds need to be socially active with other finches, preferably finches of the same species. Also be sure to purchase a cage large enough for your birds to reach full flight.

One of the wonderful things about these birds is the many different patterns and colors they can be found in. Usually, the male Zebra Finch will have gray wings and upper body with a white belly. Their legs and beaks are reddish-orange in color along with cheek patches of the same color on each side of its head. There are also teardrop markings under the eye that can be fawn, brown or tan. The flanks or sides which are located just below the wings of the male Zebra Finches are either chestnut colored or orange with white dots. Lastly, the male's chest is white and black striped like a zebra, which is how these birds got their name.

The female Zebra Finches are usually white in the belly with a gray upper body and wings. Their beaks and legs are a lighter color than the males, and the females do not have stipes. For the females, the teardrop mark right under the eye is black. Zebra Finches can be found in many varieties such as: Black Cheek, Black or Orange Breasted, Black, Fawn, Chestnut Flanked White and Pied.

In the wild Zebra Finches live in dry areas and consume mostly grass seeds. While seeds are still the heart of their diet even in captivity, you should also supply your finches with healthy foods from your kitchen.

Your birds will have different likes and dislikes, so you may have to experiment a bit to find out what they prefer. Offer your birds a variety of food items like chopped mixed vegetables, mashed boiled egg, sprouts, spinach, lettuce and bread crumbs. Be sure to keep the moist foods in separate dishes than the dry foods. Also do not offer your birds extreme items like peppers or cabbage.

Never leave moist foods in the cage with your finches for more than twenty-four hours. Remove any uneaten food to prevent spoilage and be sure to clean their dishes before providing them with a new dish of fresh food. Your finches need food and fresh water every day, so be sure to always keep their seed bowl full.

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Very Sociable Bengalese Finches

Centuries ago Japanese breeders bred the Asian Striated with the Sharptail Manakin and created this lovely breed. Bengalese finches are beautiful and truly unique because they are the only breed of finch to be completely man-made.

They have a lovely temperament making them one of the most popular breeds. They are only 11-12cm in length but need a lot space to fly about. Remember this when building an aviary or purchasing a cage.

Give them a dish about one inch high with about half an inch of water in it for bathing. Or you could have a small bath house attached to the outside which they can use whenever they like.

Bengalese finches come in pure white, fawn and white or chocolate and white. There are also crested forms that have been developed over many years that have ended up being tri-coloured.

One of the main causes of illness in finches is an unhealthy diet, so make sure they have a regular supply of fresh food and water.

They will eat parakeet seed mix or canary seeds. They will also eat other bird seed mixes. You can make this at home or pick up ready-made seed mix at your local pet store.

Add seed mix to some honey with a bits of apple as a treat. They also eat chickweed, spinach or other green foods.

Provide the Bengalese finches with cuttlebone it contains lime which helps digestion and calcium to keep their beaks strong. Calcium is also found in oyster shells or crushed eggshells, eggshells will help prevent egg binding during fertilization.

Grit with charcoals is also good for their digestion it contains trace elements and minerals. Sprinkle this on the cage floor or put it in a cup.

The 'Society finch' is the American name for Bengalese finches. The name fits them perfectly, they are very busy and entertaining but don't let this get in the way of the other breeds who might be trying to breed.

A lot of finches will attempt to get as many into a single finch nest as possible and won't stop until it is literally impossible for them to fit anymore in. This will be bad for the un-hatched chicks because too many eggs will not be taken care of. Monitor how many are in one nest box.

Also, as this is purely a domestic breed it means you will have to take-over the job of feeding, adults will do it but it won't be good enough. Remember to give them plenty of protein and calcium.

One of the main jobs is nail trimming. Make sure however that you don't cut into its vain because it will probably bleed to death. You can purchase powder to stop bleeding and also nail trimmers from most retailers.

Bengalese finches got the name 'Society finch' due to their very social nature. They are very domestic due to them being the only breed not from the wild, they are also non-aggressive but with a lot of energy and hardiness, making them a very popular breed.

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Breeding Finches

Choosing your finches

It was really a hard choice for me to choose a finch type to keep and breed. There are so many colors and varieties that I just wanted to have them all. This is not such a problem until it comes to breeding. It is a natural instinct for a pair of finches to want to breed. Finches like to have the aviary all to them selves at breeding time and many different types just don't breed well together.

Some types are easier to breed than others and I would suggest starting out with one of these types although it is important to choose a type that interests you. As long as you make a genuine effort to research the habits, dietary and nesting requirements of these birds before you purchase them then you have a chance of success.

The Breeding Aviary

The conditions in the cage or aviary will determine the success you are going to have in breeding. If your finches are not comfortable in their environment they will not breed. If they are suffering stress from threats such as predators or even other species sharing their space then you will have problems with breeding these birds.

