new finch getting beat up

oceanic17 · Post by **oceanic17** » Sat Mar 31, 2007 6:35 pm

I currently have two finches. One male one female. Here's the story. My friend has a pair of finches and they bred. I took a female from them because i didn't want inbreeding. After living a few months on its own, i got it a male partner. However in one month, one day i found him hiding in the nest all day and when it came out it was dying. I couldn't save him because my parents weren't home if i could take him to the vet and by the time they did get home he was dead. However during that month, the finches looked like they were about to breed and they were fixing up the nest and everything. The day after the finch died i decided to get another but now the FEMALE, yes the female is chasing the male all over the cage. I've tried changing the territories and cleaned out the nest (no eggs) but they still are fighting. Currently i put a divider in the middle to separate them. Any other options?

Post by **Sally** » Sat Mar 31, 2007 6:56 pm

What kind of finch do you have? Some finches can be very territorial. Also, some finches won't accept the mate we have chosen for them, they just don't get along. And some female finches are bigger bullies than the males!

You have done the right thing in separating them. I would leave them separated for some time and let them get acquainted thru the bars. When they seem to be getting along better thru the bars, you can try it again, but give them time to settle down for now. Sometimes they never do bond with each other, and you just have to find another mate.

oceanic17 · Post by **oceanic17** » Sat Mar 31, 2007 7:38 pm

Oh yeah i forgot to mention what type of finch.

They're zebras. How long should i keep them separated?

Post by **Sally** » Sun Apr 01, 2007 10:45 pm

I'd probably leave them separated for a couple of weeks, at least--let them get acquainted thru the bars, and if you see them starting to interact, then you could put them back together. But when you do, keep an eye on them--they can do some damage pretty quickly.