I receive many finch or bird related e-mails each day. Some are really good questions, showing that the owner generally wants to do what is best for their bird but needs a little help on the basics. Others are more advanced questions that need in depth answers and usually require several e-mails back and forth to straighten everything out. Then there are the questions that really only need a little common sense to answer. I do reply to all my e-mail to the best of my ability and when I don't know the answer I will point the person to someone who has more experience in an area than I do. Below are some of the more common questions I receive almost regularly. I've picked questions from each of my categories.
Can I house a Canary with my Finch?
Yes you can, but I do not usually recommend it. Canaries and Finches do have different dietary requirements just as many of the larger hookbill species do.
I know of people who do keep mixed aviaries of various Finches and Canaries. They may never have any problems with their birds either, but I do not recommend that the two types of birds be housed together.
It is also important to know the temperament of your finches and canaries in your aviary to avoid fighting.
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Can I clip my finches wings?
I have actually gotten this question via e-mail several times over the past year. My first reaction is "Why in the world would you want to do that?" I never actually say that in my replies but it has been tempting.
Some people seem think that if you clip a finch's wings and work with it that it will become tame like parakeets do. Who knows? Maybe they would. I would not want to risk it. Finches can not climb around the cage like hookbills do and without their ability to fly they would not be able to reach the perches, food, or water. In short, it would probably die before taming.
Finches are pretty birds. You look at them, they sing, they beep, and when you have a male and female together, you will get more of them. :) The only way to really tame a finch is to hand feed it yourself. I have a had-fed finch who is very friendly, very loving and she has run of the house. Having a tame finch is wonderful but getting her this way and just the task of keeping her alive as a baby was very, very hard..
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My finches are fighting and it's getting more violent, what should I do?
There is usually one aggressor, or one pair that acts as the aggressors in a colony or flock. Watch your birds for while to figure out which bird or birds is being the most aggressive and remove them. Once the aggressive birds have been removed there may be a little bit of lingering hospitality among the rest of the flock but that should calm down after a few days.
Also view my article Finch Behavior & When Finches Fight
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What size cage is best?
When it comes to small, more flighty birds like Finches and Canaries it's generally true; The bigger the better. Keeping a pair in a large flight or aviary is more room than they really need but they will definitely get plenty of exercise.
There are no set size guides. It's best to look for a cage that will allow your birds to fly from perch to perch. There are many cute little cages which most pet stores will tell you are perfect for finches, but I don't agree. They are cute, but too small. The few small cages I have, I only use to hold birds temporarily if they become sick or injured.
If you plan to house several types of finches in an aviary, then one cubic foot of space per bird is recommended. Slightly larger birds will need a little more space. Also not all species should be housed together because of the various temperaments of the species. Take time to learn about how your bird may react to another species before you add a new species to an aviary.
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What is "Star Gazing" or "Twirling"?
They are the same thing. It was originally called Star Gazing and recently also referred to as Twirling. The first time I ever witnessed Twirling first hand was in a Gouldian Finch. It is most common in Gouldians but it can affect other types of finches. No one can quite agree on what causes Twirling. It is either an infection, and injury, a genetic fault, or stress. It could also be the combination of several of those factors..
People think Twirling is basically the loss of the finch's equilibrium. The finch will appear to be frantically looking around itself, like it is panicked. The head will tilt side to side and even roll upside down and back up. Twirling is also degenerative and the finch eventually dies.
There is no treatment for this condition currently. There are many good theories, and some medicines that show signs of being effective but without truly knowing what causes it, it is very hard to treat.
Twirling is fatal because the finch eventually gets to the point it can not move without falling over. The finch will starve to death once the twirling has progressed this far. There is little more you can do to help other than keep the finch warm and comfortable.
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How do I know which is the Male and which is the Female?
Some species you can visually see which is the male and which is the female. Sometimes the sexes are different all year long and other species only look different during the breeding season. Other species look exactly the same and the only difference is that the male will sing or display.
