My indoor aviary

[antz318]

Hello everyone,

I rescued a male zebra finch back in July and I've been wanting to build an aviary for him and his new female friend that I bought from the pet shop.

Well it's finally done and all set up!

I placed 3 nests in different locations in the aviary and some nesting material. I'm hoping they have chicks. The nests are so high up though (6 feet). Is it dangerous for the chicks when they first hop out of the nest? Should the nests be placed lower in the aviary?

Here are some pics

[Sally]

antz318 I'm not able to see your photos. As far as the nests, many finches prefer to have their nests up high. When babies leave the nest, they are able to fly, so the height is not a problem. It can be a problem for those babies that fall or are knocked out of the nest too early.

[antz318]

Ok finally got my photos to work


20140930_085516 by antz85, on Flickr

20140930_085453 by antz85, on Flickr

20140930_085438 by antz85, on Flickr

20140930_085347 by antz85, on Flickr

[monotwine]

Those are some spoilt Zebras. Lovely home you have for them.

[dutch]

antz318..top job

[Jen]

Nice work! Can you take a photo from a distance so we can see the whole set up? What did you use for the bottom? Cute nest with the little roof on it. Where did you find it? I'm always looking for different kinds of nest! Those zebras must be some really happy campers!

[antz318]

Jen, I'm using newspaper for the bottom... not very pretty. I'm thinking of putting pine shavings instead...

The nest with the roof is from a local pet shop here in Montreal (naturepet.com), but they haven't really been interested in it. My finches seem to prefer open nests, like the canary ones.

That first picture shows the whole thing! there isn't anything else except the newspaper on the floor.

They seem happy! They are already setting up the nest with all the nesting material I provided. I'm sure the female will eventually lay eggs.

Thanks everyone glad you all like it!

[Sam007]

Very nice aviary!

[David]

Wow! I like your aviary! Congrats, I'm sure your birds will be happy live in here

[David]

antz318,


What size is your wire mesh? Is it between 1/4- 1/2 inches? Looks little big from the pic you took the zebras can't escape from it right ? I heard that gavanized mesh wire will cause health problems for finches, what kind of wire you are using? Lot of people saying stainless steel is the best not cause any problems for finches.

[Rox]

Very very nice!! Your birds are super lucky

[antz318]

David, it's 1/2 inch there is no way they are getting through !

I am using galvanized mesh, I read that breeders have been using it for the longest time. I am aware of the dangers of it, but stainless steel was out of my budget for now unfortunately. I am monitoring them closely everyday and if I notice any sign of illness I can transfer them back to the old cage from the pet store. They don't chew the wires like budgies do so I think it should be fine.

Thanks for the heads up though

[frenchstyle712]

Love, love, love! Did you use any instructions or create your own? I'd love to share this with my husband and ask him to make one for me. Well done!

[David]

Antz318--

I see, that's good you will keep monitor them and make sure everything is ok good luck to your birds. I really like your aviary and it's very stylish too!

[antz318]

Thanks for the nice comments everyone! Wasn't expecting such good feedback!

@frenchstyle712, I used 2x2x8's and cut them to size to create my 6 panels and then screwed everything together. The longest part was stapling the wire mesh to the wood. It's not that difficult once you get your mind to it!