FINCHforum

Hi, This is the home of Thelma & Louise, my two female zebra finch.
30"w x 21 1/2"d x 33"h

I have one of those with societies and owl finches. It's a good size for a pair of zebras.

Ya, I like that I can roll it aside for easy vacuuming.
Thelma is the white one, Louise has more fawn coloring

They're both pretty

KarenB, thanks for the compliment

I am using purchased wood dowels of 3 different diameters (1/2" as well as two smaller sizes) near the top and mid-level of my finch cage. They are placed around 5" from the left & right sides of the cage to promote flying. There is one 1/2" diameter dowel placed horizontally near the top of the cage. There are 2 small swings at the top of the cage. They have a couple of small toys up there, one with a bell that Louise loves to play with.
At the bottom of the cage I am using natural eucalyptus branches, which have a variety of different sized stems on them. We have tons of eucalyptus trees which makes them handy. I use the dried dead branches for the perches. I scrub them with a brush in a mild bleach solution, hose them off, then let them soak for an hour then rinse again. Afterwards, I either place them in the sun to dry, or in the oven at 225 degrees for 15 minutes. These branches are used near the food and water feeders, which are placed near the bottom on opposite sides of the cage. There is a gravel, grit, eggshell & seashell container near the bottom as well.
I am using ground walnut shells (which cost me around $12.00 for 25lbs.) on the bottom of the cage under the grate. I find that they catch the waste materials, absorb, dry quickly, and they don't fly around outside of the cage. I sift it every other day (over-kill, but that's just me) and replace a half cup or so as required. A thin layer of the walnut shell in the tray (30" x 21") lasts about a month before I replace all of it again. I am estimating that with only two birds, the 25 lb. bag of walnut shells should last me a year or more.
Cuttlebone is placed mid-level in the cage near a perch.
I have affixed silk leaves to the inside upper right and left corners near the perches to provide some shade and a comfort zone for my finch. I wove some natural straw material between the cage wire on two sides and the top of the cage (creating two short 7" walls and a ceiling in the upper corner) to provide them with even more of a safety zone. I really thought they would want to sleep on the perch in that corner where I did the weaving, but so far they prefer the other side of the cage. Maybe after they get used to it for a couple of days they will use it at night. They do spend lots of time there during the daylight hours.
I cover the cage after sunset, so I suppose they feel pretty safe anywhere in the cage after that.
They have a bird bath at mid-level and they love bathing a couple of times a day. It's still warm here in S. California in October. They also have a water feeder. I put a drop of Ecotrition Vita Sol in the water feeder each day when I change the water.
As far as food goes: There are two small feeders. I mix together TWO premium finch seed mixes, zupreme pellets, and a dry egg mix (small amount) and store it in the refrigerator in an airtight container. They get fresh greens, depending on what I have on hand, usually a good salad mix, fresh vegetables like broccoli, squash, etc. and fresh fruits such as apple, pear, cherries, etc.
I am still learning what they like and what they ignore as far as the fruits & veges.
Some people may think they are spoiled, but I want to provide the best possible life for them that I can.
I am always learning more, especially from this website which I just recently found.
Any suggestions and advice are appreciated very much. Thanks for reading my long-winded post

Your finches are beautiful, cage is nice, and detailed description is very interesting.

Great Pics . Your set up is really great too! I bet your girls are very happy.

I think it's great that you can get your hands on that eucalyptus. I wish I had a natural source of it here. I use other types, but I like the look of the eucalyptus.

The only thing I might do differently is place the bath on the bottom of the cage rather than midway. To me it seems more natural for them to go to the ground for bathing, plus you wouldn't get as much splash over everything else that way. Just my 2 cents

Thank you sam007, Ginene & KarenB for your comments.
Sam, I see by your signature that you have gouldians. I wish i could have them here but we are just at an elevation that gets some snow and I am afraid they may be a little too fragile for our winter weather. I would worry too much, not to mention trying to keep the climate steady con$tantly

Thanks Ginene, they sure do seem happy

KarenB, thank you for the advice of putting the bath nearer to the bottom of the cage. As our weather gets cooler I won't be putting the bath in the cage daily. Probably cut it back to a couple of times a week