Male Attacking Female? HELP!

[ShadowsCrest]

Hello!

I'm new to this forum and have so many questions of my Zebra Finches. I have different questions, but the most urgent one is of my male attacking my female.

Last month, I went over with my mom to her friend's house, and they had two Zebra Finches. They were a breeding pair, and the owner said that they had layed five eggs but pushed all of them out of the nest except one. She was going on a trip to visit her family and asked if I would like to take care of them. She said if I wanted them enough she would let me keep them, even when she came back. After asking my mom, we agreed and took the pair home. Soon, the female kept on laying new eggs but covered those. I found out that meant they had abandoned them. The female has layed four eggs right now, but something was weird to me. In a clutch, I learned that they lay one egg each day until the clutch is done, and only sit on them when the clutch is done. What was weird is that the female layed a egg, and sat on it. The male and female switched when one got tired, and then about two days later, she layed another one. She sat on both of them, and a few days later, the female had layed two more. I shrugged it off and didn't quite think it was going to harm anyone, so I let that go. Soon I noticed the nest was getting empty after the male kept removing or fixing the tissue paper in the nest. So I gave them some new tissue paper, and they added it to the nest, covering the eggs. I knew somehow this would happen.

Why did the female lay eggs on more than two days or more when the time is usually one day apart?
Why did the female and male switch to sit on the eggs when the clutch wasn't done yet?

After putting the tissue paper to make the new nest, the male had gotten very aggressive. Whenever the female tried to sit on the perch, on the nest, or anywhere near the male, the male would chase her away and make this irritated aggressive sound. They would peck each other on the beaks before the female got chased off. Her only way of getting away from him was to rest on the swing, or go to the ground, and then the male stopped. But the swing was a better get-away than the ground. This got me pretty ticked at the male, and I am thinking of seperating them. This happened in the past as well, however that was when they had eggs in the nest still, and I left it alone. They soon went back to normal. Now since the female can't even go in the nest without the male attack her aggressively, literally forcing her out of the nest, or flying at her to attack her when she is on the swing. As I type, the male still attacks her, and I can hear the male making that irritated aggressive sound. When I go near them they seem to be ok but as SOON as I leave the male attack the female and makes her go away. He will literally chase her around the cage. I honestly do not think I should leave this alone as I am worried the female will get hurt. Because of this behavior, the pair can't even have a new clutch.

Why is my male Zebra Finch doing this to the female?


HELP!!

[Sally]

Sometimes one individuaI bird will be more aggressive than normal, it just may be his personality. How big is the cage? Are there some plastic plants in there to give her some hiding places?

Zebras are notorious for burying eggs, that is not so unusual. When they build a nest, as soon as the hen starts laying eggs, take away all the rest of the nesting material, they don't need any more.

As far as the hen skipping a day, that also is not terribly unusual. It takes about 24 hours to form and lay an egg. Some species will start incubating with the first egg, some will wait till three or four eggs are laid, some will wait till the whole clutch is laid before they start to sit.

Welcome to the forum! There's lots of good reading at the Finch Information Center, linked at left, where there are many articles about Zebra finches and about breeding. If you put your general location in your profile, it makes it easier to answer locale-specific questions later on.

[MiaCarter]

Agreed with Sally.

You really do need to pull the nesting materials after the nest is finished and eggs are appearing. Mine will build forevermore if you let them!
I also have one bird who frequently skips a day when laying; another who sits on the eggs from day one.

As for the aggression, this tells me they're not a well-bonded pair. So I would remove the nest and let them bond better before you consider adding a nest and eggs to the equation.

Typically, with a well-bonded pair, they view it as "our" nest. Clearly, your male is viewing it as "my" nest.
It's possible the stress of the move also impacted them. A lack of confidence or insecurity can cause that "my nest"-ness.

This aggression, combined with egg tossing, tells me this couple isn't ready for parenthood. They need to bond and perhaps mature a bit more.

I also get concerned about their health when you mention 3 consecutive clutches. That's a lot of egg laying and it's depleting her body's reserves. This could also be a reason for skipping a day while laying.
So I'd make sure they're getting lots of nutrients.

[ShadowsCrest]

Yes, I have supplied them both with many minerals and calcium. I gave them a cuddle bone, along side spray millet. I also gave them this pineapple shaped calcium thing that I bought, but they don't seem to like it or touch it at all. I also got some grit for digestion. And what is odd is that they were both doing VERY fine together. They even cleaned eachother and cuddled. Now the male just wont let her get near him. It has been going on all day. And the male isn't very territorial of the nest. He just will try to attack the female whenever she hops off the swing. She can luckily get food and water, though. And the cage isn't that big, but they are comfortable in it. I have two large cages outside I have not used in years, so I am thinking of putting them in that once I make sure to clean it VERY well. And no, there aren't any plastic plants in there. I also gave them smashed egg shells, and the female ate it very quickly. She loved it! Just I'm confused on the behavior of the male. Also, can someone tell me what this noise they make is? It's not a regular noise, or a irritated one. It's when they both get along, or maybe it's a mating call or something. It sounds so cute. It's like a sqeaky toy sound, and they only make when they are comfortable with eachother and happy. Luckily I just heard it a few seconds ago. And thanks Sally for the welcome! ^^

[lovezebs]

ShadowsCrest
Hi.
Your girl might be ready to settle down and raise a family, while your boy just wants to mate.

[MariusStegmann]

Maybe you should make him a little less mobile. I has a black headed male canary that chased my lemon breasted male canary all the time. I caught him and spread the wings open and cut half of his outside wing feathers off on both sides. He still attempted to chase the other male, but lost a lot of speed. I don't know if this would work in a cage.

[ShadowsCrest]

Hi! Thanks for those answers! luckily, my male is now once more alright with my female. ^^ Turns out I just need to wait it out, and in time they became a good mated pair once more! ^^

[Istiak]

My male attacking the female zebra finch always.So i decided to separate them.But eggs still in the nest.Can female alone incubate them?
(sorry for bad english )

[Babs _Owner]

Istiak

yes she can. Welcome to the forum!