FINCHforum

Hey Guys. I am new to the Hobby and have some breeding questions. First off I bought my Zebras off of Craigslist. I have since then given them some names. There are 3 males and 1 female. 2 of the males are off spring of the hen and cock. One is a normal male zebra while the other is a Florida fancy mutation. I have separated the offspring from the parents and I'm trying to successfully breed. So far I have had 2 eggs (one was destroyed by the parents the other was laid just last night) and I am wondering what the chances of getting a female is and what the chances of getting another Florida fancy are. Both parents are normal zebras. Can anyone please help me? I need answers quick.

FinchLover&Breeder

Are you breeding siblings? If so, you may have some weak offspring.

Heres a link to the mutation calculator

http://zebrafinch.info/index.php/genetic-advisor/

Babs wrote: FinchLover&Breeder

Are you breeding siblings? You may have some weak offspring.

Heres a link to the mutation calculator

http://zebrafinch.info/index.php/genetic-advisor/

Actually I'm not right now. I was wondering if it was possible to breed my Florida fancy with another that came from the same parents but a different batch of eggs. And would you be interested in buying some zebras off of me if I have more then I expect to have?

FinchLover&Breeder

Hello and welcome to the Forum . I got your PM, thanks.

So let me get this straight...

4 Zebras altogether
2 parents
2 children of these parents (?)

Have I got this right ?

Both parents are normal Greys, and one baby is a normal Grey.
Now, as to the other baby.... you mention that this feathered child is a Florida Fancy?

When you have 2 normal Greys, it is highly unlikely that they would produce a Florida Fancy chick.

I am thinking, that it isn't their child, as in another bird possibly dropping this egg in their nest when they weren't looking. Or maybe mom wasn't faithful, although I'd opt for the former scenario more than the latter, as Zebras form a very strong bond with their mates.

Do tell me about their housing, and their diet at present, and we'll try and figure out what's going on with the egg laying.

Have fun and enjoy your birds.

lovezebs wrote: FinchLover&Breeder

Hello and welcome to the Forum . I got your PM, thanks.

So let me get this straight...

4 Zebras altogether
2 parents
2 children of these parents (?)

Have I got this right ?

Both parents are normal Greys, and one baby is a normal Grey.
Now, as to the other baby.... you mention that this feathered child is a Florida Fancy?

When you have 2 normal Greys, it is highly unlikely that they would produce a Florida Fancy chick.

I am thinking, that it isn't their child, as in another bird possibly dropping this egg in their nest when they weren't looking. Or maybe mom wasn't faithful, although I'd opt for the former scenario more than the latter, as Zebras form a very strong bond with their mates.

Do tell me about their housing, and their diet at present, and we'll try and figure out what's going on with the egg laying.

Have fun and enjoy your birds.

Thanks Zebs. Yes I have 2 normal Greys for the parents and one Normal Grey brother of the Florida Fancy. From what the guy told me he bought just the 2 normal grey parents and they had the babies I now have.
The housing is a large either flight or breeder cage but it is longer then tall like they need. a couple perches and toys and stuff.
As for the food for the mother and father I have normal finch food with hand-crushed egg shells sprinkled over the top. I also have a calcium cover millet spray and cuttle bone in the cage with them. If I can I'll get and post pictures of their set-up. Since I didn't have the opportunity to give them a real normal nest I gave them a cloth one (you might see) and an empty plastic container filled with hay. That is where she layed her egg.
Any other questions for me right now?

FinchLover&Breeder

First of all, "please" make sure that you have homes lined up for whichever babies you may or may not breed in the future, before breeding Zebra Finches (or any birds for that matter of fact). Check with Pet Shops in your area, to see if they are interested in buying Zebra Finches. Check with bird groups in your area to see if there is a market for Zebbies in your vicinity.

I mention this, because Zebras tend to be very easy breeders, that anyone can breed, and not too many people want to spend more than $5-$10 dollars on. We have people in my town giving them away, because they can't sell them, and there is a bunch of them at our Humane Society, that people just surrendered because they couldn't find homes for them.

Regarding breeding siblings, that's a big NO-NO. It doesn't matter if they are from a different clutch of eggs, if they are from the same parents, they are still 100% siblings and should never be bred together. You will end up with smallish, sickly babies with possible deformities, who will get progressively worse and worse with each subsequent generation.

As in regards to diet:

A good quality Finch seed mix
A variety of greens and vegetables
Hard boiled eggs
Boiled, crushed eggshells
Oystershell grit
A mineral block
An iodine block

Also offer them a bath of tepid water everyday, they will love it .

lovezebs
In the future I will find homes for the Zebras. Right now I just want to expand my collection by breeding and adopting any unwanted zebras. Thanks for the breeding and care tips.
Any other questions real quick? I'll try to get pics.

Hey guys. Another quick question I need answered real quick. What would happen if I had a very large cage and I had multiple nests in it but only one male to like 3 females? Would the male be in heaven? Is it even possible to do that with successful breeding? Please respond asap. Thanks.

FinchLover&Breeder

No, he would not be in heaven, and your girls would fight each other over him. He would bond with one female, and they would spend their time chasing the other females away from their nest and territory.

Not a good idea if you want them to concentate on breeding.

lovezebs
Alrighty then. Won't do that then. Even if I wanted to I can't right now because I only have Mamma bird. Did you see my other posting? Think it will work?

FinchLover&Breeder

Welcome to the forum! ( Sorry I forgot that! )

If you could find a way to get a zebra finch from another bloodline, that would be healthier for your offspring.

Hopefully you can find the mutation you need to get more of the Florida Fancy variety you want.

We have members all over the world so we would need to know what general part of the world you're in so you can hopefully find members in your area.

Babs
Thanks for the welcome. In the Marketplace forum. If you can't find it then tell people you know near me (I live in Polk City, Florida) about me. Thanks for your help. I really like the Florida Fancy colors. I might make a whole aviary of just Florida Fancy's one day. I'll be posting pics of my birds that I have now and their set-up and stuff.

FinchLover&Breeder

Thanks for putting in your location, that helps a lot!

We have a member named Cindy in Florida who breeds various mutations of zebra finch. Her birds are quite lovely. Type in Cindy in the members search and send her a private message.

Hopefully she can point you in the right direction. We look forward to your pictures!

Babs
Cool. Thanks for the tip. I will deffinetly do that in one moment. Trying to post pics. Thanks so much Babs.

Here are some of the pics. More to come.