Handicapped Zebra

[Finch Fry]

Yah. Mine emptied the nest about the same time they feathered up. Maybe to reduce the nests ability to hold heat? Babies were 100% though.

[Nagdabit]

Yeah, that's the odd thing to me, it's just a little bit each day. There is still plenty of material in the nest and babies are probably a good week away from fledging.

[Finch Fry]

Ehh, they are resilient little buggers. They should be just fine.

I have stuffed nesting material into the nest once before. They just take it out. No point, its their home.

[Nagdabit]

I wasn't planning on putting any more in, or generally interfering in any way. For first time parents, they definitely are holding their own. Actually they're doing better than some of our more experienced couples. Just curious if anyone else had finches that slowly tore apart their nest to make room for the babies as they grew.

[ac12]

My first pair raised 4 in the small woven finch nest.
When the chicks fledged, I was surprised how big they were. It must have been like a sardine can in there! They could not sit, they had to stand to fit. There was a 5th egg, but it must have been infertile, as there were only 4 hatchlings, but I dunno how a 5th chick would have fit. Dad would have probably done what yours did, tear up the nest lining to provide more space inside the nest. I told myself, next time use a BIGGER nest. I am now using the much more roomy ABBA nest box.

[BWilliMaq]

Thank you so much for your story about Jake. I’m pretty new to the Zebra Finch world but the pair I got at the end of August this year have produced a clutch of four chicks. The eggs hatched roughly around the 6-8th of November and the chicks started to fledge on the 26th through the 29th. The last one to fledge is the little guy I’m worried about. I’m hoping he or she was just the last one to hatch or something because he has trouble flying. He also just sits on the floor and sleeps a lot all puffed up. He hasn’t been able to get back into the nest the last two nights even with mom and dad coaching him. He did fly up to a lower perch but fell when he tried to turn around. He got up to a higher perch and on top of the nest basket but God love him he can’t make the nest opening. He kept looking between the opening and the perch he didn’t know which one to go for. I was going to put him back in but I didn’t know if that was the proper thing to do. Both parents are taking very good care of him and he perks right up when it comes time to eat. He even started pecking at the millet spray that I laid on the bottom of the cage. I’m just worried sick about him. I want to help him anyway I can I’m just hoping he’s a little slower to develop. His siblings are maturing ahead of the schedule that I was going by and they seem very healthy. I recently introduced some egg food into their diet and they really seem to like it. I hate to leave the little fella sleeping on the bottom but like I said he’s being well taken care of. I’m confined to a wheelchair and I have trouble reaching the back of the cage to help him back into the nest. Any advice on this matter would be greatly appreciated! I hope it was alright to post here I’m new to finch forum!

[lovezebs]

BWilliMaq

Hello and welcome to the Forum,

The Thread you responded to is from 2009, so it's quite old, but luckily I found you .

Regarding your slow little baby Zebra.

It is possible that he was the youngest of the clutch, and fledged a bit too early for his development.

As long as the parents are feeding him and not rejecting him, he should be alright. You could make a little cardboard box nest for him at the bottom of the cage, lining it with some shredded kleenex and hay, so he'll have somewhere to sleep, until his flying improves.

I would also place some hard boiled egg and crumbled spray millet in a shallow dish at the bottom of the cage, along with a small very shallow dish with a small amount of water. This will make it easier for him to access food and water if he is hungry or thirsty, as he learns to eat and drink on his own in the next few weeks.

Let us know how he's doing, and by all means feel free to ask any other questions which you might have.

Good luck.