FINCHforum

I found my 7 month old pied male zebra, Zach, dead in his nest this morning. No apparent cause of death so probably some genetic problem that could not be prevented. He was singing and chasing everyone and being himself the night before. He wasn't a very nice bird and didn't have many friends in the flock, but it still made me feel a bit sad. I plucked the striped feathers from his tail and a few of the spotted orange ones from his belly and saved them in a spice jar, and will bury him when the weather permits. Fly free, little guy.

His only real buddy, Cody the English zebra, remains and is very distressed without his presence, I will probably get him a mate now that Zach isn't around to interfere. The zebras in my flock have always been shunned by the other finches and none seem interested in befriending him now that he's alone.

I'm only a bit sad I never actually really got a photo of him.

Aww... I'm sorry.

Sheather
Sorry to hear that, Dylan. Poor little guy.
Poor Cody, too. Are there no other Zebras about?

~Elana~

lovezebs No, sadly not. I'm going to stop by the local pet shop this afternoon and see if they have any pretty hens for my boy now. He's a huge, chubby English zebra (possibly lightback?). I've been looking to get a couple more English, but I think finding them in the midwestern USA is just about as easy as finding an actual English person... a nice normal hen will have to do.

This is Cody. He's twice as big as Zach was. A gentle giant, though, as all the English lines seem to be.

Sheather
He's beautiful!
If he mates with a normal hen, will the eggs be bigger than regular Zebbie eggs? Could that cause a problem for smaller hen?
He really is very handsome.

~Elana~

So sorry to hear about Zach, it is never easy. Cody would probably love to have a girlfriend.

lovezebs Sally

I picked up this lovely lady the next day. She's also a fawn, with some light pied markings. She's not as big as he is, but she's bigger than the average zebra and shares his docile temperament. I think she's of better managed breeding, at least, than Zach was, even if she's not an English. The two have really bonded and are going to nest already. Hoping they succeed! As silly as it may be, zebras are one species I've never yet bred.

She's a real sweetie and exceptionally tame. I've called her Sally. : P Just seemed fitting for her.

Sheather
Congratulations. I'm glad you found Sally for your boy.

~Elana~

Love the name!

So sorry for your loss . Sally is a beauty!

Hi there,

Sorry to hear about Zach passing away. I had a six month old Zebbie, Hughie, who died in his nest one night. I was devastated and thought he had starved to death or something. My vet told me it was probably some internal problem (like you described) and that you cannot do anything about it.

I also read on this forum that sometimes Zebbies (or finches in general) at pet stores might be inbred (as people take related pairs home and breed them). I guess there's no way to find this out, but it might account for what happened.

I have a very healthy Zebrafinch now (Beaky). He's big and "cuddly" as I call it. Looks like a ball of gray feathers. Good luck for your Sally.

Kind Regards

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!”