Finches in a Critter Nation: Can it be done?

[artgecko]

Hello all,
I am new to the forum and looking to add some birds to my home. I have two double critter nation cages that I want to re-purpose (if possible). I am planning on housing budgies in one cage and finches in the other, but am unsure if the dimensions of a DCN are suitable to finches and know that the wide-opening doors may pose an issue.

Each half of the DCN is appx. 36" long x 24" wide x 24" high. The bar spacing is 1/2". Each half can be used separately, but I have also seen some bird keepers remove the middle floor and turn it into one large 48" tall x 24" deep x 36" long cage. The shelves in each level can be removed (as well as their supports).

I have three main questions about re-purposing these cages, for finches, and would like to get your thoughts on them.

1. Would the width of these cages (36") allow enough flying space for finches, and if so, how many would comfortably fit?

2. Would using the entire cage (48" tall) be beneficial to finches, or do they tend to not use more vertical space?

3. The doors are half-width, so when I open them to add food / water or change the bedding, that means a 2' tall x 1.5' opening for birds to fly out of. The cage will be in a secure room, so escapees could be caught, but do you think this would pose a major problem with daily maintenance?

I will attempt to attach a couple photos of the cage below. This is with it setup for my rat mischief.

Whole cage closed doors.


Top half of cage with open doors


Please let me know your thoughts. If these cages will not work for finches, I can always purchase a cage for the finches and sell one of the DCNs if need be.

Thank you for your time and help!

[Sally]

The size and bar spacing of these cages would work for finches, but I can see real problems with maintenance. Finches will dart for an opening faster than you can catch them, and they also quickly learn where they can escape. In order to clean that tray, wouldn't you have to open both doors, which would open the entire front of the cage?

[artgecko]

If I used flat paper liners...i.e. newspaper, I think I could clean it via opening one door only. The exception would be for deep-cleaning, but they would have to be removed from the cage then anyway. I could also put water, food, etc. on one end of the cage so that I would only have to access one side on a daily basis. I knew that finches tend to fly quickly and that was one of my concerns...But I've also read that some finches learn to move away from the side of the cage where maintenance is being done, so was not sure how that would play a role.

Would there be any species in particular that are less likely to dart out, or would act less frantically which would work better in this situation? I was considering gouldians as there is a well-known breeder near me, but am unsure if they would be calmer than other species.

If it seems that there are too many problems with using this type of cage for finches, I will definitely consider selling one of them or taking it apart and replacing with a flight cage. The parakeet / budgie people I have spoken to think that if I tame the budgies somewhat, that it will not be as much of a problem with them, but I know finches do not tame as easily as budgies do.

Thank you for your time and help!

[Sally]

Gouldians are much calmer than many other species. I have waxbills, and they escape even through smaller doors! You can always try it first, and if it works, then you are all set. If it doesn't, you can always go to plan B.

[cindy]

my gouldians all tend to get up to the top perches and out of the way when I clean the bottom half of the cage or flight.

[artgecko]

Thanks for the advice! I may plan to go with the gouldians then... and just see how well (or poorly) it works out. I was also looking at zebras and community finches and possibly canaries, but I believe I've read that those are more active species so I'm assuming they would not work as well in this situation.

Thank you again for your time and help!

[paul-inAZ]

I've found that canaries are the calmest of all. If you move calmly and deliberately they don't get excited. They will retreat to a more distant perch and don't thrash about or get frantic.
The only escape I've ever had was when I absent mindedly walked away leaving the door open for about 5 minutes.

[lem2bert]

artgecko and paul-inAZ

I agree with paul-inAZ, I have four canaries in flight cages and whenever I work in their cages they just sit on the top perches and watch me. They tend to fly away from the door instead of towards it.

[artgecko]

Paul-inAZ and lem2bert- Thank you for that information! Do you think it would be possible to try housing a single male canary with 2 gouldians in my size cage? (36"Lx24"x24")? I could see that being a very interesting mix, but am unsure if that is enough space.

[paul-inAZ]

That size cage should work just fine for that trio.

Another thought on escapes via the large doors: Get something like a dish towel and some clothes pins or spring-type document clips. Clip the cloth up to cover the entire opening. This way with the door wide open you can reach around or under the cloth without leaving an escape route.
Maybe a last resort if escapes do prove to be a problem.

[Sheather]

All birds are different. I have three canaries, two of which I hand-fed from hatching, and all three, even the ones I raised, are frantically wild and terrified of hands in their cages now that they are adults.

I would expect a lot of escapes with this cage design and wouldn't personally use it for budgies or for finches, though if your budgies are hand-tame, their escapes may not be a problem.

[cindy]

I really like the cage and the fact it has four doors!!!

[artgecko]

Paul-inAZ- Thank you so much for that suggestion! I already have bulldog (binder)clips on hand, so that should be easy to implement.

Sheather- I know that it is not ideal... Unfortunately, I have two of these on hand from keeping rats and have a lot of money invested in them (between the cages and stainless steel accessories), so I would like to attempt to use them. They are in a secure small room, so if there are escapes, I should be able to safely retrieve the birds. If things don't work out though, I am prepared to re-sell the cages if need be and buy something more bird-specific.

Cindy- The best part is that it is easy to clean the interior and decorate because the doors open so wide. I think I am going to keep it split at first (into 2, 36"l x 24" x 24" cages) until I see how the birds do. If I feel they could use the vertical space, I can open it up by removing the center grate and tray.

I have found some water and food holders that are outside the cage (feeding part goes into the cage through the bars) so I think that will reduce some of the times I have to open the doors for access. I may still use Paul's towel idea though, when I do have to open the door and clean the tray / perches just as a preventive measure.

[Shannylee]

artgecko, I used to have rats (well, my boys did). They are cool little critters. Ratty would come when you called her.

I think I'm also going to implement Paul's towel idea on my whydah flight cage. Putting fresh food in for the evening and Mrs. Whydah made a break for it. Of course the porch door was open and the ceiling fans were on HIGH. I ran for the door and hubs ran for the fan switch and we just held our breath until the fans slowed down. She was the easiest bird ever to net because she just sat still. She's back in her cage. Sheesh! Second escapee this week!! Little finches are FAST little buggers!!

[artgecko]

Shannylee- Thanks! I still have a mischief of 9 of various ages..2 are about 2 years old and the others are between 1.5 and .5 years old. I am moving them all into a single DCN (males in one half and females in the other). I love them, but have decided to take a break for a few years and try birds instead. Hopefully the birds won't be nearly as messy / smelly as the rats have been lol.

I need to put a net on my list of things to get... Just in case.