FINCHforum

hi i just got back into keeping zebra finches after a long time (20 years) and would like to know how much and often to give eggfood and greens and veges to my two zebras (Pink and Floyd) i just got them on sunday, they are about 4 months old and i would like to make sure they have a long and happy life.

Hi, and welcome to the forum Please do tell us more about yourself in the introductions.

Everyone's regiment can vary....Mine have egg food everyday, and veggies and greens every 3 days. I do also expose them to some fruits every once in a while, although so far only the societies will touch it.

Depending on the birds, some will get egg several times a day; breeding, feeding chicks, molting, recovering from being plucked, etc. These are times when they can benefit from the extra protein, so I give them more.

Others only get egg once a day or as I can get egg to them.

Greens, it depends, I can't pre-prep my greens (lettuce), so I have to chop it just before serving. Thus they get greens less often than I would like to. If I can do brocoli tops or something that I can prep and put into a plastic jar and put in the fridge, then it would be easier to feed them greens more often.

How much?
I give them as much as they will eat in a few hours. If you give too much, and they don't eat it in say 3 or 4 hours, it could spoil and make the birds sick. So I give only 1/2 teaspoon or so, depending on the bird and number of birds.

Now, as to the question, will they eat it? You just have to give it to them and see. Sometimes it will take them a while just to try it, other times they will just dive in and scarf it down. Depends on the bird and the food.
Example, I have NOT been able to get my female gouldian to eat eggs or greens. She will eat some of the stuff in Miracle Meal, but not fresh egg.

On some of my birds, I had to "train" them to eat the egg.
I removed their feed the night before, so when they wake up they are hungry. The only food I put in at "lights on" is a small bowl of egg. I would leave ONLY the egg out for a couple hours, then put their regular feed back in. It took a while, a few days up to almost 2 weeks before they would eat the egg on their own. If they are "stubborn" I lengthen the time before I put their regular feed in.
This is where I got the method from
http://www.finchinfo.com/diet/introducing_new_foods.php

Once they eat the egg on their own for a few days, I leave their regular feed in. Some are still hesitant, others will charge the egg when I put it in the cage.

Gud Luk.

I feed the following things to my birds every morning before I leave for work..... eggfood, cucumber, greens (dark leafy lettuce, turnips, collars..whatever is available) soaked seeds, grated broccoli and carrots and a slice of orange (which is mostly for my chestnut breasted mannikin and parrot finches)
I do this EVERY DAY. The good thing is I only have to do it one time as they are in an aviary.

I give greens and veges everyday..
I give eggfood every day during breeding and molting season..
Resting times I give eggfood a few times a week

batuhan

I give egg food to breeding birds and moulting birds, when they need extra proteins. If given year round they will tend to stay in the breeding mode without rest. Also with some birds the eggfood will make them fat and not good breeding canidates.
If you look up austere gouldian diet it has some great info on the natural waxing and waning of food cycles of the wild and how to mimic them in captivity. This will keep you birds at the optimum leavel of health.

I love the names.... and finches.... they don't need no education
Also an old Pink Floyd fan.

Don't think anyone has mentioned, but mine seem to like a diced up Apple too, but can only leave it for so long until it starts turning browny, not much left by that point though

I usually only give egg food once ot twice a seek - trying to avoid lots of little zebra babies right now! Since they're currently all in separate cages, they get one type of 'treat' each day. Hopefully, once all in the big flight age, it will be easier to offer a bit of daily variety.

Mine love bread (I swear Bella ate nothing but bread the first day I gave it to her...) Also, diced spinach, apples, carrots, broccoli tops. Tried an asian pear today; we'll see how that goes. Don't seem to like banana. Try offering food a couple different ways; I know some people just give them big chunks or leaves, but mine like everything finely chopped.