I have been the happy owner of three pairs of finches (1.1 Gouldian, 1.1 Star, 1.1 Society) for almost a year, all living together in a flight cage, and a single elderly Canary who has its own flight cage and has been with me for years. Since all the birds are doing great and the three pairs are exhibiting mating displays, I was planing on trying my luck with breeding them, having three breeding cages already, just needing to buy at least one extra flight cage for the offspring I could not give away to family and friends.
However, a man volunteering at my work (I am a social worker in a NPO) asked to talk with me about a personal matter. He is going through a difficult break up and his partner and him decided to give away some of their impressive menagery. His goal is to find a good home for all the pets they can't keep. Since we bonded over our love of animals, especially birds, he asked me if I would accept to take in his seven finches. All the birds are young adults and they seem healthy. He asked me for a ridiculously small sum of money (100 CAD) for the birds, a year of supplies and a flight cage (about 30"L, 20"W, 45-50"H). He doesn't want more, he just want to give them a good home. I thought about it and finally accepted.
I was first under the impression he owned only one species, but turns out he is giving me 1.1 Zebra Finch, 1.1 Owl Finch, 1.1 Red-cheeked Cordon-bleu and a male Green Singing Finch, who have all living together in the flight cage he is selling me. I never kept any of these species, but I did research on them before I bought my own finches a year ago... Aren't all those species mixed together in such a small space a recipe for disaster? Even if he is telling me they do not fight and none of the birds seem hurt or having plucked feathers, I am concerned that is far from a perfect mix. What do you think?
Should I (1) keep them all together when I get them, since it seems to work, and monitor the situation, separating them if they do not get along anymore, or (2) already separate them when I get them to combine two potential stressful events in one? He offered me to buy a second flight cage he is giving away for cheap and I have the space. If so, what mix would be better? I still have two, maybe three more weeks to plan their arrival.
Sorry for the length of my post and thanks in advance for your help!
