Moving house - new aviary!
Posted: Fri Oct 31, 2008 10:21 am
Hey Guys,
I have owned a lovely, medium sized aviary for 6 or 7 years now, and kept a variety of finches and have enjoyed every second of it! Whether I just needed a time out and relax, or keep myself preoccupied, I always had my finches. Firstly, I would like mention a couple of things while I'm reminiscing (hehe). The aviary is timber, and amongst the trees in my backyard, it looks gorgeous - the natural look is something you can't beat in my opinion. Unfortunately, it has been less than easy to maintain. The wood has a tendency to swell/contract with weather changes (though in the lovely country of Australia, that hasn't been a major issue in recent years due to the drought), which has lead to some makeshift DIY repairs in an attempt to maintain the integrity of the aviary. We'd had escapes and problems with the tin roof and doors due to this as well. Now whether I (the novice) made some bad decisions in terms of design, or whether wood is simply not the way to go with aviaries, I don't know... if you have any feedback on the matter, I would enjoy hearing it. We also had double wiring (2 sets of wiring separated by 10-15cm or so) installed to keep rats and predatory birds from harming the finches. While somewhat effective (we did find a dead rat between the wires.), it made the aviary hell to clean. Bits of nesting material would be trapped between and I would spend hours picking it out - not exactly fun. I'm not sure if double wiring is really the way to go these days - once again I'd invite anyone to comment on the issue. Anyway that’s some of the things that stuck in my mind to remember for next time.
As it happens, next time is within the next 3 to 4 months. I'm moving house in around late February, and amongst removals, renovations and all of these fun things, I've been pondering what is going to happen with my new aviary. My new place has got a lovely big backyard - so I'm hoping for a nice big aviary. Now my issue is quite general – I honestly have no idea what I should be looking for in an aviary, and I was hoping I could get a little advice. I would like an aviary that is simple, easy to maintain, and relatively economical. What are the most common and effective designs these days? Is the relatively hot Australian climate/intense sun going to affect some of the decisions I'm making?? Even though I have had finches for a little while now, this is only my second experience in shopping for an aviary - so any and all advice is much appreciated.
Thanks Guys!
Azza.
I have owned a lovely, medium sized aviary for 6 or 7 years now, and kept a variety of finches and have enjoyed every second of it! Whether I just needed a time out and relax, or keep myself preoccupied, I always had my finches. Firstly, I would like mention a couple of things while I'm reminiscing (hehe). The aviary is timber, and amongst the trees in my backyard, it looks gorgeous - the natural look is something you can't beat in my opinion. Unfortunately, it has been less than easy to maintain. The wood has a tendency to swell/contract with weather changes (though in the lovely country of Australia, that hasn't been a major issue in recent years due to the drought), which has lead to some makeshift DIY repairs in an attempt to maintain the integrity of the aviary. We'd had escapes and problems with the tin roof and doors due to this as well. Now whether I (the novice) made some bad decisions in terms of design, or whether wood is simply not the way to go with aviaries, I don't know... if you have any feedback on the matter, I would enjoy hearing it. We also had double wiring (2 sets of wiring separated by 10-15cm or so) installed to keep rats and predatory birds from harming the finches. While somewhat effective (we did find a dead rat between the wires.), it made the aviary hell to clean. Bits of nesting material would be trapped between and I would spend hours picking it out - not exactly fun. I'm not sure if double wiring is really the way to go these days - once again I'd invite anyone to comment on the issue. Anyway that’s some of the things that stuck in my mind to remember for next time.
As it happens, next time is within the next 3 to 4 months. I'm moving house in around late February, and amongst removals, renovations and all of these fun things, I've been pondering what is going to happen with my new aviary. My new place has got a lovely big backyard - so I'm hoping for a nice big aviary. Now my issue is quite general – I honestly have no idea what I should be looking for in an aviary, and I was hoping I could get a little advice. I would like an aviary that is simple, easy to maintain, and relatively economical. What are the most common and effective designs these days? Is the relatively hot Australian climate/intense sun going to affect some of the decisions I'm making?? Even though I have had finches for a little while now, this is only my second experience in shopping for an aviary - so any and all advice is much appreciated.
Thanks Guys!
Azza.