Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've had a male finch for about a year. The female we got with him died after laying and hatching an egg. A second female we got after a few months also died. How can I prevent this happening again? How do I know if the female is sick?

Did the new female also die after laying eggs? It takes a lot of energy and nutrients for birds to successfully raise young. You need to make sure your birds are in tip top shape before letting them breed. I would first check their diet. Birds, even finches, need fresh food daily, egg food (especially when rearing young), seeds, and pellets if you like (all ours get pellets). Signs of stress in birds are inactivity (sitting in one spot in the cage or on the bottom of the cage), being fluffed up, abnormally colored droppings (keep in mind the droppings will resemble what they eat in color). The new female could have died from egg binding as well. That's when an eggs gets lodged inside the female. If she doesn't pass the egg then she will die. If your second female was sitting in the nest a lot, or if you had seen them mating, it's a possibility. The only way to really know why your birds died is to get an autopsy (or whatever they call it in birds) done.

There could be a million different reasons why they died, but given that 2 hens died and your male is still alive I would guess it's a breeding issue. I would suggest doing a lot more research before and if you decide to breed again. If you do not wish to breed your finches you can always get your male another male to keep him company. They do need companionship, but it can be one of the same sex. Also, don't forget to quarantine your new bird for about 30 days. This will ensure it doesn't pass on any illness. Hope this helps.