FINCHforum

Lurking about the forum, I've come across many similar conclusions that Zebra Finches are bad candidates for a mixed aviary, and are downright vicious sometimes. A mixed aviary was thrown in the bucket list a little while ago and I was wondering if it was even possible with the Zebras?

Is it just unrelated Zebras that fight with each other, can they possibly from a hierarchy or family if the birds are Mom and Dad, and Kids? I don't really plan on breeding Zebras, but I do want to breed other birds, how will I go about doing this? Will I have to separate the pair from the group if I only want one nest box?

Thanks.

Fernando,
Zebra families can be the worst at fighting and aggression. That said, no matter what the species, offer two nests per pair, to give them the choice and reduce any aggression. I have two nests, even in a cage with one pair. That way they can choose which one to use and the fledges have a place to sleep until weaned while the parents move onto another clutch.

A lot would depend on the other kinds of birds. Zebra's can be rough on each other. Much of this comes down to the individual birds. I often move along the birds that want to pick on others. If the other birds are bigger than the zebra's, you're probably fine. It's generally smaller birds that you might need to worry about. Congestion in the cage, sees zebra's picking more at each other. The problem diminishes somewhat, as the birds have more room. There's no good reason, not to try a few, if you have lots of room. They're inexpensive and you could always get rid of them. They also have lots of little ones, which is fun.

Thanks for the input!