We have two male Zebra finches - Bock and Beep - who have been with us for three weeks. This is our first time with finches, and we're having a problem with fighting.
They squabble. At the end of the first week, they were fighting quite violently - Noisily, messily, chasing each other quite badly. Neither one seems to have been injured by the fighting despite the occasional lost feather.
The intensity of the battles has diminished significantly, but they still pick on each other intermittently throughout the day. They spend most of their time in the (conveniently wipe-clean) bathroom where we let them out so Beep - the aviator - can sit on top of the cage while Bock lords over the cuttlefish. They're housed in a Hagen Vision II SM01 cage which we try to keep in a quiet part of the flat to minimize their stress levels.
Is this behaviour normal of young males? Will it settle down in time or is there anything we can do? A bigger cage? A quieter room? Permanent separation?
Thanks very much,
L.
Fightin' Finches
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LaurieW
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Sally
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Zebra finches are pushy and can be territorial. You can find individuals which will be more peaceful than others. Often two males will get along just fine, but it depends on each personality. Three weeks really isn't a very long time for them to adjust, and it looks like they may be working it out. I would watch them for feather plucking or real fighting, but I'd let them have some more time together to see if they will get along. Cage size has a lot to do with aggression, you really can't have too big a cage for finches. And I wouldn't worry about trying to keep Zebras in a quiet place, they are not quiet little birds, so I don't think a little noise is going to bother them.