How many finches can i have in an x sized cage???

Slytherin! · Post by **Slytherin!** » Tue Dec 30, 2008 1:53 pm

Hi im new to owning zebra finches and have recently bought a new cage and some finches.

My cage is 2ft long and 2ft high and 1ft wide.

How many finches would live comfortably in here???

poohbear · Post by **poohbear** » Tue Dec 30, 2008 2:08 pm

No more than one pair...and personally I wouldn't be happy with this size cage...finches are energetic little birds and need as much flying space as possible.
Good luck...and if you want happy birds try and get something bigger (Longer) if you can.

Slytherin! · Post by **Slytherin!** » Tue Dec 30, 2008 2:12 pm

The cage is supposed to be big enough for 4 budgies?

Slytherin! · Post by **Slytherin!** » Tue Dec 30, 2008 2:25 pm

But the cage is big enough for 4 budgies???

Post by **Sally** » Tue Dec 30, 2008 2:56 pm

That size cage may work for budgies, I don't know anything about them, but finches need room to fly. Since finches don't climb (they don't use their beaks like budgies do), their only form of real exercise is flight. I have a few cages that are 24lx16dx16h, and I use them for quarantine, hospital cage, all temporary uses. For permanent living, the smallest cage I would recommend is 30lx18dx18h, and that is for one pair as a rule.

Check out the Finch Information Center linked at left, go to Housing, and there is a cage calculator which will tell you how many finches can be kept in a cage. According to the calculator, your cage will work for one finch, which never works, since finches need the company of other finches. People assume that since finches are tiny birds, they will be happy with tiny cages, but they need a much bigger cage in relation to their size.

franny · Post by **franny** » Tue Dec 30, 2008 2:59 pm

Budgies and other hookbills get exercise by climbing. And often get free flight time outside of their cage.

Finches can't climb about the cage. And hopping from perch to perch isn't enough. They need the length so that they have to actually fly from end to end of the cage. They also spend their entire lives in their cage (usually) so the general rule is that the smaller the finch, the bigger the cage!

My Goldbreasted Waxbills are the smallest of finches (only about 3 inches long), and are in a cage approx. 3ft L by 3 ft H by 2 ft W. They have at least 2 feet between the end perches so get lots of flying room. And they love it!

They may seem a bit lost in that big cage, but it's actually just right for the 2 of them. And it's fun to watch them go about their business in a setting that allows them room to fly. They really get going, doing loops around the perches sometimes!

poohbear · Post by **poohbear** » Tue Dec 30, 2008 3:06 pm

Hope we aren't disappointing you with our answers...but that's the way it is.If you are only able to have a small cage don't overcrowd it...the birds must come first.

DVBourassa · Post by **DVBourassa** » Tue Dec 30, 2008 3:11 pm

I realize cages are expensive so it may be difficult to find the right size for a reasonable price. If you check out Petco you can find a 30Lx18Wx18H for $50. Based on what I've read this seems to be the minimum size for one pair. Bigger is always better though.

http://www.petco.com/product/100285/Pre ... -Cage.aspx

Slytherin! · Post by **Slytherin!** » Tue Dec 30, 2008 3:23 pm

Ok i have a problem then.

I am not exactly sure how big the cage is but i will ask my bf to measure it up coz im not there at moment.

We first bought two finches, we asked pet shop how many birds we could have at in our cage they said 4 birds so we got two finches and two canarys.

The male canary bullied the finches so we rehomed them both together.

Then i saw a lovely pair of finches in the pet shop again so i asked if our cage was big enough and they said yes but to take our birds out, clean it up and rearrange branches so we have done that and introduced them all together and they seem to get on ok, the old female finch and our new male seem to chase each other every now and then but not always.

But the new pair seems to be the bosses in the cage.

O my bf just text me, its 16 inches deep, 33 inches long and 26 inches high. i dunno what this means but i think i made a mistake by listening to pet shops

L in Ontario · Post by **L in Ontario** » Tue Dec 30, 2008 3:36 pm

What type of finches did you plan on keeping in that cage?

bonnies_gouldians · Post by **bonnies_gouldians** » Tue Dec 30, 2008 3:42 pm

Not all species of finches can go together safely so depending on what species they are, the new ones may be bossing the older ones around because they are a more aggressive species. Check out the Finch Info Center and see what two species you have if they are different to be sure they are compatible. Also, canaries should not be kept with finches, they are related but canaries tend to be too aggressive with almost any species of finch, and their size tends to allow them to be bullies.

Slytherin! · Post by **Slytherin!** » Tue Dec 30, 2008 3:51 pm

I have 4 zebra finches but vary in colours, there names are bandit (black cheeked and chested grey male) and choca (brown-fawn female )
zuban (average orange cheeked male) and zubyhr (grey female)

bonnies_gouldians · Post by **bonnies_gouldians** » Tue Dec 30, 2008 3:55 pm

Zebras are great first finches but they can be very mean to other finches, even their own kind. I ended up adopting my pair because the male had his eye pecked out by zebra cage mates and the female was plucked clean like a volture. Most likely they were picked on due to limited space for so many birds, as is often the case in overcrowded pet stores.

franny · Post by **franny** » Tue Dec 30, 2008 4:01 pm

Slytherin! wrote:O my bf just text me, its 16 inches deep, 33 inches long and 26 inches high. i dunno what this means but i think i made a mistake by listening to pet shops

Yes, they are in the business of selling cages, and you now know, but most people don't, finches need very large cages for their size. Larger cages (with small openings for finches) cost more, so they generally don't sell so well. The pet stores are mostly catering to budgie and cockateil owners and sometimes those cages are fine for them. They get out and get exercise climbing around and hanging out on the drapes, etc!

As pet stores go, that's not a bad size cage really. But still really just adequate for 2 finches. If you have society finches they are generally more laid back, and 4 might tolerate eachother on those confines...but they would for sure be happier as just a pair. If you can't afford a larger cage, you might consider building one yourself. There are some great plans on the site, if you do a search. Or maybe since you haven't had the birds for long, the best thing to do would be to return or rehome one pair?

We all know how addicting it can be, once you get started, so if it was me, I'd be building a bigger cage!

By the way, welcome to the forum! Some great reading here.

Post by **Sally** » Tue Dec 30, 2008 4:01 pm

Unfortunately, just because people work in a petstop, or own one, doesn't always mean they give you the best advice. Even though your cage is a better size than I first thought, it is still close to the size that would be recommended as a minimum for a pair of finches. Two pairs of Zebras will usually wind up having problems with aggression, feather-plucking, etc. They may get along OK at first, but finches are territorial, which is why they need enough room not only to get their flying exercise, but to satisfy their need to have their own space.

We've all made the same mistake of buying finches on impulse, then finding out that there is more to it than that. The more research you can do, the better, as all finches are not equal. Hate to sound discouraging, but do a search for posts on Zebra finches here on the forum--many of the problems stemmed from not providing the proper housing to start with.