Society and Zebra: Eggs Fertile?

kscoleman · Post by **kscoleman** » Sun Apr 30, 2006 3:36 am

I purchased 2 finches 3 weeks ago- society (sex ?) and a female zebra. The person assured me at the store they would not interbreed.

Is that true?

I have eggs today and both birds are taking turns incubating. There is no singing, chirping, or playing. Just serious nesting! I have searched off and on all day on the internet trying to find a recording of a male society finches song to try and determine if mine is male or not- no luck. Unlike the zebras meep, meep, the society does have about 8 notes strung together that seems to get higher as it progresses. Is that a song?

I am just very curious if those eggs are fertile or not though info gathered so far suggests not.

If the eggs are not fertile, how long until I remove them?

Would it decrease the number of eggs produced by the females if I only had same sex pairs in a cage? Going to 4 birds is ok, but I don't want to breed them on purpose!

Any help would be appreciated!

Crystal · Post by **Crystal** » Sun Apr 30, 2006 7:40 am

A society finch song reminds me of a dog's squeaky toy being squeezed in a rapid manner.

Another clue to tell if the society is singing is that cocks always display when they sing--standing up kind of tall, puffing out the belly feathers, and sort of bobbing side-to-side as they sing their squeaky song.

Society hens don't sing or display.

Apparently a zebra can hybridize with a society finch, but any chicks that they produce will likely not be fertile (mules).

The best way to avoid breeding your birds is to take away any nesting opportunities: nests, seed cups, nesting material. Use tube-style feeders instead of seed bowls, etc.

Doing this will also help to discourage egg laying.

Unfortunately hens will often lay eggs even without the presence of a male, so hen-only pairs may not solve the egg laying problem.

Make sure your hen has a cuttle bone or other source of calcium available at all times, and supplement a seed based diet with mashed boiled chicken egg, especially while the hen is laying eggs since she'll need the extra nutrition at this time.

Good luck and feel free to ask any other questions!

-Crystal

tammieb · Post by **tammieb** » Sun Apr 30, 2006 9:52 am

Don't ya just love those pet store employees? 99% of the time they haven't got a clue! You'd think they'd be taught a few things before being turned lose to "educate" the public! Geez.

Thankfully we have the internet now and can learn from experienced bird keepers... hopefully avoid some of the newbie mistakes.

If you don't want these birds to mulitply, just throw the eggs away as they appear. Or better yet, remove the nest. Even though they like a nest, they don't need it for sleeping.

Welcome to the forum by the way.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sun Apr 30, 2006 12:47 pm

Thank you for the info and the welcome Crystal and TammieB. I will get rid of the nest when they lose interest this go round though they look so cute beak to beak sitting in there at night together!

I was looking at those tube style seed and water feeders. It is good to know they are ok to use with finches. I thought the drinking water might stay cleaner if they did not use it for bathing! I have a bowl on the bottom of the cage for that as well.

Do I have to dechlorinate my tap water for their drinking and bathing pleasure? If so what do I use? I have stuff for my fish- is it the same?

Do you buy organic greens or just wash well any veggies and fruits you offer?

Thanks again in advance, KC

kscoleman · Post by **kscoleman** » Sun Apr 30, 2006 12:52 pm

Oops, I forgot to Log IN before I sent the last post. I am the "guest"!

tammieb · Post by **tammieb** » Sun Apr 30, 2006 3:20 pm

I don't dechlorniate their water, nor do I buy the organic veggies. I figure if regular tap water/food is good enough for me, than the birds can eat it to.

If you like, you can let the water sit out for a few days before giving it to your birds. That will allow the chlorine to dissapate. A small watering can works well for this.

Post by **Hilary** » Sun Apr 30, 2006 6:17 pm

I buy the cheap spring water - you can actually smell the water out of the tap here in Arlington! Of course, the rest of us drink the tap water and are fine...... For fruit/veggies, I just rinse them off really well and shake them dry.

Hilary

kscoleman · Post by **kscoleman** » Sun Apr 30, 2006 11:54 pm

Thanks all. I have a lot of reading to do to get up to speed on the best care for these guys. It was alot easier when I was 12 years old. Had a pair of finches (must have been males, no eggs, nothing special beyond food and water, for 3 years until I had to give them away when my mom married the big bad STEPDAD that thought only dogs could be pets in the house! I had 3 guinea pigs, several hamsters, a black mouse, the birds and a dog. I would never have my kids give up their pets for a stepdad! Maybe that is why I keep adopting pets in need. I love all critters.

JeannetteD · Post by **JeannetteD** » Mon May 01, 2006 9:28 pm

Yup.. Cheap squeaky toy for the dog for sure!

As a matter of fact I bought our dog a squeaky ball to play with and everytime he bites it and it squeaks the zebras answer back.

It's the funniest thing you ever saw.. I almost wet myself from laughing so hard when the dog and the birds go at it..

hee hee heeee

Jeannette

kscoleman · Post by **kscoleman** » Thu May 25, 2006 9:49 pm

Just to let you know- no babies. Took the nest out finally and anything else they may want to lay eggs in to try and discourage it. They were so cute in the nest together but they don't need all that serious behavior if there are no babies to be had when all is said and done. They are back to their active, playful selves. I bought a large soft yarn ring they sleep on together now so hopefully they don't miss the nest too much.

tammieb · Post by **tammieb** » Fri May 26, 2006 6:33 am

Glad to hear things are less stressful. But take care they don't get their claws hung up in that yarn. They can quickly break a leg struggling to get free.

TammieB.