Issues with my Mother's Finches

[Finches]

My mother is in her late sixties, and has kept birds for many years. However she keeps them in ways I don't think are very humane but says it's good enough.

She has a lot of zebra finches right now; like, I think I counted 23 adults and as many nestlings last time I was visiting her ( a few weeks ago). She has them split between 9 extremely small cages (varying between 1 foot by 1 foot by eight inches or so to maybe twice this). She breeds the finches to sell to the petshop for 2 dollars each. But their cages are those very old silver ones from the sixities, those round or little square ones, and she has them all hanging by the windows. They are just way too small I think and I don't like to push the issue but I don't think she's caring for them properly. As far as I know, individual birds only live two or three years and sometimes she has one get killed or mauled by its cagemates, really ripped up. She has 1 cage with a male who kills all other birds. All of her birds are also descended from one brother/sister pair. They are definitely inbred, sometimes she gets chicks with leg deformities that die after a few days out of the nest because they can't get to the food. The birds look very sad in these small cages with only one or two perches to hop on. Some cages have 4 or 5 birds in them plus babies in nests.

In her living room she also has one java sparrow in a cage only 2 feet tall by a foot wide. She has lived alone for 3 years and my mom says she doesn't need a friend because "Javas fight". And she has a canary too but he actually has a pretty big cage which doesnt seem too bad. He shares it with one little white zebra who lost a leg in a fight with a bigger one.

Her birds only get wild finch seed and sometimes lettuce with no calcium or anything.

[dutch]

Finches.....report her...those birds need to be taken away from her

[Angela&Shalamar]

Yup that's animal abuse but sadly I don't think there is any legal precedent for having them taken away (I'd be happy to be wrong tho!)

[nelloyello11]

Have you already tried educating her on the proper care of finches (and animals in general)? I think a lot of times, improper animal care is due to ignorance. Given that finches are so small, it might seem that they don't need much space, or that their needs are not great, so maybe she was misinformed years ago, and has failed to change her mind. Although that is no excuse for animal abuse/neglect, maybe leading her in the right direction would help to some degree. Key her into a good book on finch care and husbandry, or to this forum. Maybe offer to help her rehome some of her flock, taking care to inform potential adopters that they should not be used as breeding stock.

If that's not well-received, your only option may be to turn her in to an animal welfare organization....

If you're not worried about going behind her back, maybe give the pet store that she sells to a tip, that the birds she sells are inbred and poorly cared for. After all, their reputation is on the line as well.

[Sally]

Finches

Such a sad situation, and you are caught in the middle. After all, it is your mother. Pet shops sell small cages that are marketed for finches, but they are not appropriate at all. I often see small cages advertised on craigslist as 'perfect for a finch' and I just cringe. Without being educated about the care of finches, one would think wild finch seed and little else would be sufficient. The wild finch seed isn't the best, the biggest drawback is that it will have more fillers and even possibly dust than specialized pet finch seed, but it is not terrible seed. Inbreeding produces young that can have deformities and poor health. The fact that the birds are living only 2-3 years is no doubt a direct result of inbreeding.

Is your relationship with your mother one where you could work with educating her? If it is, I would go that route first. If it is simply a case of not knowing proper finch care and the dangers of inbreeding, then you could direct her to information on the internet about proper care. Perhaps help her with getting her flock down to a more manageable size with appropriate cages and diet.

At $2 a bird, we aren't talking big money, so surely she isn't doing this to bring in extra money. Are her circumstances such that she can't afford to care for these birds properly, yet she sees them as a source of 'some' income, little as it may be? She may feel that since she only had to buy the original pair, the offspring have all been 'free' so they are profitable.

And I would definitely contact the pet shop and inform them that they are purchasing birds that are heavily inbred and prone to health issues and short lives. I would think they would be concerned about their reputation, and I feel sorry for those customers who have purchased 'pairs' from this pet shop, unknowingly perpetuating the inbreeding.

I don't know where you are located, or even if you are in the U.S., but I would be cautious about contacting authorities until you have tried to work with her yourself first. The Humane Society, if contacted, will swoop in and confiscate all the birds. They also love getting lots of press attention, and so your mother may be on the evening news. Some local animal control officers are very compassionate and willing to work with citizens. If you are in another country, there may be groups you can turn to.

Please keep us posted. You may be in a very difficult situation, Seniors aren't always willing to listen to advice from their children. Some seniors also have lost the ability to make good choices, yet they don't realize they need help, and so they can be difficult to deal with.

[wildbird]

It sounds like a case of hoarding to me. If she refuses to listen to you and take better care of them, tell her you're going to turn her in and she will lose them all.

[Zebrafincher]

Hello Finches,

its very hard if you know someone who is not doing the right thing and you obviously love animals. I agree with the others on this forum, that she may be hoarding these animals, and also may not realise what damage she is causing. Perhaps try talking to her, or getting someone in a animal refuge who could speak to her about the requirements for birds. If she cannot take care of them, she could perhaps surrender at least the finches.

She is wrong in several ways:
1) Java finches are highly social birds - our local petshop will only sell them in pairs. They also advise that they must NOT be left singly, as they will pine.
2) Inbreeding causes terrible defects in offspring, esp. if it is over several generations. Even if the birds look alright, they have a higher chance of having internal abnormalities which might cause them to die suddenly. (I had a young male Zebbie finch where this happened - and I still don't know why he died!)
3) Finches (and canaries) require a large minimum space to be healthy . I have three birds only and all of them each have a flight cage. They also fly freely. They also cost me a small fortune to keep them healthy! - esp the older ones!