Most people are only looking for a pet; in this case the sex does not matter much. Pick one that you like the best. If you have plans to breed I recommend you find a book about a few of the species you are interested in and learn about them, then decide which to buy..
Also view my article Visually Sexing Finches
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How do I know if my eggs are fertile?
The best way to find out is to candle the eggs. Handling eggs a lot is not good for the parents or the unborn chicks but the occasional peek can help determine if the eggs are fertile and when they will most likely hatch.
Candling an egg involves holding a light to the egg so you can see what the inside looks like. It really isn't very hard to do but you always take the chance that you will accidentally break an egg. When using a box nest that opens from the top or back, simply putting a pen light next to each egg will give you a pretty good look into them. If you use the small bamboo or grass/millet nests then you will probably have to roll the eggs out of the nest to look at them. I frequently use a plastic spoon to scoop the eggs out and to put them back.
Oil from your fingers can clog the small holes in the egg shell causing the chick to die. I strongly recommend you not handle the eggs much and wash your hands before touching them.
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The crop looks like it's gonna pop
This baby bird looks like it is about ready to pop. There is so much food in its neck pouches, it can't move!
(These 2 photos show a very well fed nestling. Photos taken a week apart from one another.) |
This is normal. It just means the baby is well fed and cared for properly. I have yet to actually see a baby bird pop. If you see a very full crop and are worried, wait a few hours and look again, it should look better.
Actually seeing a baby bird with nothing or very little in its neck sacs is a bad sign (unless the chick is only a few days old, they can not hold much in their crops at that age). The parents could either be under nourished themselves and are unable to feed the chick, or the parents could just be inexperienced.
- Under nourished: You'll have to add to the parents daily diet. I suggest more food for starters. Also add fresh greens,, egg food, millet, cuttle bone (or oyster shell), live foods, ect.. Whatever they will eat. And if they are picky eaters, add vitamin drops and other supplements to their food and water.
- Inexperienced: There isn't much you can do for this. All new parents have to learn sometime and sometimes it does cost the lives of a few clutches. Tho if you are determined not to lose these chicks you can always feed them yourself.
Unless some major trauma befalls the little chick, the crop will not pop when it gets full. Chicks that are still bald and very well fed have huge gorged crops. It actually is not uncommon. After the crop fills to capacity the chick will no longer be able to lift its own head. If the chick can not lift its head the parents can not feed it.
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What is "Dead in the Shell"?
Dead in the Shell is exactly like it sounds. The embryo dies at some point in development and fails to hatch out of the egg.
Bacteria can cause an embryo to die at any stage of development. The shell itself is full of small holes which allow moisture, air and even bacteria to enter. This is why nests should be cleaned out thoroughly or replaced between clutches.
Low humidity in your bird room can also cause the chick to die shortly before hatching. Without proper humidity the fluid protecting the chick will dry and become sticky. Sticking to the shell and not being able to rotate will trap the chick inside the egg and it will die.
If the parents stop incubating or get chased off the nest repetitively, the embryo will get cold and die.
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I've got an aviary with 15 finches, I've added nests and they are pairing off, How do I keep track of who is related to who when the babies start coming?
It is not always as easy when they are all in the same flight or aviary.. Watching them closely is the best way to know who has paired up with who.. I personally like to supply my aviary birds with a large pile of nesting material and watch them working on their nests for an hour or so. Doing this I can see clearly which male has claimed with nest and often the mated females will help the males in nest building.
I also suggest you check on the birds shortly after dark. Using a small flash light you can peek inside the nest and see which birds are sleeping together. Shortly there after eggs will appear and in a few weeks, babies..
Once the babies leave the nest all bets are off unless you have all different species and/or color mutations so they all look very different or you have banded the babies..
I prefer the banding method because I raise mostly pieds and baby pieds look a lot alike until their first molt.. Just remember to band them before they leave the nest.
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My hen won't stop laying eggs! What do I do?
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| Calcium Plus - A good Calcium & Vitamin D3. Ideal for breeding season to maintain a hens health.
