Java's with Canary?

[Travillion]

Hello everyone,
Today I saw a group of yellow canaries at a local pet shop that seemed to be in relatively good health. I had never actually seen canaries up close and personal so I was thrilled to see these guys fluttering about. I was wondering if I could house one (or two) with my two Java sparrows. The Java's currently share a 5x4x2 (WxHxD) flight cage. If the answer is yes, what sex should I go for, or would it not matter? I will do more research on the species in the meantime, like sexing, diet and must-have supplies.
Thank you for any input,
Trav

[finchmix22]

Travillion
I don't have Javas, but generally, I wouldn't mix finches with the canaries (even though they are finches too, but larger) as canaries are mostly loners and do better on their own and are not usually good with sharing space.

[MiaCarter]

Hi Trav!

I'm going to play devil's advocate to Deborah's post.

Canaries *can* do very well with finches. Many people keep them together. (I don't personally have any canaries or javas at the moment, but I would certainly consider mixing them.) It really depends on the individuals' temperaments.

It sounds like you've got a lot of space which works to your advantage. They could easily have separate territories.

Most prefer male canaries as they're the ones who sing.
Hens are a bit more laid back generally speaking (but each one is an individual, so I don't put much stock in this sort of generalization. I focus more on the individual's temperament.)

My only concern would be ending up with the dreaded 3-bird combo. You could end up with 2 javas picking on the lone canary. Usually, canaries have a decent size advantage that deters others from picking on them, but not so much the case with javas as they're on the bigger end of the spectrum and may not be intimidated by the slightly larger size of the canary.

So you might do 2 canaries --- a male and female or two females. (You can do 2 males in rare cases; usually siblings who've grown up together and get along well. But generally, you don't want 2 males. And a male and a female means you could have possessiveness and breeding.)

As with all new combos, I would just watch carefully to ensure everyone is doing nicely. And be ready to separate if the need arises.

I'd also do some rearranging of the cage before you integrate to redraw any property lines so there's no territorial feuds.

[Travillion]

finchmix22 thank you for your warning Deborah. I do appreciate all feed back. A friend of mine (who got me into the hobby) keeps yellows and red-factors with all of her finches in a large aviary with great success. I mainly wanted to know if my flight cage size would be forgiving enough for a couple of canaries, just one or none at all. But as for any animal, it is always a chance you have to take before you truly know if things will work out or not.

@MiaCarter Thank you for your long response. The reason I went with Java's to begin with was because of their size. I think deep down inside, if I saw a canary I knew I would want to try it with my javas. I might just have to go back to the store, buy a few new perches, nests and foliage and bring home a pair of canaries then. They had yellows and 1 red factor. Should I go with the 1 red and 1 yellow or 2 yellows? Thoughts?

Also if anyone with canary experience can chime in, what is a reasonable price for a yellow or red-factor (CDN)?

[finchmix22]

Travillion@MiaCarter
Great suggestions from Mia. There is always a chance it will or won't work. I tend to "play it safe" in these situations. Let us know how it works. I'd vote for a red and yellow for the variety of color.

[MiaCarter]

Agreed with finchmix22. I also vote for 1 red and 1 yellow.

As for a price, it really varies according to region.
I've seen yellows for $75-150.
I've seen red factor for $100-250+

On the red factors, price seems to be really dependent upon the shade of red. The more orangey birds are less pricey; the richer red colors command a higher price. Though, of course, red factors are really impacted by diet. So it's possible you can enrich the color, especially if the pet store isn't feeding the ideal diet. They need lots of beta carotene and carotenoids. Lots of red veggies like carrots, red bell peppers, etc. There are also supplements.

Not sure if I'd call the upper end of those price ranges "reasonable". But people can certainly ask those prices.

[Travillion]

MiaCarter a 1/1 it shall be! They are all for $100. The red factor is faded, but I think with a high carotene diet and red veggies I can bring some more colour out of him/her. Hopefully the shop lets me handle them so I can sex them in the store.

[Zebrafincher]

Be careful with a male canary. They can be VERY aggressive. My male, Kevin, bosses the other two finches around, but they all have separate cages. He also needs to be supervised in Spring, as he gets very aggressive/amorous and will attack the other birds. I would not keep them in with other birds, even as large as Javas. Good luck,

Zebrafincher

[Travillion]

It is very interesting to hear everyones different opinions on the matter. Where my friend has successful experience with it, others do not. It really must all matter on the bird. I will try my best to sex out a 1.1 pair to sort of eliminate a testosterone overload from the male. Unless that won't matter, in which case I will just pick out two females. I believe the males have a distinguishable penal bump, whereas the females have an oval bare patch?

[finchmix22]

You can also watch them for a while and see if there are singers.

[Travillion]

http://www.finchforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=74&t=30252

Settled on 1 red factor for now. I believe she is female, no singing in the store or in the flight cage thus far.

[Sheather]

I have 2 javas and 2 canaries among a number of others. They don't share cages, but they share a free-flight room and do go into one another's open enclosures. I find both the canaries and the Javas to be equally pushy, and neither really picks on the other - if, say, a Java snaps at a canary, the canary snaps right back, so I don't worry about them. I also know, though, that Javas and canaries alike can be much more aggressive in a confined cage than in an open aviary type situation.

[Finchaholic]

I have 4 canaries mixed in with 3 gouldians, 2 orange cheeks, 2 bronze wing manikins and 2 societies. They all get along fine with no bickering unless someone gets to close, then theres some momentary chatter and one of them moves.
Here in central California, private breeders usually charge $35 to $50 for the yellow and orange, $75 for the reds. I even saw some gorgeous Parisian Frills on craigslist for $150 each.
A breeder friend told me to feed them lots of broccoli to bring out the red, but I havent tried it yet.