Hi All,
Hey I went to the city the other day and of course had to peek at the finches at petsmart which btw are still in quarantine but looked to be in great shape. Anyway that's another topic "petsmart". But should these have been forsale the selection was terrific! I could not beleive all the variety!!! I am keeping a copy of the compatability profiles of finches from this site
http://www.finchinfo.com/birds/finches/ ... /index.php
literally in my purse. So my question is this:
if I were to have purchased say one of the various kinds and they all are considered passive, will they live together in harmony and happiness or will they rather be with their own species?
I have notices within the four species I have living together they do pair up with their own kind more then not. So what would happen if I put in some singles from different species?
I was considering one star, owl, strwberry, and gold breasted wax bill. Also a safron finch but noticed they are a lot larger then regular sized or these were just that way? I am interested in a variety of "colorful" hopefully male singers. I have four females so far but don't want babies overall and is why I gave away 3 males.
ideas? experiences? is all good imo...and FUN, love these lil guys! BTW I totally re did my green house and seeded it in new stuff! The finch enclosure got treated to some new plants as well. Was a fun trip!!!!
rita
Speices together in harmony?!@
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rkn
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FeatherHarp
rkn...it sounds like you had a great trip to town...so many finches...so little time...hehe! 
I can't help you with your first post other than I have heard it is best to keep species in pairs so they won't be lonely...but the question about housing agressive and non-agressive together had me wondering too...but all that I can reason is that maybe the birds don't stay in the store long enough to establish territories and start squabbling.
Say!! IF I can breed Owls and IF we drive out West through Idaho I could bring you a pair of Owls....but you would have to trade me some stained glass art!!
I can't help you with your first post other than I have heard it is best to keep species in pairs so they won't be lonely...but the question about housing agressive and non-agressive together had me wondering too...but all that I can reason is that maybe the birds don't stay in the store long enough to establish territories and start squabbling.
Say!! IF I can breed Owls and IF we drive out West through Idaho I could bring you a pair of Owls....but you would have to trade me some stained glass art!!
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Sally
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I have no experience with mixing species in a large aviary, I just have cages, and having an aviary allows for much more mixing. You could probably have several male Stars together. Owls are pretty passive, so again you could probably have several males. Strawberries are fine except when the males come into breeding plumage, which is when they are pretty and colorful. That is when they can become aggressive towards other male Strawberries, or even other red birds. I think the Goldbreasts are pretty passive. Since you want color, the males of most species have the most color.
Since I enjoy breeding, I would be putting pairs out in that aviary! Finches are mostly social birds, they definitely should never be kept just one bird to a cage, but they usually enjoy the company of their own species. There are people on this forum who have mixed species aviaries who will be able to give you better advice.
I have a community flight which contains the birds that have no mate. I have four Star hens, a juvie Owl, sex unknown, which was pretty lonely till he buddied up with a male Shaft-tail, and a male Goldbreast and a female Fire that are buddies. Sometimes you just have to shuffle birds around, as even if the charts say they get along, you will find that one individual bird that hasn't read the rules.
Since I enjoy breeding, I would be putting pairs out in that aviary! Finches are mostly social birds, they definitely should never be kept just one bird to a cage, but they usually enjoy the company of their own species. There are people on this forum who have mixed species aviaries who will be able to give you better advice.
I have a community flight which contains the birds that have no mate. I have four Star hens, a juvie Owl, sex unknown, which was pretty lonely till he buddied up with a male Shaft-tail, and a male Goldbreast and a female Fire that are buddies. Sometimes you just have to shuffle birds around, as even if the charts say they get along, you will find that one individual bird that hasn't read the rules.
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rkn
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Another question: will species of different types breed? I don't wwant my lady zebras running off with the spice guys...lol So if I stick to say one of each on the very passive list they should not eventually breed regarless of type or species?
