Is this a good idea?

[sparrowsong98]

So, after Macho died I have been observing his wife for signs of illness for almost a month. She looks like she is in the peak of health aside from the fact that she will not eat her veggies, but drops in her water are temporarily making up for what she misses while I work with the picky girl. So, I have been looking for a new bird. I am avoiding the pet stores in my area because every time I have come in there, someone has been sick, or out of water (every time I tell them they act surprised and say they take good care of their birds ). So, I have resorted to craigslist, and in my searching have only come up with a pair of birds that the owner is not willing to separate. There are no finch breeders in my area, and the Ohio Pa bird fair (The only one near me) is not until July, and I cannot wait that long. I am very tempted snatch the pair because the hen is a silver and sell the male. I also am tempted because I cannot decide if I want a boy or a girl, and so I could observe them during quarantine and decide which I liked better. My only concern is that the pair will not take well to being split up. Will they mind if I do that? Zeb demand is pretty high in my area so i could probably re-home the bird within 1-2 weeks.

[Fraza]

sparrowsong98 the splitting of the pair should be okay if it’s the male that gets paired to a new female because usually they get straght back to trying to impress the girl however if it’s the girl being paired back up they tend to be abit agressive till they finally except that they are separated one thing you won’t be able to do is a trio

But you can split the pair it will work and it should only take a week or two to seperate but expect some squabbling

Goodluck

[Sojourner]

sparrowsong98

Yes, your little widow needs a friend, but waiting until July is not too long. I would do that and just get a singleton and not have to mess with splitting up a bonded pair and then rehoming one. Especially with zebras, who can be more unpredictable in such situations than, say, a Bengalese.

My little widower has been alone since last summer, largely because of my own illness coupled with the illness and eventual loss of my beagle, Trudy. I've just had my hands full. I got serious about getting him a new friend last month but the most recent batch of societies at my locally owned pet store came in sickly and all badly plucked. The owner basically took them anyway to get them out of the hands of whoever let them get into that condition, this is not normal for the birds she offers. Several died right off the bat. So I'm still looking. He's not miserable but would be happier with a friend.

It'll be fine to wait until the bird show, and that's what I would recommend.