36x18x36" cage...what type of finch should I get?

[trailblazer]

I have a cage that is 36" long x 18" wide x 36" high. According to the cage calculator thats only enough room for one pair of finches. Which kind could I get that would be happiest? I'd like a colourful variety, like gouldian, parrot, or even cutthroat. But if that size is bare minimum for a pair of finch, then I want to make sure I at least get a tolerant species. Or would such a cage be more appropriate for a solitary bird like a male canary? I've had a parrot in the past, a very tame and intelligent Sengal, but he was a lot of work to have a 'relationship' with, and now I'd like some colourful birds that are just fun to watch and care for but do not need to be taken out of the cage. I would not say the cage is safe for hookbills, the mesh could be chewed through by one.

[ac12]

A pair of male gouldians would work.
I am not familiar with the other species.

[Jasmin]

I had a pair of male Gouldians in a cage that size and they seemed quite content.
Did a lot of singing
They've been moved now to a much bigger cage and I find their temperament/routines to be quite similar to when they were in the smaller cage.
So I'd say your cage size is ok. From what Ive seen in mine, they adapt quite well to the space size theyre given.
Just make sure you put some fake greenery and branches in there to keep them entertained

[Dayna]

You could keep gouldians in there or even some parrot finches. If yo decide on parrot finches make sure to add lots of greenery for them.

[Lisa]

How about cordon bleus? They are beautiful, have a lovely song and are quite active birds. Not very skittish around people and are pretty industrious & intelligent.

[finchmix22]

I don't know about the gouldians, but I have my rccb pair in an 22 x 14 x20 cage and they seem very happy and active. My parrot finches are in a 64x24x36 flight and I would not want any less for them, as they are so active and need the exercise to avoid getting fat. Society's can adapt to any cage and some mutations are pretty, such as fawn pied or marked white pied, but they are not colors like blues or greens. Another option are YF or RF Star finches. They're quiet and not too active and do well in that size cage. If you had a yellow and red face together, you'd have some pretty colors. Also, they're a passive species for the most part.

[Dayna]

I know you said you want something colorful but I really dont think you should rule out owl finches. They are an absolute joy to watch and have. They're cute too!

[trailblazer]

Thanks everyone! I didn't expect to have such a variety of my top choices! The idea of having my own brilliant gouldian finches is exciting. Now, my question is does anywhere know a good place to buy finches in south-west Ontario Canada?

I went to a local bird store today to look. They used to have a seperate room for the finches. Now they are in the same room with the hand-fed parrots. It was incredibly LOUD, crowded and hot in that room and I didn't stay long enough to have a good look. The finches were overcrowded and at least one bird looking near-dead in each cage. Yikes what a downturn from when I shopped there for parrot stuff! Next I went to petsmart. They had one gouldian, which had a moth-eaten look to it. I dont think I'd buy birds from Petsmart, one species they had that really appealed to me though were the red-faced parrot finch, would a pair of those be ok for my cage? I've been reading about finches and the health problems of Gouldians are making me a bit nervous of getting them.
I do like Society finches too. Their high level of domestication makes me feel a bit less guilty about keeping birds in cages and they are beautiful in their own way...and of course, cheap. I really liked the crested ones. Buy why do so many have no tail feathers??

[L in Ontario]

Many Societies lack tail feathers due to others plucking them. They will grow back. Whereabouts in sw Ontario are you? I am selling all my finches - you can see what they are in my signature or in my ad in the Marketplace forum.

[trailblazer]

Well I got a trio of society finch from a Pet Valu, they were on sale - $28 for all three. Two are fully feathered and beautiful. The other has stubby wing and tail feathers and can't fly very well. He and one with a white tail and head seem to be male, they have been singing like crazy while the black-tailed third has been silent apart from cricket-like chirps, and just watches. They love the space in their new cage though and adapted to it sooo quickly. They're even using the bath already! Its probably the first bath they've had in their lives. They are all very lively and look healthy. The short-tailed one seems clumsy though, I think he's just going through a moult perhaps? They all seem to be slow, weak flyers is that typical of the species or do they need to build up more strength? I'm definitely hooked here, I've been watching them all day in fascination, thinking of how to build a huge indoor aviary. I can't believe how bold they are, and how quickly they settled in and began going about their business.

[finchmix22]

Society's are great fun to watch. It sounds like you have a female and two males. If that is true, they breed very fast and easy, so you need to think about if you want chicks or not. Society's love to sleep in their nests at night, but a nest encourages breeding. The one with little feathers may be young or was plucked some. Most finches from pet stores don't have enough room to fly and develop their wing strength. If they have more room now, they'll get strong soon.

[trailblazer]

Yup, one male and two female...the boys mated with her today, and are now making valiant, yet terribly lame (they drop everything right before they get to it, lol) attempts at improving the nest. I would like to raise at least one brood. I have friends and family who would take the babies. But after that, if they are going to breed like bunnies I guess I'd have to take the nest out, I dont wanna be a finch factory!

I definitely plan on moving them into something larger at some point soon, and adding a pair of the more colourful finches. I've really taken a liking to the parrot finches. Are there any finches that are NOT compatible with societies?

[Dayna]

Parrot finches should be fine with societies. Keep in mind parrot finches are a lot more active than societies and a lot more flighty. If you decide on parrot finches you should add greenery in the cage for them to play and hide in. Also something else to consider is parrot finches need to be fed live food if you ever decide you want to breed them.

[trailblazer]

Probably pushing it here, but better to ask before I act impulsively. Could a pair of button quail live in this cage with the finches? There just seems to be so much unused floor space, and I think the quails are so cute and interesting.

[Dayna]

I'm sure you can. I don't know much about buttons but they do need space because they are very active. Most people keep them in aquariums. I'm interested to see what others have to say on the topic.