New Zebra Finch Owner needs Vitamin help

Finch Fry · Post by **Finch Fry** » Sun Jan 11, 2009 12:00 am

I got a pair of Zebra finches and I want to get some supplements to keep them happy and healthy. It looks like the female is going to be laying some eggs soon. Fry (the male) and has been busy preparing the nest and Leela (the female) is going to town on the cuttle bone/ egg food w/ shell (my own recipe of just a hard boiled egg, completely mashed to mush) and just added a meal worm to the diet along with a seed diet of finch seed mix.

I heard a lot about feather fast for molting and guarding angel and calcium plus. Should i get those? Where can I get them. My pet shops dont have any of this stuff. They all sell that 8in1 stuff.

franny · Post by **franny** » Sun Jan 11, 2009 1:31 am

I think the cuttlebone, and the eggfood with shell will probably ensure they have enough calcium. But if you want to give a little liquid calcium, then just be sure to do it only one or two days a week, not every day. It's easy to give them too much of a good thing when supplementing calcium. I've never tried Featherfast, and since GBs don't go through the same heavy, molt that the Gouldian finches do, I'm not sure that it's really necessary for them, especially if you're giving them a varied diet. Though I know a lot of folks here do use it.

Not sure what Guardian Angel is, some kind of multi-vitamin? Anyway, I do give Calciboost and a mineral supplement in the water, but just one or two days a week.

You didn't mention greens, and I think some greens are pretty important, if you can get them to eat them! (Chickweed, brocolli, cucumber, etc,) If they don't like it try sneaking it to them in the eggfood.

Another way to get some greens in to them is to give them Herb Salad - dried herbs you can get from www.fairestfinches.com. My GBs like them, though they won't touch most fresh greens unless disguised in the eggfood.

poohbear · Post by **poohbear** » Sun Jan 11, 2009 10:56 am

When I was a kid I successfully kept and bred zebra finches on a diet of foreign finch seed...and nothing else.
Provide your birds with mashed boiled egg mixed with a dry boxed eggfood if they are breeding.A sprinkle of multi vitamins now and again,and they will be fine.
Don't go mad with all these fancy additives they are not necessary.

Finch Fry · Post by **Finch Fry** » Mon Jan 12, 2009 12:03 pm

Where do they sell dry egg food? At the pet shops??, all i ever see is seed diet bags or those colored pellets.

As for greens, I have not been giving them much. I fed them lettuce one day but i left the pieces too big. I sometimes forget their mouth is SOOO small. I had it cut down to about 1/2 inch pieces, WAY too big. Either way, the girl was going nuts on the lettuce i threw in there.

I think I will buy the calcium plus and feather fast and a multi vitamin and use them sparingly but have them on hand in case of any problems because i heard that finches have a super high metabolism and they can starve inside of a day if not properly dieted. So i dont want to be pressured to have to get them stuff if they are not doing well.

thanks for all the help!

poohbear · Post by **poohbear** » Mon Jan 12, 2009 12:23 pm

Good pet shops should sell dried egg food...don't worry about zebras they will survive well on a quality seed mix...no problem

franny · Post by **franny** » Mon Jan 12, 2009 12:30 pm

Finch Fry wrote:Where do they sell dry egg food? At the pet shops??, all i ever see is seed diet bags or those colored pellets.

Petsmart sometimes has Goldie's Eggfood, which my finches like. But often they are out of it. You are more likely to find it at a Mom & Pop type pet store. Or you can order it online. It's not too heavy, so shipping would not be as bad as for buying large bags of seed.

Here's a site I Googled that sells it. Might be others cheaper, or closer to you. Just google Quicko Eggfood. http://www.foryourbird.com/page/foryourbird/CTGY/quiko I like to have it on hand for when I just don't feel like taking the time to hardboil eggs. And even when I do, poohbear is right, they like it a bit dry so I mix the dry eggfood with the real mashed egg, too. My finches like insects so I get the brand with the insects. But for Zebras this isn't necessary.

Finch Fry · Post by **Finch Fry** » Mon Jan 12, 2009 12:30 pm

yes, i know the zebras will live because they are quite resilient so I am not worried about those little suckers. But i am using this as an opportunity to prepare for more difficult types of finches. I would like to, when i move into my house in a few months, build a big flight cage or aviary and have a couple of other types of finches.
I will need to do a lot of reading and learning before I would invest my money or endenger their health with improper care.

franny · Post by **franny** » Mon Jan 12, 2009 12:52 pm

Yes, I started out with 'easy' starter Society Finches, and back then I didn't have the internet for finding out how to care for them. They too, survived on pretty much a basic seed diet, along with some chickweed and some other greens when in season. But if I had known more I'd have given them a much more varied diet, and they might not really need it, but I think it would make their life a little more interesting. Variety is the spice of life, after all.

They sure did like to try out anything I did put in the cage!

I say go for it and try more variety in the natural foods you feed, if your time, budget allow for it. It's fun and interesting to watch them try new things, even if not strictly necessary for their health. As long as it doesn't hurt them. So be selective and careful with supplements. Don't want to overdo them.