will this work for 13?

[Tish]

I have someone bringing me 5 society finches will my double flight cage fit those 5 and my 8 society finches okay?

[Sojourner]

I think Societies are almost certain to be fine but I am concerned about the odd number. You need one more finch or somebody is going to get picked on and be left out.

Also you might try moving some of the feed cups lower in the cage to encourage use of the vertical space as well as horizontal.

[Tish]

I thought with society finches off numbers don't matter? now I'am a little nervous to take the 5 finches because I can't buy another finch to make it 6. I made a promise that I wouldn't get anymore after these 5 came.

[Barbara]

Tish I think that is a great cage for your society if you can put them all in at the same time even if you quartine the 5 new comers in another cage after quartine put them all in at the same time and when you do I would line the cage doors up and let them fly in on there own.If they can go in at the same time they will not have there own little territories. Also as far as the odd number I am assuming the 5 are all ready together so I think they will be fine ,once your 8 and the new 5 get to know one another from a distance first then all put in the new cage at the same time they will adjust ,my experience is society are in groups more then pairs they do pair of at time,I have 8 right nown and I know that is a even number but I see them in groups of 2,3 and even by therselfs but they always end up all together at the end of the day.give them time

[Sojourner]

I beg to differ. Once you add the 5 societies to the 8 existing birds, the dynamics will totally change. The 5 new birds will be two pairs and one loner, and the 2 pairs will not make a move to "protect" the loner from your 4 existing pairs.

There is likely to be at least some reshuffling, and when that is over, you will have 6 pairs and a loner.

They are called loners for a reason. The loner WILL be the odd bird out. If you really can't add one finch to the cage, begin thinking of where you might rehome the odd bird. Even societies will pick and peck. That's why I have any birds at all - I went to the pet store to buy cat food for my son and saw a Society (in a cage full of only Societies) being picked on. Even though the picked-on bird was already in a pair, she was still being pecked and plucked.

The 2 parakeets I have are both rescues that didn't look that great when I got them, and my 3rd finch (to replace poor Molly Brown, who was lost to egg binding) was also a rescue from a pet store where he had been plucked so badly that his tail feathers will never grow in. He is a society who was the odd bird out in the store in a cage containing only societies.

[monotwine]

In my experience, with societies you should be safe with odd numbers.

What is going to be fun is to see how 13 try squash into a single nest box! pile on....... inevitably they try.

[monotwine]

If you do want to limit any possible pecking introduction issues, my suggestion would be to:
Finish any quarantine,
Then remove all the birds from your intended housing (ie your big flight)
Give it a good clear out, rearrange perches add some new, add a few privacy spots where a bird to go to get a bit of peace and quiet (fake plants or cardboard divider on a perch)
Then introduce all at the same time and they will settle down with no previous preferences.

[Sojourner]

In my experience, with societies you should be safe with odd numbers.

What is going to be fun is to see how 13 try squash into a single nest box! pile on....... inevitably they try.

It has been my experience that this is never the case. While I'd been keeping cockatiels most recently, my mother was a breeder and I had the main care of the birds for 10 or 15 years. She bred societies, javas, zebras, canaries, and a handful of other species of finches, plus parakeets.

Even in a pair, a society can be picked on. When there is a lone bird, that bird is in danger. They may go along and seem fine for a while, but sooner or later the odd bird is in trouble.

Its true that it is probably pretty unlikely that societies might peck a loner to death - but they can still do serious damage that results in having to remove the loner from the flock. That's how I got Bambi, my little male fawn. They had to remove him from the cage entirely. Not being dead doesn't equate to being happy and safe.

We know they are happiest in pairs. Why anyone would want to deny the comfort of pairing to one of their birds I cannot imagine.

I think societies are pretty safe when genders are odd, as long as pairing is possible. So 5 females and 7 males will still form stable pairs. This can cause problems with some other finch species but societies are not generally among those. But the total # of finches regardless of gender should still be even.

[Barbara]

Tish lots of differnt opinions,the best thing to do is what you want to try with all birds there are different personalities,If you do decide to try it and it doesn't settle down you could then rehomed the odd man out but with that many birds I certainly wouldn't put a nest in and keep all open dishes as low as you can or there will be problems with too much nesting.Take your time intruducing them and I still think with society they would be fine I would never put one bird with a group but your puting a established flock of 8 with a established flock of 5 and am assuming you would not breed to get any more

[GouldianGuy]

My understanding is that when you start getting up into higher numbers, the volume of birds is so great that its hard for the dominant ones to pick out the loners and pick on them... just too many targets!

[Nerine]

Tish

Your double flight cage is plenty big for 13 societies, and +1 if you decide to even out the numbers.

I can't speak for societies (mine were either paired, or kept in a group of four) but I had a trio of zebra finches in one cage, and they all got along fine

[lem2bert]

Tish

I have that cage and in it I have two Lady Gouldians. I have another cage that size with two canaries in it. My feeling is that the more you add to the inside of the cage so they do not pick on each other the less cage space each bird has for exercise. I personally would not add any more birds in with your 8 societies, but that is my feeling and others may have experience with that many birds in one cage. . You are the only one who can make that decision and whichever you decide I wish you the best of luck Looking forward to pictures of your societies in their new home.

[Tish]

I think I will be taking only 2 of the finches the mom a chocolate pied and dad a fawn pied ( picture sitting together) though I would like the white one too, but don't think he would sell me 4 and leave one lonely.

[lem2bert]

Tish

I love the colors of the two that you chose !!! They look very well cared for !

[Tish]

I know, but that white one is bugging me, saying "buy me". Oh why does it have to be so pretty.