I got tons of space for them all to be together, I have a large indoor enclosure so none are caged. They actually use an old cage to sit on...lol but really don't want babies, just in this for aesthetic pleasure, and want color...I am a color freak...lol
thanks!
rkn
I got tons of space for them all to be together, I have a large indoor enclosure so none are caged. They actually use an old cage to sit on...lol but really don't want babies, just in this for aesthetic pleasure, and want color...I am a color freak...lol
thanks!
rkn
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fairestfinches
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Hi, Rita!
If you're looking for color and song but don't want babies, my suggestion is to stick with males -- since they are the most colorful and the ones that sing in most finch species.
Typically, it is fine to mix passive species together. But, it's always wise to keep an eye on your birds in case one of them decides to ignore the Golden Rule.
Birds have their own personalities and some of them don't always behave "normally" (like others of their kind). But, if they get along fine, you shouldn't encounter problems in keeping singles in with pairs in a mixed flight setting since there would be other finches to keep the singles "company."
However, I would not put saffrons in with other finches. They are best mixed with other birds of a large size -- like Javas. Saffrons can easily kill a smaller finch and they do become aggressive during their breeding season. Also, saffrons do not sing. At best, they might chirp.
During their breeding season, strawberry males can become agressive toward other finches that have red coloring -- i.e., other strawberry males, a red headed gouldian, red cheek cordon bleus, etc. But, when they're not breeding, they are passive and do well in a mixed flight.
Goldbreasts, like Societies and St. Helena's waxbills, tend to be "colony" or social birds and are best kepts in groups.
My *thought* on why PetSmart and other commercial petstores house passive and pushy/aggressive birds together is because the store managers and/or employees simply don't know any better. I've spoken with countless petstore employees and managers about this problem and the typical response is that they just didn't know.
One suggestion I would like to leave with you, though, is this ... before purchasing a bird(s) from a petstore, see if you can find any reputable breeders within a reasonable driving distance from your home or find a reputable breeder who has or can acquire the variety of birds you want and have them shipped to you. Typically, the birds from a reputable breeder will be healthier, of better quality, and less expensive than what you will find at a petstore .... and, you'll be helping a family instead of a commercial enterprise.
Michele
If you're looking for color and song but don't want babies, my suggestion is to stick with males -- since they are the most colorful and the ones that sing in most finch species.
Typically, it is fine to mix passive species together. But, it's always wise to keep an eye on your birds in case one of them decides to ignore the Golden Rule.
Birds have their own personalities and some of them don't always behave "normally" (like others of their kind). But, if they get along fine, you shouldn't encounter problems in keeping singles in with pairs in a mixed flight setting since there would be other finches to keep the singles "company."However, I would not put saffrons in with other finches. They are best mixed with other birds of a large size -- like Javas. Saffrons can easily kill a smaller finch and they do become aggressive during their breeding season. Also, saffrons do not sing. At best, they might chirp.
During their breeding season, strawberry males can become agressive toward other finches that have red coloring -- i.e., other strawberry males, a red headed gouldian, red cheek cordon bleus, etc. But, when they're not breeding, they are passive and do well in a mixed flight.
Goldbreasts, like Societies and St. Helena's waxbills, tend to be "colony" or social birds and are best kepts in groups.
My *thought* on why PetSmart and other commercial petstores house passive and pushy/aggressive birds together is because the store managers and/or employees simply don't know any better. I've spoken with countless petstore employees and managers about this problem and the typical response is that they just didn't know.
One suggestion I would like to leave with you, though, is this ... before purchasing a bird(s) from a petstore, see if you can find any reputable breeders within a reasonable driving distance from your home or find a reputable breeder who has or can acquire the variety of birds you want and have them shipped to you. Typically, the birds from a reputable breeder will be healthier, of better quality, and less expensive than what you will find at a petstore .... and, you'll be helping a family instead of a commercial enterprise.
Michele-
rkn
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I would love to buy thru a breeder but am in rural ID and no one ships this far out. Is frustrating! So am looking at ordering thru petco and petsmart. Petco has already got one order for me but since is a 3 hour drive one way, am waiting until they get a bigger variety to pick up. Is an all day thing to get down there, etc...
rkn
rkn