Quick Multi Species Question...

[lnlovesorange]

Not yet, but I have Zebra's (i think after my babie fledge I will have a total of 4 zebra's) I bought a bigger cage, so i was going to house the 4 zebra's together. When I get my Gouldian's (getting a pair of males) i was going to cage them together, and then when i get Societies, I was going to house them with the zebras, but just wondering with the 3 species i'm talking about (zeb's gouldy's & societies, and possibly owls, depending on the bird mart coming up!!! ) which of these species, can be housed together? Can they all be? Obviously depending on the size of the cage, but for now it would be cages, not an aviary. The biggest cage i would be getting is a 6 bird cage, forget the dimensions, but i put it through the cage size calculator wondering if gouldy's & zeb's can be housed together... sorry, this was really long for a really easy question!!! Thanks anyone who can respond.

[debbie276]

Zebra's are generally pushy but a few have been able to house goulds and zebra together when given enough room and areas to get away from each other. The real problems pop up if the birds go into being mode and become aggressive protecting mates and/or nest sights.
Society's can be carriers of a couple diseases that are deadly to goulds and you should be aware of that risk.

[MiaCarter]

I've housed all of these together.

As Debbie mentioned, societies can carry illnesses that are harmful to gouldians, so it's important to take that into consideration. (This is why you sometimes see references to "clean" societies.)

Owls, gouldians and societies are all fairly easy going species.

Zebras can be a bit pushy, but I've never had any problems putting them with owls, gouldians and societies.
(Though in fairness, I should note that I don't have any overly pushy zebras. Mine are quite docile. But they spend a lot of time outside of their cage in the bird room. If they lived full time in a small cage, they may not be so harmonious and easygoing.)

It all depends on the individual.
Sometimes you'll have a pushy zebra who picks on a bird who won't fight back. Societies are most apt to be the victims. (Gouldians tend to have a size advantage and owls are generally going to snip back if attacked.)
Or you could just as easily end up with a pushy gouldian or society or owl. You really never know.

I wouldn't give them nests as this amplifies zebras' pushy behavior. I'd breed the zebras separately.

But putting these guys together shouldn't be a problem, as long as they have sufficient space.
Of course, I'm speaking in general terms. Each individual is unique and the dynamics of each flock vary. But generally speaking, you should be just fine.

I'd also rearrange the cage every time you add new birds. This breaks up property lines, so you don't have territorial aggression vs. the newcomers.

I say give it a try and just monitor them.

[debbie276]

Don't know how I missed the owls, I've had owls with goulds for a couple years now without any problems. Goulds use nest boxes and owls make their own nests so they don't even fight over nesting sights.

[lovezebs]

lnlovesorange

At present, I have a flight housing Zebras and Societies. It is actually working out quite well. Initially there were a few minor squabbles, but nothing major. They are actually all getting along peacefully.

I've had Gouldians with Societies. I've had Zebras with Gouldians. I don't have Owls (so can't comment).

As Mia wrote, a lot depnds on the individual birds.

~Elana~

[lnlovesorange]

thanks everyone. Reading up on it, that's the basic same info i got, but i just like asking you guys, as you are my "finch Gurus"!!! And I know it has a lot to do with the individual bird, that's what i'm scared about it's just been me and my two zeb's for a while now (really hard to find finches in the winter in New England...can't figure out why... )
So I'm afraid that Charlotte and Melvin might become territorial... but maybe when their clutch gets bigger, they'll get a little more used to sharing and like MiaCarter mentioned, they do get a lot of free fly time in my room, which I would allow all of them to do. And like someone said MiaCarter? debbie276 Maybe... anyway, i do plan on moving the cages all around once i get the new birds so... that's pretty cool that you said that, cuz i was wondering if that would be harmful or helpful, so again thanks everyone for your input. Like I said i got a ways to go (Spring seems like it's NEVER going to come up here) but I'll let everyone know how it turned out!!!
Btw debbie276 I wanted to tell you that you answered a post on here a while back, and honestly, I wanted to high five you!!! It's a long story, just know that there is a high five coming to you from MA baby!!! lol

[ranasrule]

Zebras and after them Javas are pushy as hell

[Sheather]

I've had mixed experience with zebras. I have a pair now and they're very docile, no trouble ever comes from them or their offspring, and they're friends with everyone - but they're not typical of my experience with the breed - I have had birds that are literally insane and would run other birds to near death relentlessly for no obvious reason - they were simply violent, vicious birds with extremely aggressive personalities. One of these zebras, at the age of 4 months, tried to shake a baby society finch to death by grabbing onto its neck and not letting go, tearing out a ton of feathers in the process. This bird also attacked canaries and even parakeets, ripping feathers from their rumps to nest with, anything was fair game, and he ended up having to live alone because he would kill anything he could get to. Mind you, this was in my bird room, which is 10 x 10 feet in size. I can't imagine hoe bad he'd get in a small cage.

For the record to counter Rana my Javas are about the most gentle birds I've ever known.