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The first thing you can do is to remove the nest if there is one. The hen may start laying eggs in the food dish or floor at this point. Next you can remove either her or any other birds she is with so that she is alone. If that is not enough you may need to move her away from all the other birds so she can no longer see or hear them.
Sometimes even doing everything listed above will not help and the hen will continue to lay eggs. All you can do at this point is to leave some of the unfertile eggs in the cage with her and allow her to incubate them for a few weeks.. Sometimes that will reset her internal clock and she'll get on a more regular cycle of resting and laying.
Hens which lay eggs constantly are at risk for malnutrition and calcium deficiency which can lead to egg binding and death.
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Why are my finches eggs not hatching?
With a question like this I always have to start with the basics
1) Are you sure you have a male/female pair?
2) are they incubating the eggs properly?
Normally the response I get is Yes to both..
If you do have a male/female pair and they are sitting on the eggs well then they could be a bit young to breed. Of so, I'd remove the nest for 2 months then let them try again.
You could also easily have an infertile bird, or if they are a brother/sister pair the chicks may be dying before they hatch, a common problem with inbreeding. The solution here is to get different mates for them.
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I have an large aviary and was wondering if I can keep a pair of cockatiels or parakeets in the same aviary?
I'll have to say no.
I know if the aviary is large enough people have kept hookbills with finches, but I've never seen them living happily together myself. I usually get called in to find out why finches are dying suddenly only to get there in time to watch a hookbill grab the little finch and pull it apart in one quick attack. Very ugly thing to witness..
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| Feather Fast - For birds experiencing a hard molt or have poor feathering. Feathers regrow quickly and vibrant.
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Will plucked feathers re-grow?
Yes over the next few weeks unless the bird is ill or has been plucked too often. Excessive plucking damages the skin and may cause it to harden which will prevent any future feather growth.
Feather Fast can help to regrow feathers.
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Do finches need mineral grit?
No. The minerals are nice, but grit can cause problems unless the finches were raised eating it.. You can give them oyster shell or other mineral blocks, they work much better for finches.
If your finches were raised with mineral grit and have never had any problems with it, there is no need to stop giving it. I suggest people not suddenly start giving it to their finches if they have never had it. When finches find something new to eat they tend to gorge themselves on it the first few times, this is where the problem can arise.
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| Moth Trap - Kills Seed/Flour Moths with no harmful pesticides! "I was surprised at how well these traps work." -Myra
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How do I get rid of seed moths? Are they dangerous to my birds?
Granted seed moths are annoying little pests, but they are far from dangerous. Just put the bag of bird seed in your garage or refrigerator. The cold will keep them from hatching. If they are in the garage, well at least they aren't inside the house. Use traps to catch the ones flying in your home. I suggest you do a trap and kill them tho. If they lay eggs before they die, you'll have a lot more little moths in the months to come.
If you freeze the seed for awhile it may even kill the little bugs.
When should my finches eggs hatch if they are fertile?
Depends on the species. 10-20 days, average is 13 days from the start of incubation. The start of incubation is not the same time you see the first egg. Incubation usually starts after the last egg in laid.
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I have a small child who would like a pet bird. Which do I get, a finch or a parrot?
I'd suggest a parakeet. And always supervise your child and bird while they are together.
A finch isn't something he could pet or handle. A parakeet will sit on his finger or shoulder if you work with it.. Parakeets can bite tho, so please pick up a book about parakeets and training them before you buy one.
Larger parrots like Conures can have quite a bite, especially when they are 'teething' and will chew on everything. I worry about small children's fingers being severly bitten. Parakeets usually make the best starter birds with small children around.
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What is the best hardware cloth for finches (zebras)?
Stainless Steel 1/4 inch is best. Stay clear of anything with lead or anything that may rust
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Can I use dryer lint for nesting material?
It's not recommended you use dryer lint. Not only does it have fine hairs which can entangle a finch, but it'll usually have a little fabric softener and possibly washing soap in it. It's best to use other materials like grass, burlap, Kleenex, etc.
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