FINCHforum

I plan on getting society finches sometime this year and I'm just wondering... Is there any way to sex them apart from the fact that the males sing? Like is there a certain way the males will act or something like that? As I will most likely be buying a pair from the pet shop and I'm not sure that they will know what they are. Also I am not sure what to do about inbreeding as they will most likely all be the pet shops stock. They do have a number of pairs in there but there's still a chance of inbreeding but I guess there is nothing I can do about that? How do I know if I'm inbreeding? Also does anyone have any advice on breeding them? Do they breed okay in an aviairy with zebras and canaries? ( I could seperate them if needed, which is what I usually do ) and the canaries are not aggressive at all. And another question: is there any other species that would go well with the birds I already have in my finch aviairy? And how much space does each society need approximately? Sorry about all the questions and thanks in advance for any replies!!

Flight Feathers

Adult females have a slightly more complex call, sort of like "chirrup," or a cricket chirp. Adult males tend to have a hoarser "cheep" call. The voice differences are more pronounced in alarm calls.

You probably will not know if they are related, though if there are several birds with uncommon mutations in the same store, then they are likely siblings. You can reduce the chances of inbreeding if you get the birds from different stores, or buy them a few weeks apart, though pet stores often take a while before they get new stock.

Breeding them in seperate breeding cages is ideal, especially if you're keeping track of a bloodline; however, they can usually be bred communally. Bear in mind that supplying nests for them could induce breeding in your other birds.

How large are your aviaries? Societies don't need as much room as other birds, but keeping them with pushy birds like zebra finches could be an issue in smaller spaces.

Icearstorm wrote: Flight Feathers

Adult females have a slightly more complex call, sort of like "chirrup," or a cricket chirp. Adult males tend to have a hoarser "cheep" call. The voice differences are more pronounced in alarm calls.

You probably will not know if they are related, though if there are several birds with uncommon mutations in the same store, then they are likely siblings. You can reduce the chances of inbreeding if you get the birds from different stores, or buy them a few weeks apart, though pet stores often take a while before they get new stock.

Breeding them in seperate breeding cages is ideal, especially if you're keeping track of a bloodline; however, they can usually be bred communally. Bear in mind that supplying nests for them could induce breeding in your other birds.

How large are your aviaries? Societies don't need as much room as other birds, but keeping them with pushy birds like zebra finches could be an issue in smaller spaces.

Thank you! This helps a lot! Do you have a link to a YouTube clip that shows the difference between the male and female chirps?

I think the only societies in the pet shop is the ones they breed themselves really. I think they do have a number of pairs though.

I usually breed in a breeding cage, but I was just wondering if it was possible. All the birds I have in my finch avairy are breeding anyway so extra nest shouldn't be a problem.

I think my zebras aren't too pushy. Only one male gets a bit silly so I usually keep him seperate. The other pair is good tho as the male is a bit older and the female just follows him round. And the other male has not a care in the world for any other bird lol.

The measurements for my finch aviairy are in 2 parts as it is a home made aviairy and it got extended.

So the whole thing is 2 m high ( well the 2nd part is just slightly lower ) but pretty much all 2 m high.

The measurements for the first part are: 188 cm long and 75 cm wide

The measurements for the second part are: 113 long and 112 wide (pretty much a square)

The two parts are both joined as one aviairy. I also have 2 breeding cages at the end of the second part which are not included in the measurements as they come off the end of the aviairy. And there are also 2 seperation cages, one of which is also used as a breeding cage.

Anyway looking forwards to your reply!

Thanks!

Oh and I should probably add the number of adult birds in the finch aviairy.

So there is 6 finches
2 canaries
2 quail
And 1 budgie - she cannot fly and is not very well due to lack of exercise. So S he doesn't do much at all and she does not harm the finches. When breeding in the aviairy I put her in a different cage as she has a thing with nest boxes- she seems to feel safe in them, ever since a cat scared her and she jumped in a nest box for safety.

Flight Feathers

You already have some good advice above.

The only sure way that I have found to sex Societies is by the sounds they make. The Females sound like crickets and the males will puff up and do a little side to side dance and sing.

Breeding them in community may or may not work (depending on your other birds and how nosey they are). Keep in mind, that if you breed in community, you may never really be sure who the parents are, as Socies will readily hatch the eggs of other birds and raise each others chicks.

Picking birds out in a Pet Shop can be tricky, as the people who work there rarely know how to sex the Societies they have for sale, and will not guarantee the gender of the birds you buy.

It takes time and patience to figure it out.
You have to park yourself infront of the cage and be ready to spend some time there, until you see a male do his song and dance. You can play a video of a male singing to the birds in the cage, and see how they'll respond. Males will usually respond with their own song, while females will just look interested.

Good luck.

some use this chart for sexing societies, very similar to the way to sex javas.... breeding in a mixed species cage with societies... remove the societies...they tend to be nest hogs, interfere with pairs sitting, take over feeding young, and take nesting material...also be aware not all societies are clean societies, some harbor the 3 "c's" not deadly to their own species but can be to other species especially the young. Quarantine for 90 days as well.... I keep societies separate from other species and only use proven clean pairs or trios to foster.

Ok thank you so much everyone!! I'll most likely only be getting one pair of societies. Do you all think there is enough space in my aviary for them?