FINCHforum

I just purchased a huge new home for my napoleon weavers so they could luve life to the fullest and not be cramped in a plain old boring cage. I plan to make it a planted cage and was hoping for some insight from people who have had experience with finches and plants. i have looked up lists of bird safe plants and naroowed it down to a few choices

-bachelor buttons
-bromeliads
-dahlia
-hibiscus
-honesuckle
-passion flower vine
-star jasmine

i'm confident that the sorces i got this list from is accurate. i just was wondering if using plant fertilizer would hurt the birds. if so are there any alternative additives to keep the plants and most importantly the birds alive and thriving.

What i plan to do with the cage is have the honeysuckle vine and passion flower vines creep all over the mid-top portion of the cage and have the hibiscus bush right in the center on the cage floor. along with that to add a feeling of security for the birds i'm going to keep star bromeliads on the corners and the cage and the dahlia and the jasmine spread here and there so it feels like their natural habitat. My plan for them is to give them the best life they can have along with breeding. the male will weave his own nest in the plants. i have a female to male tatio of 2:1 so i will get two clutches from the proven trio. what i just found out on a breeders website is that they are extremely rare and that apair will sell for $3300.00 i almost had a heart attack reading that becasue i paid $139.99 for a proven trio. i do plan to sellsome of the next generation but will keep some because i have become so attache dto this species of finch


Any helpful ideas and constructive criticism about the cage set up will help me tremendously.

thanks

I think the fertilizer is a big[ no no poison]
How big is your cage ,that a lot of plants they will get so dirty with poop and the birds will tear up some

the cage is about 4.5'x4'x5.5' maybe a little bigger. i'm only doimg one of each plant and 4 small bromeliads. i'm going th make sure they still have a lot of room to fly. Is fertilizer really poisonous? iif it is then hwhat do i do with a plant that is bought at a nursery. do i repot it with regualr soil. or COULD i cover the top of the soil for protection? What would be better.

You could cover the soil with some landscaping cloth. Then cover that with some rocks.

You could get organic potting soil from your garden dept lowes or homedepot. I use plastic plants and vines in and on the tops of cages keeps them cleaner but still gives the birds a lot of places to feel safe.
Someone that use live plants will be able to give you more answers,soon