FINCHforum

I have a pair of spices; Pepper, who I am pretty sure is a female, and Nutmeg, who sings frequently so I am certain is a male. I also have a female society named Flurry and her devoted mate Errol, and the two of them are nesting and preparing to raise their first clutch currently. They refuse to use the enclosed nest but instead opted for the open canary nest in the right top corner, which at night they happily share with the spices. Initially the spices were very uptight and segregrated themselves from the societies but lately they've finally all accepted one another into a big happy flock and I've seen a lot of cross-species mutual preening and cuddling. :3

They have a 30x18x18 Petco flight cage which fits them perfectly, and their cage is on a shelf under a flourescent light in what was once a closet (the door is gone now), so it's very secure and quiet for them, especially with all the plants around and within it (non-toxic spider plants, Christmas cactus, and Draceana sanderiana). They are right near my desk where I spend much of my day so they've become very used to my presence and aren't at all fearful of me anymore, even when I go in to change their water and tidy up the cage (catching them for nail trimming is another story, though xD ).

Errol sings all the time and I find it very soothing. Nutmeg also sings but less often and as a spice finch his song is much weaker. Before I adopted her mate, Flurry chirped all day long, but since his addition she's gotten much quieter, her calls apparently answered.

Overall, I really love them. I think they're all about a year old so I hope to have many years to come with my little guys. They get a varied diet of Lafeber's pellets, KayTee seed mix, Quiko eggfood, and lots of fresh greens.

Beautiful birds and very nice set-up.
Keep us posted on the society nest
best of luck

Flurry and Errol have two eggs so far! The first was laid on Christmas.

Moar pics! I took out the cactus that they ate and added some mint and parsley plants which probably taste a bit better.

WOW, that looks wonderful!
all the best

Great set up!! Lucky birds.

Totally gorgeous birds and wonderful setup.

The only thing, and I could be wrong, but it looks like the cuttlebone is in backwards. The soft side should be available to the birds

Oh thank you! I hadn't even noticed that! I flipped it around.

Beautiful birds and very nice setup!

I've recently been given a pair of zebbies, a bit spur of the moment. Their cage is a tad small but they're healthy otherwise. I won't let them breed, though.

Beautiful birds!

When I first started, I had a pair of societies and a pair of spices together in a cage. The societies laid eggs, hatched 2 chicks, raised them to fledglings. That's when we realized they were Spice chicks, not societies. The spice were perfectly happy to sneak a couple eggs in the nest, and then not bother taking care of them at all, leaving it to the societies.

(Later on, we realized that both societies were female, despite one singing, nest building, mounting the other, and all usual male activities. I know she was a female because, after raising the chicks & all, one day I saw "him" lay an egg!)

Society and Spice finches can also hybridize, something to be aware of.

Beautiful birds! Love those Societies! Very nice setup. Pretty Zebras too.

Ah, yeah, I'm aware they can cross. I'm pretty much certain the eggs are in fact society eggs though. My pair mate a lot and there's no question Errol's a male, whereas I have never seen my spices mate with each other or anyone else. Thank you, though. : )