FINCHforum

Hi, I am brand new to finches, and now I live with two zebras. I am not new to birds (I had a budgie who died a couple of years ago, and he was a MAJOR talker, and I currently have a rescue tiel.) I am also a manager in a vet hospital where we see birds, which is kind of how I ended up with the two zebras. We recently hired a woman who was looking for homes for her finch youngsters. She has mostly society finches, but I really just wanted two boys, and she said, "Well, the only way I can be 100% sure is if I give you these two zebra youngsters," and so here we are.
They have been named by my daughters...meet Porky and JJ.

I studied habitats here, so we scrubbed down the budgie's flight cage and redesigned it to make it finch appropriate.

How'd we do? They had a nest in their cage when we got them, so we got another nest just like the one they had with their previous owner. I realize it could be a problem, and if I have to, I'll take it out. I was always told to be careful with mirrors with my budgie, but he was never aggressive, and was in fact, an extremely friendly guy even though he was a wild-type. So I'll see.

The millet was recommended to make sure they were eating. I wouldn't normally leave such a huge amount in there for two little guys. They were quiet when I first got them in there (which was a bit of an adventure since I have high ceilings and one decided to fly up and perch up high. I am still not quite sure how I convinced him to come down to land on the furniture where I could get him.) After a bit, they were meeping away and eating their millet and generally enjoying the new digs. Now they are asleep in the nest.

I'm looking forward to learning more here! Thanks for having me.

PT

Makufye
Welcome to the forum! You'll get lots of suggestions and learn tons here. Just keep coming back to see the replies and stuff. I have societies so I'm sure they aren't that much different to take care of. I have heard that zebras can be territorial so keep a look out if they fight with each other since they are both males but you shouldn't have a problem with them, I think.
*Just feed them daily their seed put a cutitlebone in the cage thats mainly for breeding but that helps with their beak.
*you might need an additional water dish for bathing.
*spray millet every once in a while
*some veggies don't know what they'll like try carrots or lettuce and see if they enjoy that.
Can't thinkof anything else right now.
Good luck.

Thanks for replying, Orlando.

I do have a cuttle in there -- my budgie loved his, so I figured it was worth a shot to get a new one for these guys. I want to try kale first; my other birds love to nip it but also roll in it when it's damp. I thought it might be worth a shot with the babies. With my parrots, I started with the kale (fun!) and then started sprinkling other bits of stuff on it. That's how I got them to really go for fresh foods.

Thanks again for the tips!

PT

Welcome to the forum! There's lots of good reading at http://www.finchinfo.com, where you will find many articles on finch care, especially diet and nutrition. Two Zebra males can often get along and be company for each other. If you put your general location in your profile, it makes it easier for other members to answer locale-specific questions later on.