Pair of finches fighting

[bogdandst]

Hello world!

It is a pleasure to be a part of this community and it is most unfortunate that my first post here is concerning an seemingly serious issue. Also, I hope i posted in the right place!

I've had my two Zebra finches for a little under a year now and they have gotten along relatively well untill a few weeks back when they began fighting. They were immediately separated and placed in adjacent cages and it seemed like that they were trying to get in the other's cage, mirroring each other's moves. They were reunited and after a few days of silence, the fighting began again.

The pair has tried to mate a few times now, with no success. I've always kept a close eye on their diet, which includes seeds, of course, an assortment of fruit and vegetables (they seem especially fond of cucumbers ) and vitamins.

All signs are pointing towards an incompatible pair but maybe there's still hope. I'd love to hear your opinion on what I should do from here on out.

Thank you all in advance for your replies!

[Sally]

I'm assuming this is a male/female pair. It is unusual for a pair of birds to get along for almost a year and then start fighting. Makes me think it is linked to breeding hormones at work. Have they had a nest and nesting material, and do you even want them to breed? Are there hiding places in the cage, such as some artificial plants, so the underdog can get away from the other one? Is there just one perch that is highest? If so, they could be fighting over that one perch, and putting a second perch in at the same height would allow both of them to be 'king of the hill'.

Welcome to the forum! There's lots of good reading at www.finchinfo.com, where you will find many articles on housing, breeding, and especially the Zebra finch.

[finchmix22]

Are you sure you have a male and female? If they're both males, they could be fighting as they become sexually mature. Also, male zebras will chase the hens and be aggressive toward them sometimes, during breeding, so it could be something along those lines. How big is the cage? A pair should have a 30 inch wide cage minimum. If it's too small, they'll fight as well. Welcome to the forum!

[bogdandst]

Hello,

Thank you all for your replies!

First of all, they are surely a male/female pair, no doubt about that We even had a few clutches of eggs. For the first few times, they took good care of them, taking turns brooding. On later clutches, they took some of the eggs out of the nest and cracked them/ate the yolk. Some people suggested one of them or both may be infertile.

They have had nesting material (coconut fiber) available and a nest (plastic) as soon as we noticed they were attempting to mate. There are no other 'hiding places' apart from the nest itself, which I usually take out of the cage some 20 days after the last egg has been layed. Also, at this point I am more interested in getting them to stop fighting than breed them

Come to think of it, there is one perch that is higher than the others but I've noticed fighting start on lower perches, one of the birds, usually the female is chased to the cage floor. I'll give this a try.

Finally, the cage is roughly 22 inches long, 11 inches wide and 21 inches high.