Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi! I just bought a pair of zebra finches from a pet shop a few days ago and have some questions that I cant find the answers to in books or online. Any help will be much appreciated

First off, they are a boy and a girl from the same clutch. I do NOT want any breeding going on, as they are related. Plus I dont know what I'd do with a whole bunch of baby birds and nowhere to go with them. I just want these blokes as pets. I dont have a nest or nesting material in there, but I've seen the male singing and jumping on top of the female. She seems to be enjoying it, but I heard that you shouldnt let them have babies too often. If she lays, I'll just dispose of the eggs, but will she still be healthy or will i have to separate them?

Secondly, the female is in fine form. She's larger than the male and has all her feathers (the only one at the pet shop that had them all). But my male is missing some feathers under his chin and he only has one tail feather left. I read that this could be because the pet shop houses too many birds together and they fight. He seems to be very active and healthy otherwise, I've observed them both bathing, preening (even eachother), and eating the cuttlebone and drinking and eating, and he sings constantly, a very intricate song. She doesnt seem to be bullying him, so are there any other signs of sickness i should look for in them? the other two finches at the pet shop didnt look very active or healthy. I've done everything to make them comfortable, I have spray millet and dried greens with the occasional apple slice in addition to food, vitamin supplements in their water, mineralized grit with calcium, a cuttle bone, a swing, a bath and two perches in a 15" X 15" X 24" cage.

Thanks much!

I am not an expert by any means, but since no one has answered your questions, I will try to help.

You will need to limit the female's egg laying. I have heard that you can replace the eggs with some fake ones of a comparable size. If you keep removing the real eggs and do not replace them, she will keep laying and that can be fatal. I have also heard not to give them a nest box or anything that can be used for a nest. However, I have also heard that they can lay their eggs in the food or water dish or on the bottom of the cage, so you will have to consider that fact.

Birds are really good at hiding illness, so by the time that you notice your male bird looking sick, he would probably be VERY ill. However, from what you have said, it sounds like he is doing fine. I would watch to make sure that he is eating and drinking. Some obvious signs of illness are lethargy, puffed up feathers all the time, and spending a lot of time on the cage floor.

You might consider getting a larger cage for them. I have heard that a minimum of 20 inches wide per bird is okay, so that would be about 40 inches wide. Finches need to fly to stay healthy. Other than that, your set up sounds good.

What are you feeding them for their regular seed/pellet food?

I have read that finches do not need grit in their diet, as it can cause impaction if they eat too much of it. Supposedly the cuttlebone takes the place of grit. So you might want to discuss this with your avian vet.

Are you exposing them to sunlight or using an artificial light to replace the sun and the vitamins?

Good luck with your new birds.

>>Hi! I just bought a pair of zebra finches from a pet shop a few days ago and have some questions that I cant find the answers to in books or online. Any help will be much appreciated
>>
>>First off, they are a boy and a girl from the same clutch. I do NOT want any breeding going on, as they are related. Plus I dont know what I'd do with a whole bunch of baby birds and nowhere to go with them. I just want these blokes as pets. I dont have a nest or nesting material in there, but I've seen the male singing and jumping on top of the female. She seems to be enjoying it, but I heard that you shouldnt let them have babies too often. If she lays, I'll just dispose of the eggs, but will she still be healthy or will i have to separate them?
>>
>>Secondly, the female is in fine form. She's larger than the male and has all her feathers (the only one at the pet shop that had them all). But my male is missing some feathers under his chin and he only has one tail feather left. I read that this could be because the pet shop houses too many birds together and they fight. He seems to be very active and healthy otherwise, I've observed them both bathing, preening (even eachother), and eating the cuttlebone and drinking and eating, and he sings constantly, a very intricate song. She doesnt seem to be bullying him, so are there any other signs of sickness i should look for in them? the other two finches at the pet shop didnt look very active or healthy. I've done everything to make them comfortable, I have spray millet and dried greens with the occasional apple slice in addition to food, vitamin supplements in their water, mineralized grit with calcium, a cuttle bone, a swing, a bath and two perches in a 15" X 15" X 24" cage.
>>
>>Thanks much!
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sue