If she will not, there's not much you can do beyond getting the local humane society involved. Unless the police are called, or the local cruelty laws are enforced, people will often not change.

Best of luck for resolving a very difficult situation.

Kind Regards

Zebrafincher
Proud owner of:
*Kevin aka “The Old Man” - cranky canary – 12 years old
*Beaky aka “Beakster” the Zebrafinch – 1 year old – and a real, real cutie!!!
*Merlin aka “Merl” the Starfinch – 2 years – and “bossy as anything for such a small fry!”

[Ginene]

Finches
You are in a tuff spot ...and I agree with Sally. Education and maybe a little help can go a LONG WAY! Money is an issue for MOST people today, but maybe you can purchase her 1 or 2 appropriate cages. Ebay has AMAZING DEALS on 30x18x18 breeding cages, especially when bought in 2 or more. The inbreeding is a more difficult thing to tackle, as you need new unrelated birds to stop this. I don't think its a hoarding issue as hoarders REFUSE to get rid of ANY of their animals, especially their babies. Maybe you can direct her to the forum...there are LOTS of people here who are willing to help by providing info and support. Best of luck to you!!!

[lovezebs]

Ginene
I like your idea the best.

@Finches

Looking at your situation, I agree with our Ginene. If you are in a position to purchase some larger flight cages (doesn't have to be expensive) I would do so. Get at least two or three, decorate them with some pretty fake plants from the $store or the secondhand shop and make them look pretty. Bring them over to Mom and when she ooh's & Aah's (and I think she will) help her to seperate males into one cage and females into the other and assist in findining a nice spot for them.

As for poor Java, Mothers Day is coming up.

Food: A few bags of good food with a huge bow of her favorite colour stuck on them along with a pretty bag of cuttle bones, mineral blocks, fortified grit, a bottle of vitamines and a a few little treats for birds.

Sometimes as people get older, they get set in their ways...I know I do. . A sit down over a cup of tea and a good chat is all thats needed at times . Being suppoetive but not critical to someone who 'has always done it this way and it's good enough for me', can mean a lot.

[Ginene]

I know that when some people get stuck in a rut, help from someone else can really change things. The idea itself of changing up the cages might be overwhelming mom. People are always more open to change when someone offers support and help. I hope this works out for everyone involved...human and feathered!

[lovezebs]

Finches

I would also, offer to help out a little here and there and hint at the fact that cleaning two or three cages, is so much easier than a dozen. And look how prety it can look and how happy the birds are .

Also a bag of baby spring greens once a week or so, with a hand at washing them and offering them to the poor little guys over some quality chat time....

And as someone mentioned, a word with local pet shop owner as well wouldn't hurt.

I think it will work better in the long run than threats.

[mayble]

You've gotten a lot of good advice for a difficult situation.
I would only add a couple things-
If she's internet savvy, maybe you can direct her here and to the Finch Info Center linked at the top left.
If she isn't much of a 'net surfer, maybe you could buy her a good book or two (ebay and amazon have good deals, especially on slightly used books).
Either way you could certainly make the case that a large cage with a few birds in it is MUCH easier to care for than a bunch of cages each with one or two birds in them. If she could combine her males into one or two flights, and her females into another, she could save time and effort cleaning and servicing all those cages and the birds would benefit from the extra space (as long as they aren't overcrowded). You may even be able to combine the smaller cages or use their parts to build something larger.
It's a sticky wicket, for sure, and I don't envy you! I'd be tempted to poke holes in eggs and maybe tuck a few birds in my pocket and sneak them out when she wasn't looking
Good luck.

[fhgwgads]

Finches I am so sorry to hear about the situation you are in. I can only imagine how stressful and upsetting it is for you. I myself have dealt with negligent family members when it came to birds. My mother and two brother had parakeets who were originally kept in a large cage and were moved to a smaller cage that was not big enough, were not socialized with, weren't fed the best food, water and food wasn't tended to daily.. it was such a heartbreaking situation. But I was always on my mothers butt about it to try and help. Most of it was due to my mother being seriously ill and my brothers being left to care for things which they never did... and part of it was ignorance about the needs of the birds. Thankfully they no longer have birds... but it can be a very upsetting situation and you can feel very helpless.

I am not sure what kind of relationship you have with your mother but maybe you can try to talk to her about it. I am sure you have tried already. I would try not to bombard her with everything at once because she may become overwhelmed.. and she may be turning a blind eye to the situation because it is a large task she is faced with. I would definitely try to follow the advice others have commented. I cannot think of anything else to add.. but I did find this website which has some helpful information. I am not sure if you are located in the US.. but you can take a look at it. There may be some things you could find to help you out.

http://www.avianwelfare.org/action/report.htm

Again I am so sorry you are dealing with this. Please keep us posted on what's going on. I hope things get better for you and for the birds!

[wildbird]

Whatever you do, please don't bring any more birds into this situation. The Java should be given or sold to someone who has Javas.

[lovezebs]

mayble
LOL! Woman, you're a hoot!
I can see it now: Ummmm, Mom, can you step into another room for a minute while I poke holes in your birds' eggs???

Oh and by the way , those are just feathers in my pockets... 'beep meep beep', oh that? New cell phone tone??? Ooops!! Zebra shoots out of pocket.... Those birds? Ummm.... Got you some new birds, Mom...(?)