FINCHforum

It's been a while since I've visited the forum! I had zebra finches a few years ago and after losing them to disease, decided to give bird keeping a break. I'm back. Got a couple of societies and a pair of zebras and two months later, I have seven birds. I converted a table into an aviary that is indoors. But of course I want bigger! Is it safe to house zebras outdoors year round? I'd like to build a large walk-in aviary outside. I live in South Carolina and the summers here are pretty rough. Temps reach up to 100 during the summer and as low as the teens in the winter. What would I need to as far as climate control? Thanks!

Welcome back.

emb12385 Okay, uh... actually answering your question...

..if acclimated, yes, finches can survive those temperatures IF they are kept dry, all wind is blocked, and they have shelter - nestboxes at minimum, wood and not plastic or metal. They will need to go out early in the season and get used to conditions well before winter however and you will need to provide very rich food in winter so they can survive the cold - eggfood especially, they will really need the protein. Summers require constant access to water for both drinking and bathing and lots of shade. Wind in summer, if it's warm, is good and can help cool the birds, but they still need an area sheltered from it if they so wish. Ideally an aviary will have half mesh roof and half solid, so they can retreat from the rain if they want but also to be out in it if they want - birds love to bathe in light rain but will need shelter from storms or snow.

An outdoor aviary can be very nice, you can not only keep a large flock but also can really have fun making it pretty with big branches and natural live plants. Predators are always a very big concern though, you need to have mesh no bigger than 1/4 inch square to keep rats and mice out - smaller if snakes are common there - and this should ideally be buried under the aviary in the soil too, lest rodents burrow in from below.

Awesome information! Thank you so much for your thorough response . Now for the planning stage!

Zebra's should have no problem living outside in SC. I have an outdoor aviary in NJ with owls, diamond doves, gouldians and a goldbreast. They need to be acclimated early in the year so when it cools off they're ready for it. I have a coop for them to go into and a roof over the outside part. I used 1/2 inch hardware cloth and haven't had a problem with it. Nestboxes and food are inside so no outdoor critters are tempted to get to it.
Most important thing to think about is keeping the stray cats, dogs and wild critters away. I ended up having to use an electric fence.
good luck, keep us posted

emb12385

Hi Erin.
How did you convert a table into a flight /aviary ???

~Elana~

Brrrrrr man I would not sleep at night if my family are outside, spiders, creepy crawlies etc........ no, my Zebzzzzzz stay indoors and now it is winter and cold this year, so NO they sleep indoors in the nest high up and I place a blanket over the top of the box also, I prefer them safe inside, and in warm conditions they are wheeled outside, the cage is 6 foot long and 6 foot high by 3 foot wide, so it is on wheels, BUT outside, no ways at night, I would not sleep

question to chirp: moving the flight in and out doesn't affect the birds during mating season?