FINCHforum

Hi all, new around here and very pleased to be part of the forum, not only am i new to the forum but i
am new to the keeping of finches having bought two male zebras a couple of months ago.
I must say they really are a joy with the constant peeping and twittering, hopefully this means they are happy and contented which brings me to my question... i always rather liked the look of the japanese style bamboo cages and without to much thought for what my birds would like i bought one from the internet,it is a lovely cage,very ornamental and as mentioned the birds seem very happy,they have two branch perches at different heights and a wooden swing so the cage is fairly sparce to allow unhindered movement around the cage which at a guess is 16" tall and 12"across, i have created a little play area in the green tray that the cage sits in and they are free to come and go all day,they happily fly around my living room all day so do not suffer any shortage of flight time, so whilst i understand that round cages are frowned upon and given that they only go in it to sleep is my uninformed choice of cage ok?

Yh ur cage is fine in that case they have loads of flight and welcome to the forum

tex

Permanent cages should be at least 30" long so the birds can get enough exercise, although that size will work since it's just for sleeping. Be careful that the cage does not have any strings or other surfaces the birds can get caught on; cage bars should also have spacing of 1/2" or less to prevent the birds from sticking their heads out and getting trapped.

tex

These round ornamental cages are used quite a lot in Asian countries, but you don't see them much in North America or Europe. Since your birds are using it just for sleeping and get plenty of exercise time outside the cage, it should be OK. Birds that have to stay in small cages all the time lose the ability to use their muscles. I once bought a little Strawberry finch that had been kept for a year in a tiny cage, and he couldn't fly very well at all. I had to start him out in a smaller cage (though bigger than he was used to) and gradually move him into bigger cages, as he couldn't fly up to the perches at first.

Welcome to the forum!

Thanks Sally, yes they both go back into the cage of there own accord usually around 5pm-6pm, i cover the cage at about 8pm allowing a little light to enter the cage, they sleep until around 7am and are then allowed to fly freely all day

tex do they poop a lot over the house or just stay around ther cage always donerred bout letting mine

Fraza wrote: tex do they poop a lot over the house or just stay around ther cage always donerred bout letting mine

This was something we were worried about but we have been very fortunate as they spend a lot of time sat on top of the cage and they do the business there most of the time, they often perch on a particular picture frame and they go down the back,we allow it to harden and it wipes off really easily with very little mess.They never poop in flight so there are very few nasty surprises, the curtain rail is the only "no go zone" and they go back in the cage without encouragement of any kind.

Lucky birds!

tex great I wish I could do this have you found they have became more fond of you aswell because they are out and around u they are not as scared as birds that are stuck

Fraza wrote: tex great I wish I could do this have you found they have became more fond of you aswell because they are out and around u they are not as scared as birds that are stuck

Absolutely,they will happily finger perch as long as there is food on offer usually millett or cucumber,they are totally at ease and only get frightened if i put my hand in the cage,so i dont do it so tell me about your birds and how you house them?

tex I usually have one pair in a house breeding, with a big cage and I let them out for free flight

Then I have a mixed aviary of about 45 birds of stars,heck’s,Java’s,society’s,zebras and these just colony breed

Then I have a built in set up of 4 breeding cages in the aviary this is used for iLL birds or if birds fall out of the nest and they need to be fostered they go into ther with a society foster

Are u ever willing to breed your birds

A little cage and a round cage is both times a no go. But as it works just for sleeping it might be ok. Just remember what for us humans looks nice and ornamental may be completely different for the birds .

Fraza wrote: tex I usually have one pair in a house breeding, with a big cage and I let them out for free flight

Then I have a mixed aviary of about 45 birds of stars,heck’s,Java’s,society’s,zebras and these just colony breed

Then I have a built in set up of 4 breeding cages in the aviary this is used for iLL birds or if birds fall out of the nest and they need to be fostered they go into ther with a society foster

Are u ever willing to breed your birds

Hey Fraza, No, as much as i love my birds (george and Ringo) i would never want to get in that deep,keeping two birds is time consuming enough. Sounds like you have quite a set up at home,this must take up a lot of your time...respect due!

tex thankyou and it does take up time but I enjoy also when they are in an aviary it’s not as hard to care for them as it’s like they are loving wil in a way haha just have daily checks and weekly cleans

And obviously selling chicks which I hate letting go but I have to sell