There is a note of caution I would like to convey with you all about buying female finches who are 'with egg'; sometimes called pregnant but that is a very inaccurate term if you want to get technical.

Most people who buy these mated females do so thinking they will lay eggs shortly, incubate, and raise a clutch of babies. That works about 5% of the time. The rest of the time you end up with abandoned eggs or a dead female.

Animals such as cats and dogs that birth live young have a very strong instinct to care for the helpless, wiggling, crying, babies. The young can't be easily ignored. Also cats and dogs have been around humans for thousands of years, they adapt to the strange things we do very quickly. Many seem to think the finch is a tamed bird, it isn’t. They are still very wild.

Birds, especially small flighty finches, stress out very easily when moved from one home to another. They require days if not weeks to adjust to their new home. When they are stressed they may not eat, drink, or sleep correctly which weakens their immune systems and stresses all their internal organs. The goal of bringing home a new bird is to make the change as comfortable as possible.

Now if a mated female who is within days of laying her eggs is moved and becomes very stressed by the move plus the stress of forming that egg within her, she will probably have a great deal of trouble passing that egg. As we all know, if the egg isn't passed the female finch will die within a day or two.

If the egg is passed even if she's stressed from the move (you have one very lucky female), do you really think she'll take the time to sit on the egg? She'll be spending most her time getting used to the new surroundings, all the new sights and sounds must be analyzed for potential danger. So the eggs will grow cold and never develop into an embryo.

Compounding all this stress will ultimately take a toll on her over all heath and longevity. So please, before you buy a female finch, find out how old she is and if she's getting ready to lay eggs.

As a side note, males also become very stressed during a move, but because they don't have to deal with laying eggs they usually do better over all..

Article © Myra Markley 2001

Top of Page

Your Name: Your E-Mail:	Friends Name: Friends E-Mail: