FINCHforum

Hello, my 2 canaries were looking to make a nest & since they're allowed free flight, they wouldn't make one in the large cage I provided.

They kept going up on the curtain rod with bits of hay, pieces of paper towel, etc & just dropping them.

I gave in & put their lined margarine container up there & secured it to the wall. They've been going crazy since & I can see pieces of hay sticking out of the nest. She's quite happy.

Now, what I'm worried about is after the eggs are laid, hatched & babies(hopefully) are beginning to poke their heads up or daresay, wanting to come out!

That's quite a long drop!

Should I make some kind of platform around the nest? Yes, I realize it's getting complicated. Or would too much activity up there by me, disturb the canaries?

I wonder if I've created a 'monster' now, ha ha.

I would just leave them be. Nature has given them everything they need to handle the situation. Birds nest in trees a lot higher up than that. Bob

Leave them be, I find that babies seem to bounce than drop but if your completely worried I would wait till closer to fledgling time and put a cushion or few in the floor.

I think it's great you allowed them to free fly and make their nest where they chose. As far as fledges, you'll need to watch that they don't fledge out and get stuck behind some piece of furniture or something else. Some babies, in aviaries, fledge and get stuck behind a potted plant or something like that and the parents don't feed them. Just watch them and the parents. If there is anything below that could be dangerous, I'd move that and keep the area clear for fledge time. You could add platform perch below the nest or next to the nest, but not too far away. Think of fledges, they can fly, but not well and they don't have much control.

We have a pair of sparrows who nest yearly in our light fixture above our front door. Unfortunately, they lose many babies because they fall out of the nest onto the concrete. They never realized the light fixture may be warm and secluded, but it's in a dangerous position for their babies. I started putting a dog bed below the nest on our front porch in the spring and saved a couple babies that way.