Zebra family fighting contantly!!!!!!!!

[magna_elite]

Hi everyone. I know there are heaps of existing topics about fighting and squabbling and I have read as many as I was able to search on, but it all just ended up with contradictory and conflicting information...which just left me even more confused.

OK here's the scenario. I have an aviary W100 x H71 x D35 inches with 13 zebra finches in it. Two are parents, and the other 11 are their offspring over a few clutches. Since the last clutch have all fledged I have removed all nests as I don't want them to breed anymore, let alone start having siblings inbreeding! 13 birds is enough for now!

It is now spring and since then the birds have all gone berserk! Obviously the fact that is is now spring has likely triggered territorial and breeding behavior in the birds which is causing all the fighting and chasing around. I don't have any other cages to remove or separate the birds.

The question now is how can I discourage or minimize their fighting? I have seen topics that say try supplying more perches at different levels, put multiple food and water dishes, etc etc, but this has not had any positive effect in my case. At the moment I've got multiple perches in there but all at different levels. This is what it looks like:

One end


The other end


Would perhaps multiple perches at the SAME LEVEL do the trick to stop them fighting?

I read somewhere that said squirting the aggressors with a water gun will stop the fighting but I can't stand out there all day just to squirt them when they fight??

Looking for some fresh and definitive solutions to my problem, please!

Thanks in advance...

[lovezebs]

magna_elite
Zebras will be Zebras. What can I say? It seems that everyone that has Zebras, has similar problems.
The only thing I can think of, is more trees and bushes in there. Even possibly fake leafy greenery to create more hiding places, more privacy and spots where they can get away from each other.
Nice looking aviary.

[MiaCarter]

Squirting them may stop a fight in progress, but it could cause injury since it impacts their ability to fly. Plus, as you said, you can't stand out there all day with a squirter. It's not a solution to the problem; more of just a mini band aid.

I would definitely add in some more foliage so they're not peering at each other all day. That can make aggression worse.

I would also rearrange the perches. That could help to redraw the properly lines so they can each have their own territory.

Putting the perches all on one level won't help. The dominant birds will usually want the highest perch in the cage and if there is no highest spot, they'll just pick the best spot and defend it.

If all that fails, I would try to separate out the aggressors, as there's not much you can do if you have them in a big enclosure and they're still squabbling.

[magna_elite]

OK, heeding the couple of suggestions you have made, I have added a truckload more foliage, sat back and observed.

The zebras almost immediately appeared to start exploring their new "surroundings" and very quickly the birds seemed to stake out their own new territory among the new leaves and branches. With the added foliage there is certainly alot more privacy now and many of the birds have begun making those "sweet" sounding noises they make when they settle into a new nest (even though there are no nests).

They certainly do seem to love it and so far there has been no more fighting (most likely because they've now been distracted with the new surroundings). I will continue to observe and hope that the fighting does not return because it was getting pretty bad and some of the males were getting quite beat up.

In the meantime, here are some updated pics with all the added foliage. You can compare the difference from my earlier pictures above.

[David]

The aviary looks great! Even compare these pic with those earlier, more plants there now means less fighting. I really hope keep it this way and they can be happy sing often inside. I wish I can get the aviary like you, which so roomy but too bad I put my zebra finches indoor, so only used a lot of cages/flights for them i have 32 zebra finches now, want to take care of them, not wiling to sell any of it even it's a lot of work.

[lovezebs]

magna_elite
I'm glad things are improving for you and your birds.

[magna_elite]

Spoke too soon.

This morning the birds are fighting again, despite all the added foliage and branch rearrangement.

If anything, the increased foliage has made them even more territorial than before.

I give up.

[Sadie]

Have you tried putting some separators on the perches? Such as clothespins, or better yet, devise some kind of small barrier walls to really separate them and provide privacy on several perches?
Other than that, I dunno. Glad I have my 2 finches

[MiaCarter]

Agh. That's a bummer.

Sometimes, some individuals just don't get along, no matter how much we want them to play nice. Just like humans.

I really do think the new foliage will help overall, though.
Think of a bunch of hornery, testosterone-fueled men sitting in an empty room. You're going to have a fight before too long.
Whereas if you have the room divided up with different areas, that tension isn't going to be as palpable....though they may still have at it.

I'd try to see if you can identify the instigators and pull them out for a few weeks.
Sometimes just a while apart is all they need.
When there's constant fighting, they don't ever get a chance to develop a civilized social order. It's just a free for all.
Give them peace and they'll naturally form relationships and a civilized social order.
Then, you add the problem child back and they're entering into a civilized, ordered society. They're more apt to find a place in that society vs. getting lost in the chaos.
Think of it as living amidst a crazy rioting mob vs. living on a military base. Big difference in how you interact with others around you and it's all determined by your surroundings. So sometimes if you fix the society as a whole, it makes it easier for the problem child to co-exist without causing a rioting mob!

