Picking up my first finches on Friday!!
Posted: Mon Sep 15, 2014 2:32 pm
First a serendipitous story:
After searching and searching for responsibly sourced societies (I don't like to support pet stores that mass produce) in my area, I was about to give up and order from an out of state breeder. Not only was that going to be expensive, I was worried about possible complications of shipping. Then, about a week ago, I stumbled upon a Petfinder listing for a pair of Zebras at an animal shelter an hour away. I never considered Zebras since they tend to be a little more...... temperamental.... than societies. But I figured, if they need a home, then I wanted to take them. So I called as soon as the shelter opened the next day. The girl on the phone said that those two were gone, but they had another group of three. I asked her to check to see how many of them had orange cheeks (trying to avoid a 2 male 1 female situation). She came back on the phone and said 1 is tan and white, 1 is brown and white and the third is black and white...... I quickly realized they were SOCIETIES!!!! They don't have them listed anywhere on their website/Petfinder, so I never would've found them if I didn't call about the Zebras.
They've been there for 3 months and I don't have any history on them yet. No idea on age, sex or why they ended up in the shelter. I only know that the shelter director was adamant that they stay together. I would have never considered splitting them up anyways.... someone would end up alone
I'm *technically* outside the adoption radius, but the lady was impressed with my knowledge and decided to waive it as long as my application looked good. I applied everything I've learned here to fill out that application, so thanks everyone 
The picture below is what I was sent from the shelter. Notice that one of them is a crested. I always thought they were a little goofy looking, but I already love him/her 
No idea how big of a cage they've been in, but it looks kind of dirty. I'm hoping they've been in a quiet area. All those dogs barking would be stressful!
I also included a picture of the cage I'll be bringing them home to. It's mostly set up, but there's one more platform that's going in, an outside hanging bird bath and another water tube. I also have to jerry rig something so they can't get out of the gap where I removed the grate. The cage is 31"W x 20.5" D x 53" H with 1/2" bar spacing. It's currently in the living room, but I will be keeping them in an extra bedroom where it's quieter for the first couple of weeks. I've asked what brand of seed they're eating right now, so that's at least familiar. I will be getting Volkman finch mix from a local store for the long term. I'm ordering F-vite and have a sample of Lady Gouldian's Herb Salad to see if they like that. I will be giving them a bagged egg food (is that ok???), but I'm not interested in breeding. I just want to make sure they're all healthy. Can you all think of anything else I should do to prepare? I'm so excited!!
After searching and searching for responsibly sourced societies (I don't like to support pet stores that mass produce) in my area, I was about to give up and order from an out of state breeder. Not only was that going to be expensive, I was worried about possible complications of shipping. Then, about a week ago, I stumbled upon a Petfinder listing for a pair of Zebras at an animal shelter an hour away. I never considered Zebras since they tend to be a little more...... temperamental.... than societies. But I figured, if they need a home, then I wanted to take them. So I called as soon as the shelter opened the next day. The girl on the phone said that those two were gone, but they had another group of three. I asked her to check to see how many of them had orange cheeks (trying to avoid a 2 male 1 female situation). She came back on the phone and said 1 is tan and white, 1 is brown and white and the third is black and white...... I quickly realized they were SOCIETIES!!!! They don't have them listed anywhere on their website/Petfinder, so I never would've found them if I didn't call about the Zebras.
They've been there for 3 months and I don't have any history on them yet. No idea on age, sex or why they ended up in the shelter. I only know that the shelter director was adamant that they stay together. I would have never considered splitting them up anyways.... someone would end up alone
I'm *technically* outside the adoption radius, but the lady was impressed with my knowledge and decided to waive it as long as my application looked good. I applied everything I've learned here to fill out that application, so thanks everyone The picture below is what I was sent from the shelter. Notice that one of them is a crested. I always thought they were a little goofy looking, but I already love him/her No idea how big of a cage they've been in, but it looks kind of dirty. I'm hoping they've been in a quiet area. All those dogs barking would be stressful! I also included a picture of the cage I'll be bringing them home to. It's mostly set up, but there's one more platform that's going in, an outside hanging bird bath and another water tube. I also have to jerry rig something so they can't get out of the gap where I removed the grate. The cage is 31"W x 20.5" D x 53" H with 1/2" bar spacing. It's currently in the living room, but I will be keeping them in an extra bedroom where it's quieter for the first couple of weeks. I've asked what brand of seed they're eating right now, so that's at least familiar. I will be getting Volkman finch mix from a local store for the long term. I'm ordering F-vite and have a sample of Lady Gouldian's Herb Salad to see if they like that. I will be giving them a bagged egg food (is that ok???), but I'm not interested in breeding. I just want to make sure they're all healthy. Can you all think of anything else I should do to prepare? I'm so excited!!
