FINCHforum

I am now the proud owner of a male Zebra finch I caught him under the jewelry counter at Sams Club I saw him flying around when I arrived at Sams then watched him fly under the counter so I just snatched him up He was so hungry and tired I put him in my purse did my shopping quickly and ran to the pet store to feed him some seeds yes in my purse He is really neat and seems happy he is singing away. Do I need to worry about anything cuz he has been outdoors he is quite friendly and not skittish like a wild finch would be he is missing some feathers around his throat but seems fine
I also read he probably wont like being alone do I need to get him a friend?

I have heard about moths flying out of a wallet.lol.but it would have been a site at the pet shop when you opened your purse to pay for the seed.It is always a risk to introduce a wild bird a bird collection,Even in your case assuming he is an escapee,He has been under alot of stress.He should be put in Quarantine for a minimum of four weeks.wormed by the sounds of it as a precaution treated for external parasites.I would also put some sulfadime in his water for the first fortnight in his water for coccidia and to keep his gut stable.Quarantining birds should be done on all new arrivals,To minimise the risk of disease.And treated on a case by case basis.He would be happier with a friend,Ideally quarantine separate but in your case with info supplied.I'm would probably do two at once.
Sound hard to do but isn't as hard as it seems.Good luck

Thanks for your knowledge
I did take my wallet out of my purse LOL So I had to carry both separate
I do not have a bird collection I am familiar with birds though my mom used to raise them and I helped out in my teenage years. Buy she has passed so I have no help on this issue
I will see what I can do for this little guy I did make him some egg shell this A.M. he seemed to like them and some scrambled egg with a grape
He does seem healthy so far. I will check and see with the local pet shop again to see if they carry anything that you suggest
thanks again

That's amazing that you were able to catch the little fellow in such a huge store! Check out the Finch Information Center linked at left for info on housing and feeding. Finches definitely aren't solitary birds, so he will be very happy with a friend. If you get a Zebra hen, you will have LOTS of babies in a short period of time! If you get a Zebra male, they probably will get along as buddies, though Zebs always have to be watched to make sure they don't have a falling out. I agree with gomer, since you need to quarantine this little fellow (and you don't have any others), you could go ahead and get him a buddy and put them thru the quarantine together.

This is Zee My son named him after Surfs up the kids movie LOL
Yea I was lucky to catch him I think he was tired and hungry
I have a hard time believing he was a wild finch he dosnt freak out in his cage or anything he seems happy always singing and chirping. Maybe I can find another free one I cant believe the pet shops want $20.00 for them when my mom raised them she was lucky to get $5.00

I doubt that he was a wild finch--more likely an escapee. He is probably so glad to be safe and well-fed! Check on craigslist or kijiji or places like that--there are usually Zebras that are available for a low rehoming fee. $20 is way too much for a Zebra, unless it is one of the special mutations.

nice catch!

I was at a Petsmart one time and a parakeet had gotten lose. the store had VERY high ceilings and the staff had given up trying to catch him. I decided to give it a try so the staff lent me a butterfly net with a long handle.

long story short I ended up catching him!! i wanted to keep him (it only seems fair) but the manager wouldn't let me. instead, she took off 15% from my purchase. oh well, at least the little guy went back with his friends.

instead of purchasing a new friend for zee from a pet store try advertising for one in the marketplace on here. there has to be a member close to you that either has a spare bird to sell or will know of someone else that may have

Ok I will try to find one from here hopfully someone is close enough to me

Nice photo looks like the type found in the wild not a mutation.They are getting harder and harder to get around here.

Gomer
wow maybe I should breed him Huh?

If you cant get one, go to the top of Australia.Bring a big net though as they can get in flocks of 10,000 plus in the wild.

wow that would be a site to see a hole flock of them