The first consideration for the aviary is having a warm and dry area for your birds to breed in. If the aviary is full of drafts and wet your birds may not feel that this is a place they would like to breed. The second most important aspect of the aviary is having the space completely vermin proof. This may mean having a concrete footing around the perimeter of the aviary and making sure that there are no cracks that can make accessing the aviary possible by snakes, rats or even mice. If your birds sense any potential threat or danger they may not breed, or you may wake up one morning to find your birds have been eaten or killed.

Managing mixed aviaries for breeding

If you are going to try a mixed selection of finches try to pick species that are compatible and not overly intrusive or aggressive. You will have more success with breeding if you try not to over stock the aviary this will reduce competition for food nesting sites and any nesting materials that are around the aviary. If you are starting out with Zebra Finches or Society Finches as I suggest then you would be better to either stick with these breeds. Zebra and Society finches can be quite intrusive and prevent successful breeding of other more private finch birds. If you would like to try some other varieties it may be better for you to house them in a separate aviary.

I would suggest not starting out with too many pairs either as often they prefer to have the aviary to themselves. It seems no matter how big the aviary each pair is going to want the aviary to themselves. If you have a large aviary you could divide the aviary into sections with dividing walls separating the pairs for breeding and take down the walls at other times of the year. Different varieties will occupy different spaces in the aviary for breeding; some finch types like to occupy high positions for nesting while other like to have nests quite low to the ground so do your research and pick compatible pairs. By choosing pairs that have different requirements you may find they are more compatible for mixed breeding.

Getting your birds in peak condition for breeding

Normally you will feed your birds a dry seed mix that you can obtain from a pet store with fine grit, cuttlefish bone and fresh water, this is going to be sufficient for keeping finches throughout the year but this is not going to be sufficient for breeding most species. A natural diet full of live foods which include insects and worm as well as green seeds will need to be supplied daily to achieve optimum results. This is a more natural diet for a breeding pair of finches. These live foods can be collected from around your home or you might find them out even on the side of the road just make sure that if you are collecting grass seed that it has not been sprayed with herbicides. Finches love termites if you can get hold of some, or you may even be able to start up your own worm farm, this is also a great way to getting rid of the kitchen scraps.

Breeding Quality Finches

No matter which species you choose to breed, strive for quality. I doesn't matter if you choose the most common species to breed there are standard colors, and then there are color variations in each species that are very sort after by Aviculturists and that will be very valuable to you. Look for birds that exhibit good colors and size, or rare qualities that may be sort after in the community. It is important that you take the time to source quality birds to start breeding with right from the onset even if it means paying a little more. After breeding these pairs you may find you have to get rid of the birds that are not of a high standard, these you could sell as pets or you may even need to cull some in order to keep a high standard of breeding stock.

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Important Tips to Keeping Gouldian Finches

The Gouldian Finch is a variety of finch that is native to the Australian tropics. While it is endangered in its native region, and Australia has banned the export of native animals since the 1960's, there are still plenty of them available in the pet market.

Color: Gouldian Finches are considered one of the most colorful birds in the world. These brilliantly colored finches can have many different color variations. Their heads can be red, orange or grey. Their backs are blue or green, and their undersides can be white, yellow or purple. There are three naturally occurring color varieties of Gouldian Finches. There is the yellow headed (Poephila armitiana), the black headed (Poephila gouldiae), and the red-headed (Poephila mirabilis). While these are the three color varieties that are commonly recognized there are many other color combinations occurring amongst the species, which are derived from these original colorations including yellow and blue bodied mutations. The male is much more brilliantly colored than the female. The males also have a much longer center tail feather than that of the female.

Care: While Zebra Finches and Society Finches are very hardy breeds, and are very easy to care for and breed, the Gouldian Finches require much more quiet and stability in their lives. Novice bird owners with little or no experience with finches are not recommended to start with Gouldian Finches. Like some other types of finches, these finches do not like to be held or pet. If you want a bird that can be finger tamed easily, you should probably stay away from Gouldian Finches. Finches are social birds and should be kept in pairs. These finches can be easily disrupted from changes in their habitat, or by moving their cage. Frequent stress on these birds can lead to weakening of their immune system, compromising their resistance to certain diseases.

Cages:Gouldian Finches are very active birds. They require the largest flying area of any of the other finch species. While they only measure five to five and a half inches tall, they require a flying space of at least 20". Gouldian Finch cages can be made of either wood or metal, but preferably not brass, as the brass can be toxic to them. Keep in mind that many cages that look like brass, are not actually made of brass. The openings in the bars should never be more than about one half-inch, to avoid injury or escape.

Singing Gouldian Finches have a unique personality, a bouncy energy, and provide a beautiful background sound to their environment. While they have a lovely soft chirp, not all can sing. It is usually the male birds that sing, and some can sing better than others. Although Gouldian Finches require more care than some of the other finch varieties, the brilliant colorations and pleasant personalities can make the extra care worth while.

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