making little zebra babies!

Thalia · Post by **Thalia** » Tue Jan 30, 2007 12:19 pm

Well I stuck in a nest on Sunday, and today I was sitting at my desk watching the birds and they were mating. At least I'm pretty sure that's what was happening, it happens so fast lol, anyways Sam was hopping on Andie's back and sitting there for a few seconds before falling off. I'm concerned because they seem to be ignoring the nest I put in. I also put in a little dish full of bits of yarn for nesting material. Will they start using the nest when Andie is getting ready to lay? Also she looks like she's put on some weight since I first got her. Is that normal or am I maybe over feeding? She's also darkened in colour quite a bit. I'm pretty certain she's a silver, she's got tail bars and her head and chest are quite grey. Sam is either a normal or a fawn, he's kinda brownish, he's also much darker than Alfred was, which makes me think Alfred was a light back, which is kinda upsetting since he would have made pretty babies with Andie. Also Andie's tail feathers are looking twisted and messy is that something I need to worry about?

Crystal · Post by **Crystal** » Tue Jan 30, 2007 1:41 pm

I don't feel that they yarn is a good idea. I am including an excerpt from an article I put together on nesting material:

Provide your birds with nesting materials that are natural and nontoxic. Avoid small, synthetic fibers such as yarn and stringy material such as hair. These fibers can become entangled around the bird's feet, toes, and other body parts, causing damage, loss of limb, and even death. Also avoid hay, soil, peat moss, eucalyptus leaves, and corn cob (which may lead to fungal growth).

Burlap cut into 3" strips, shreds of newspaper, coconut fiber, and shreds of facial tissue are good nesting material options. Additionally, certain species prefer certain types of nesting material: parrot finches, for instance, prefer to use broad-leafed grasses and reeds whereas painted finches like to include stones and small twigs in their nests. Some finches even like to line their nests with white feathers. The key is to provide a wide variety of nesting materials and then let the birds decide what they want to use.

It is pretty much impossible to "over feed" finches and their access to food should not be restricted. If your birds are truly overweight, the best remedy is to provide a larger enclosure set up for increased exercise and to provide a greater proportion of low-calorie items like leafy greens in their diet. However, for the most part, you should not be attempting to gauge the body condition of your birds simply by looking at them since the feathers often mask what is going on beneath them. If you take her out of the cage and feel along her breast bone, you will get a much more accurate idea of whether or not she is in good condition. You should be able to feel adequate muscle covering the breast bone: the bone should not be very prominent, nor should it be so covered in fat that it is difficult to feel. Her chest should not be bony or "plump," but something in between.

Are her tail feathers just looking ratty or does she have feces (or any fecal discoloration) around her vent? Ratty feathers don't concern me as much as a pasty vent which could indicate illness. Provide bathing opportunities and she may be more inclined to preen her tail feathers if they are just messy from "use." Also, feathers tend to become more ratty prior to being molted out.

Thalia · Post by **Thalia** » Thu Feb 01, 2007 3:04 pm

Well they've shunned the basket nest I gave them, so I cut a kleenex box in two and pushed to 2 pieces together to make a smaller nest with a hole in the top and they don't like that either. Sam keeps taking the shredded paper I gave them and tries to stuff it between the bars of their cage. Maybe he'll be successful eventually and weave his own nest. They don't seem to like the yarn, but I left the little pieces in incase they want to use them for nest lining. They're not very long pieces so I don't think they'll tangle on the birds. I don't like the idea of using kleenex since it's so absorbable I'd worry about mold. I wish I could find coconut fibre, but unfortunately the only stuff I can find is the mixed jungle bedding stuff for lizards and so forth. I really wish they would just use one of the nests I gave them. Is there any way to encourage them to use them?
Andie's tailfeathers just look a little twisted on the end, her vent is clean and her poops have been normal, a little large but normal. I think she might be getting ready to molt, she has been loosing quite a few long feathers lately.

Raven85 · Post by **Raven85** » Thu Feb 01, 2007 6:13 pm

hi Thalia..sometimes finches can be picky about what type of nest they want..thats the hard part I'm sure..lol..below is a link to a pic of my 2 finches inside their nest..I too used the *basket* type..chirp & dale didnt like it neither so I bought this one..as you can see...they have made a home in it & now have 4 babies that are a week old that need fed all day..lol...

http://www.finchforum.com/gallery/displ ... p?pos=-186

happy nest hunting

Raven

Thalia · Post by **Thalia** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 1:27 pm

lol raven that is such a cute pic. Well at first they decided they were going to stuff the paper strips between the woven nest and the wall of the cage and they made themselves a very messy cup style nest, then they discovered the hole in the front of the basket nest and they moved in there, I'm not sure if there's any eggs yet but they seem to have decided that the inside, not the top, of the nest is the best idea. Andie is in there right now redecorating lol, she's weaving bits of paper into the hemp(?) fibres of the nest, I think she finds the doorway too large. It was too cute watching them build the cup nest, Sam would just get the piece of paper how he wanted it, then Andie would hop up and move it and rearrange things, you could see Sam getting frustrated with her lol. When the summer comes I'm going to get my boyfriend to leave a small patch of grass at the back of the yard to grow long and I'll cut it and dry it and stick it in the freezer for nesting material. I'm so excited for babies!

Post by **Hilary** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 11:45 pm

Aren't you glad you decided to stick with finches? They're full of surprises!

Hilary

Thalia · Post by **Thalia** » Wed Feb 07, 2007 9:58 am

lol I'll be happy with them until the babies start waking me up early!
I do have one question though, Andie looks quite a bit like another person's bird who posted pics and you all thought that his bird was male... would they be building a nest if they were 2 males? I just want to know so I don't sit in suspence for eggs that aren't coming lol.
You'll never guess what they've decided to use for nesting material now though, lol, I gave them some millet yeterday, and right now Sam is trying to get a piece of the empty stick into the nest. They're so cute I'll try to get some pics of them in their nest.

kenny · Post by **kenny** » Wed Feb 07, 2007 12:12 pm

hi thalia
my javas often use the sticks from millet spray for nesting material i suppose its just a waste if all they do is eat the seed when they can use it in the nest also

ken

duck_amuck · Post by **duck_amuck** » Tue Feb 13, 2007 9:53 am

My Zebras are also "in the Valentine's Day spirit", shall we say...they have a nest basket and have been busily carrying every last scrap of material they can find into the nest. When I get home from work the female is in the basket, and at bedtime they are both in there together...TOO cute! Every morning I think I'd rather stay home and watch the finches than go to work.