Considering getting canaries

[kyle]

Hello all,
I am considering getting a pair of canaries. I am leaning toward the Red Factor. Just wondering how much they typically sing and how loud compared to gouldian and goldbreasts? And for those of you that have Canary experience what are your favorites?

[Sheather]

I have a male red factor and a crested hen. They live together all the time and in this arrangement the male sings less than a lone canary. Some days he's pretty vocal, some days he doesn't sing. It's louder than other finches, and a lone canary in breeding mode can belt out a song which can be heard outside the house.

[Dave]

The subject of daylength is important, and often isn't explained well even in good articles about Canaries.

The birds need to have a natural length of day, longer in the summer and shorter in the winter. You can check this site and get the current daylength for the Canary Islands, where these birds originated:
https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/spain/arrecife


If it is night time for a Canary, they can't have either sunlight or artificial light. There are many ways to ensure this, using timers and/or cage covers. I check and change my timer every week. If this doesn't happen, they get messed up hormonally and have a shorter life.

I had a friend that kept his birds in a basement. No windows. The lights came on at 11:00 a.m. so the birds would still be awake when he got home from work. That's fine, as long as each 24 hour period has the right amount of lights on vs. lights off.

[lovezebs]

kyle

Hi Kyle,

Personally I love Canaries. Have them now, and had them years ago as well.

I love the song (unless they are trying to sing like a Society, which is really quite horrible ).

All male Canaries will sing, but the different types have different songs. I would recommend googling some videos of different types of Canaries, and listening to their songs, to see what appeals to you personally.

Some are very loud, some have a much softer song, and different people have different preferences as to what they like, or what they can tolerate.

[Rob]

kyle

What Dave said is absolutely correct. I keep all of my canaries in a room naturally lit by sunlight, and when the sun is down, the lights stay off.

Also, they seem to sing the most in the morning, but will sing throughout the day. As Elana said you can look up the different types to see what they sound like. I personally prefer color canaries, bred for looks more than song, and am quite happy with their singing. I have a good chorus of males singing every day.

I personally find the clear (lipochrome) canaries boring and love the added character of striations and melanin coloring, but to each their own. http://www.colourcanaries.co.uk/melanin_canaries.html

My favorite of the song types is the Russian Canary (flute singing).

[Flight Feathers]

I don't know much about canary types but I love my little orange canaries and my male sings every day which is lovely to hear They also currently have baby canaries which is a first for me

[kyle]

Thanks everybody, after some of the great advice I did my research and was so looking forward to getting the birds. This morning I went to the breeders fully expecting to bring home my new canaries. When we arrived at the Breeders and went in his basement the noise was overwhelming. He must have had at least 30 pairs. Now perhaps if I lived in a house and not apartment I would have gotten them. But given that a canary sings most of the day and the volume is so much louder than the finches I decided they may not be for me. Too bad though they're lovely Birds.

[Sheather]

One pair is nothing like thirty singing males, I often keep mine in my bedroom and he doesn't even disturb my sleep.

[Babs _Owner]

kyle

Sorry it didn't work out for ya , Kyle. I can imagine 30 males all trying to outsing each other would be seriously loud.

But as Dylan mentioned, just 1 male and a female doesn't seem like it would be nearly that noisy.

Would the breeder let you try out a pair to see how it goes?

[kyle]

Sheather Babs
I'm sure you're right one pair would probably be okay. I enjoy breeding aspect of keeping birds and wanted to get a pair for this reason. Canaries breed more in the open and I thought it would be fascinating to watch. However the other issue I was having was the lighting. It would be hard to keep them in natural daylight hours when the rest of the apartment is all lit up. Also as you mentioned one male singing isn't too bad but if I had a dad and several boys singing.... Like many birds when the TVs on or companies here the volume goes up as well. I have to give the gouldians the praise they deserve I love their song and when they're singing all together (20 boys) I can talk on the phone or watch TV no problem.

[lovezebs]

Rob

I love the Flutes as well, but where to get some.... sigh... ?

[lovezebs]

kyle

There are many kinds of singers out there Kyle. Some are very quiet, some are very loud. It all depends on the type of Canary you pick.

I used to have one male years ago, that I'd have to throw a dark towel over the cage to shut him up, lol. Others have not been as loud, and if you were to cover the cage, they will stop singing almost immediately.

https://youtu.be/ZwPIBmwYRRo

https://youtu.be/wRipE_PgyJE

https://youtu.be/-u32P5OUoiU

https://youtu.be/g4FAAzEFIRU

https://youtu.be/n3gl_04cEJ0

[Babs _Owner]

kyle

I would go for it! Train him on THIS video! Sooooo melodious!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jaq7dmkYrcI

[kyle]

lovezebs Babs
Elana I liked the song on the first one one in particular. Babs I appreciate the push in the wrong direction. if ever there was a place to be discouraged from buying a finch this isn't it. LOL. Maybe at some point I will get a pair for now I've decided to concentrate on the gouldians. For me they are the perfect birds. Soft sweet song one of the most beautiful birds there are. And and with the variety of colors I have right now the flight cage looks like a box of Smarties. Lol. And if that weren't enough the genetics are amazing. Thinking about canaries was a good thing it brought me back to why I chose gouldians in the first place.. lol.

[lovezebs]

kyle

Well Kyle, good luck with your Gouldians (I happen to be rather fond of them myself). They are lovely birds indeed, both in looks and personality.

Enjoy!!!