Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi Everyone out there
I have a concern here. My zebra finches are literally killing eachother. This morning there was blood in the cage. The male zebra finch has been trying to coax his female into the nest. They have one new fledgling and another two on the way. She refuses to get near the nest and have anything to do with this. Does anyone have any suggestions as to what I should do? Should I seperate male from female or vise versa. Will one parent look after the fledglings or will they throw them out. Or should I try to hatch the other two eggs on my own and raise them myself and how do I do any of this?

Signed: Desperately Worried.

I want to help you since no one has yet replied and you need help a.s.a.p. It sounds like something has stressed the female and it has made the male angry at her because shes not acting the way he wants her to and taking care of the young.I would take her out and put her out of earshot of the male and watch the male from a distance off and on to see if he is in fact feeding the young.As for the eggs, they are probably sadly already lost.When there is such a ruckus going on they dont get sat on properly for hatching.If he is not feeding them, and they are still strong you can try to do it yourself but if there is no major pet store in driving distance where you can get the supplies (hand feed formula, syringe or pipettes) then it is a lost cause.If so , give female a break for 2 weeks then reintroduce with new nest and let them try again, I have had the same problem and more with my birds.