Umm.. I need help O-O

-BB- · Post by **-BB-** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 1:57 am

Can 2 Zebra Finches live in there?

FeatherHarp · Post by **FeatherHarp** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 8:22 am

Way too short -BB-.....Finches really need a wide cage for flying to keep healthy. At least 30" wide. Try looking for breeder cages they aren't terribly pricey and wide enough to do the job. I know my local PetCo has breeder cages for about $42.00. But Pet stores are usually the highest prices....order off the Internet if you are able...much cheaper that way. Check out this link below...they have a nice breeder cage on sale!

http://www.petco.com/product/100285/Pre ... -Cage.aspx

I have also purchased some cages off of Craigslist. You can get practally new cages on there for half the price but you have to keep looking till you find what you like and that takes time. Just some options for you to consider.

plantsandbirds · Post by **plantsandbirds** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 9:15 am

I agree...you will find that the larger the better as far as cages go and more width than height. Of course, you will be told by pet store people that finches can live in cages even tinier than the one that you have shown there.

I have a cage that is about fourteen x sixteen x twenty one (inches) that I use for transport and as a hospital cage. Here is a photo of it with my now deceased Aurora in residence when she had her injured foot. Believe it or not...the specialty pet store where I purchased my first two finches told me that this cage would be too big for them!

The salesman wanted me to get a smaller cage... In my innocence I bought this size up from what he pointed at and within a few weeks had tripled the size of the housing after what I read on this forum.

FeatherHarp · Post by **FeatherHarp** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 11:20 am

Plantsandbirds....I too was Ignorant of cage size years ago....we usually figure the smaller the bird the smaller the cage. But sadly that is the opposite of what is best for our birds. We live and learn.

I think they should not even make or sell those tiny little cages...they are useless except for like you say...hospital or transport cages.

Post by **Sally** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 11:43 am

The little Strawberry I just got from craigslist was housed for about a year in a cage 11wx8dx14h! He still doesn't fly very well, but he is getting better. I know the pet stores need to sell things, that is how they stay in business, but I wish there was more information available at the point of purchase about what these birds need.

Most people have space problems, and let's face it, even a 30x18x18 cage takes up a bit of space in a room, but that's what finches need. I think most of us start out with smaller cages, and then keep upsizing!

Most of my local pet shops don't even carry cages appropriate for finches. That is a cute cage, BB, but not for a finch. Wider (or longer) is best.

Fancie Flight · Post by **Fancie Flight** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 4:04 pm

NO bird should have to live in that, Ditto to what everyone else has said here,

my cage sare 30 by 18x 18 and I pid $19.00 per cage from a man in california BRAND NEW, and no shipping cause he travels to bird shows,

I was in Petco the other day and they had my cage for 52.00 I wa slike umm yea NOT

FeatherHarp · Post by **FeatherHarp** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 4:24 pm

Gosh...that IS cheap....I really need to get myself to a bird show.....everybody says you can find cheap everything there!

jabo322 · Post by **jabo322** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 6:26 pm

I have to agree with everyone else, wider/longer is better for finches. This pic is of my 1st finch cage. The people at the store told us that 4 finches would be just fine in there. And this was a store specializing in birds, they should have known better. I had 3 zebras and a society in there.

BTW, in case you're wondering, the cage was secured from the back and the bottom so Cricket could not knock it down. They quickly learned to ignore him.

-BB- · Post by **-BB-** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 7:01 pm

FeatherHarp I guess that I will consider getting that cage! But Not from Petco.. I have the Same one for my parakeets(budgies).. it is $20 at the same place im getting my Finches! Thanks Everyone for the suggestions!

By the way.. Thats a beautiful cat jabo322!! Wow some finches!

hilljack13 · Post by **hilljack13** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 8:04 pm

jabo - you must have brave finches. I don't let the cat in the same room with my birds.

FeatherHarp · Post by **FeatherHarp** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 9:32 pm

Jabo....you know if you turn the cage on its side...it might be long enough...hehe!

hilljack13 · Post by **hilljack13** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 9:51 pm

FeatherHarp wrote:Jabo....you know if you turn the cage on its side...it might be long enough...hehe!

Look who the funny one is now... $\:D/$ (j/k)

FeatherHarp · Post by **FeatherHarp** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 10:31 pm

Alright...MR HJ...if that's who you really are!

You wanna take this out behind the Barn you young whippersnapper, you!

hilljack13 · Post by **hilljack13** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 10:54 pm

I can't stop laughing ...

jabo322 · Post by **jabo322** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 11:31 pm

-BB- Thank you, I think Cricket is beautiful too. We call him our Hurricane Kitty because we found him after a hurricane. He was only a week old and we didn't expect him to survive, but he did

.

HJ - After Cricket learned he couldn't get to the birds he would just watch them quietly. The birds learned to ignore him, but I suspect they would not have been so blase if they had known his true nature. Over the years he has actually killed 4 birds - three that got out, and a cockatiel that stuck his head out of an opening in the cage to scold him

.

FeatherHarp - I don't need to turn the cage on its side, I have a proper flight cage for them now $\:D/$