[DanteD716]

I don't think anything can really help pushy zebras. I don't think any will get seriously hurt, it is a decent sized flock and a big enclosure. There will always be dominant birds

[magna_elite]

Well, the fighting has finally stopped...and unfortunately not in a way I had intended.

Over the past few months we have had three separate unwelcome visitors in the form of wild carpet pythons who all somehow managed to get into the aviary and make a banquet meal out of my finches during the night. And because the snakes got fat from eating my birds, they couldn't get out so sat curled up in a corner, causing us a nasty shock when we did our daily check the next morning. Needless to say, the birds still in the aviary were pretty spooked.

Out of 13 birds in total, I lost 8 to snakes, leaving 5 remaining (4 males and 1 female). My young daughter was so traumatized she simply refused to go back into the aviary to look after them which has now forced me to try and sell off the remaining 5 birds and then sell off the aviary as we don't want to attract any more snakes to our property.

A lady picked up the 4 males this afternoon leaving the lone 1 female left. I have relocated her into a smaller cage to bring into the house for now.

Now I look at the solitary female I have left and I am torn between trying to sell her off like her brothers or keep her and get a companion for her ASAP (probably another female), and keep them both in an indoor cage rather than the big outdoor aviary.

I'm pretty upset and disappointed at how this ended up as I would love to keep these cute little birds with so much personality in a nice large aviary like they've lived in all their lives, rather than in a small little indoor cage which seems to restricting for them.

I could be convinced to try again and keep the aviary, and snake proof it by wrapping some fine mesh around the outside, but wouldn't that restrict our viewing pleasure?

I'm keen to hear from those of you who have had unwanted visitors eating your birds in an outdoor aviary and how you dealt with it!

Thanks so much.

[Zebrafincher]

I am sorry for you and your daughter. Unfortunately finches are prey animals, and snakes will be opportunistic in their feeding. I keep my three birds inside (canary and two finches), as much to protect them from the wild neighbourhood birds (includes Crows, magpies and currawongs!) apart from rats, possoms (will eat eggs), dogs, cats and other animals...just to name a few!

Perhaps keep the little female inside with another female as a companion. Without a nest, neither should lay eggs, and they will be company for eachother!. Good luck in the future.

Zebrafincher
Proud owner of:
*Kevin aka “The Old Man” – very cranky canary – 13 years old and rules the Roost!
*Beaky aka “Beaky Beak” the Zebrafinch – 1 year old – and a real, real cutie!!!
*Merlin aka “Merl” the Starfinch – 3 ½ years old – and “bossy as anything for such a small fry!”

[Colt]

Finches are prey animals as pointed out above, but if outdoor aviaries are properly predator-proofed there is no reason why you can't enjoy your birds outdoors.

Firstly what is the spacing on the wire you are using? I can't make out the smaller wire at all but can see you have it attached to a heavier gauge fencing panel with very large spaces.

Do you like the dirt floor? Predator proofing is easiest with a concrete slab because nothing can dig in, or partially push the wire in. But if you prefer the dirt floor I'd bury something like corrugated tin at least six inches below the ground on the outside. It only needs to come up an inch or two above the ground. If you frame the aviary and have a baseboard the runs along the bottom you can place the wire between the board and the tin and screw the tin down firmly holding the wire in place.

I'd also recommend re-wiring the aviary. Go with something like 1/4 x 1/4 hardware cloth. If you paint the wire black before you put it up you'll find your eyes will go right past the black and you can see the birds more clearly. That is why birds are often judged in cages with black wire so the judges can clearly see the birds and not become distracted by white or silver wire. When you put the new material up be sure it is pulled very tightly. Loose wire in my experience allows predators easier entry.

It doesn't appear that there is a solid portion of the aviary, the wire completely encompasses the whole thing, but if there are any gaps in the structure that would allow a snake entry be sure to take caulk or something like a foam and seal those areas. Snakes can climb so you have to be very diligent in ensuring that all possible entry points have been sealed.

[Sally]

So sorry you have lost some of your birds to snakes. I went through this several times with birds in cages that were in a garden shed, and later in a room attached to my house. Snakes are very smart about figuring out how to get in, but then once they have eaten, they cannot get back out until they have fully digested their meal.

Here is a link to an article on how to pest-proof your aviary, maybe you can get some ideas there if you decide to keep your aviary.

http://www.finchinfo.com/housing/combat ... dators.php

[magna_elite]

Based upon all of your feedback and suggestions, I have decided to "line" all sides of the aviary with taut black fine cloth netting. Can't squeeze my finger thru this netting so hopefully this will help to keep the snakes out. My wife and I have been installing the netting today so hopefully once I "redecorate" the interior of the aviary to make it more homely for my next generation of finches, I can move them in in the next day or two. Not giving up so easily coz of a few stupid snakes! Photos to come.