FINCHforum

Hi,
I'm very new and would appreciate some advice.
I have a nice old display cabinet I'd like to convert into a housing for finches.
It is 1500mm high, 800mm long and 300mm deep. I would like to know if you consider this big enough to house finches, and how many birds could comfortably live ( and thrive ) in that space.
I am concerned that the depth ( 300mm/12") is adequate? The welfare of the birds is the most important thing to me, so if its considered unsuitable I will happily look for alternatives. Any advice would be most appreciated.
Regards,
Steve.

Paddyharper

Larger is always better. 30"x18"x18" tall is the accepted minimum for common pet finches, but the cabinet might work for a species that uses height. 4-6 society finches might do well in there, as they tend to use the height as well, whereas other finches would just sit at the top. So no gouldians or Javas. Put the food and water down low and foliage, perches, swings, etc up high, and they should exercise more. I find that mine spend a lot of time foraging at the bottom ever since I gave them some dry leaves to dig through. If you want breeding, less birds would work better.

But an enclosure that is wider would certainly be better. So I would keep a lookout for a different cabinet if I were you.

Agree on the comment on dimensions. A long axis horizontally is always preferred. That is more in keeping with normal flight patterns which are mainly more or less horizontal. If the 1500mm was in the horizontal plane that would be far better.

I also wonder if this conversion is worth the labor. By the time you put in access doors, cleanup doors and screen it all in and finish it, it will be close to the labor involved in building a more ideal configuration from scratch.

Thanks for the advice guys.
I'm taking on board your comments and will not be using the cabinet. Drawing up a plan to build my own, will keep you posted if OK