FINCHforum

I saw a beautiful female zebra at the local pet store earlier today. She was nearly all white with a black tear beneath the eye (not sure what variety that'd be considered). I'm seriously considering buying her, especially since she was all by herself at the store.

I have two males in the same cage right now though, and while I definitely have room for a third finch, I'm wondering if adding one female into the mix is going to incite a lot of aggression between the males.

Am I better off getting another male down the line? And would an owl finch get along okay with the zebras?

The female is chestnut flanked white (CFW).

And yes I am afraid putting a female with two males is bound to cause a lot of aggression. And zebras in general feel better in even numbers.
But if you can only have 3, another male would be the better choice.

If you want that F, get another cage for either
- the F if you don't want them to breed
- the M that you don't pair up with her

Or, better yet, get a bigger cage for all four, the two males and two new females. LOl. Then you have a hospital cage ready if need be.

....and then down the line a much bigger flight for the babies and parents too!
This is how it goes 99% of the time.. "I only want 2".
Next week: "Oh I saw the most beautiful finch today"
two days later: "I went back and got that finch. i couldn't stop thinking about it."
One month later: "I'm so excited, they went right to nesting!!!!"
Two months later:"I have 4 new fledglings! I only wanted two. How did this happen?"

6finchfriends wrote:....and then down the line a much bigger flight for the babies and parents too!
This is how it goes 99% of the time.. "I only want 2".
Next week: "Oh I saw the most beautiful finch today"
two days later: "I went back and got that finch. i couldn't stop thinking about it."
One month later: "I'm so excited, they went right to nesting!!!!"
Two months later:"I have 4 new fledglings! I only wanted two. How did this happen?"

Ahaha, so true! Though right now, I really don't have enough space for more cages. Long term though, I'd like to build a good sized aviary. I'm sure I'll find a place for one some day

I should probably hold off on the female for now then, though its definitely tempting.

I'd really love to get a male owl finch or maybe a male spice finch eventually though. Do they mesh well with zebras?

According to the FIC
http://www.finchinfo.com/birds/finches/ ... /index.php
No, the owl and spice are passive finches and the zebra is a pushy finch.

But it also depends on the individual zebra.
I have zebras that are nice and mellow, and I have zebras that are absolute terrors. I had one that just could not get along with anyone and had to be kept in solitary confinement. He not only chased the others, but he attacked some of them. Or two will buddy up, then as a pair pick on any other bird in the cage.

ac12 wrote:According to the FIC
http://www.finchinfo.com/birds/finches/ ... /index.php
No, the owl and spice are passive finches and the zebra is a pushy finch.

But it also depends on the individual zebra.
I have zebras that are nice and mellow, and I have zebras that are absolute terrors. I had one that just could not get along with anyone and had to be kept in solitary confinement. He not only chased the others, but he attacked some of them. Or two will buddy up, then as a pair pick on any other bird in the cage.

My two are pretty mellow and get along very well. I know that introducing another finch of any kind might change their demeanor completely though. In any case, I'll definitely stay away from females until (if/when) I have the space to put them in pairs. I think I'd also be happy with a penguin male too, though I haven't seen any in person yet.