Ready for more birds

[mrski]

Hello!
I built this indoor aviary with oak and plexiglass several years ago. I had a pair of Gouldians and a pair of Orange Cheek Waxbills. They didn't get along too well, and I probably made too many mistakes and they didn't live long. The aviary has been in storage for a while, but I decided I'm ready to start again.

Maybe opinions will vary, but I'd like some help deciding what species to get and in what combination. The aviary is 48"L x 24"W x 37"H, which the cage size calculator tells me should accommodate 4 to 5 birds. I started out thinking I'd get two pairs again, but I don't think I necessarily want to try breeding yet, (I need to read more about how to discourage breeding, but I think first step is remove the nest baskets) so I wondered about getting one each of several different species.

In particular I like gouldians, orange cheeks, cordon bleu, strawberries, gold breasted waxbills, silver bills, and zebras. Do any or all of these need a pair, or could any be happy in a mixed aviary?

I'll have many more questions, but that's enough for now.

Thanks!

[Sally]

If you are not interested in breeding, you can definitely keep a same-sex aviary. I would suggest keeping males, since they tend to be more colorful, and in some species, only the males sing. I would not keep a Zebra finch in the mix, they tend to be aggressive and could keep things stirred up. The other birds you list tend to be more passive and accepting of other species, especially with no hens present.

Welcome to the forum! There's lots of good reading at www.finchinfo.com, where you will find many articles on finch care, especially species information on the types that interest you.

[lovezebs]

mrski

Welcome to the Forum.

As Sally mentioned, I would keep Zebras 'out' of the picture, unless you decide to go all Zebras (of different mutations) and no other species with them.

I find that usually most species enjoy having at least another of their own kind with them(but that doesnt necessarily mean male/female). An all male flight is doable.

I would recommend doing some reading on each of the species you mentioned, to get more information about them, their dietary needs, and so on. That will give you more of an idea, of what you like best.

If you google each species, you'll get loads of Information, and also be able see many pictures of these particular birds.

Good luck with your decision .

[Sheather]

You could easily house six non-breeding birds in an enclosure of this size. Four is a bad number and often leads to fighting, and it is best to do either two or six or more in a cage. Six birds are able to form a pecking order that cannot happen properly with just four. Five would leave one bird without a companion, as birds often pair up. Society finches are the single exception, often bonding into trios.

Firstly I would recommend a lot more perching variety in there. I would try to set up smaller horizontal branches in the front left and right corners and at least one, ideally two different swings from the roof of the cage, perhaps hung from screw-in hooks. The twiggy ones you have are very good, but some less branchy ones may also be appreciated, as would some thin willow twigs or similar that have some bounce to them like a natural tree does.

With many birds of different species in the cage, even without one gender, you do not want the nest baskets, they will still induce territorial aggression. Instead I would attach some silk/plastic leaves and flowers to the branches, for both cover and aesthetic, positioning them higher than surrounding perches so they are not rapidly soiled. This makes the birds feel a lot more comfortable and gives them some privacy in which they will often retreat behind to sleep. Some birds will be uncomfortable sleeping exposed on a branch.

With your cage design and plan for a small flock I would leave the center of the cage mostly open and provide food in a large crock dish on the cage floor. This allows all of the birds to feed at once with room to spare. I'd recommend making a jar bird birdbath [ see here http://www.finchforum.com/viewtopic.php ... d+bath+jar ] so the birds can bathe as they wish (they should be allowed every day) without making a mess and without soiling their water too much. I have used these before and they are perfect for inside cages like this where you can't hang something on the side and an open dish would make a mess. I think some aspen shaving bedding would look very nice in the aviary and a lot better than newspaper, and that is what I would use, though it is your decision. I think such a nice cage should be set up to be as pretty as possible, though.

Some of the birds you express interest in are a little sensitive. A pair of society finches (two males, I'd recommend) might be a better start, and you can add more exotic birds when you're a bit more comfortable. I would avoid zebras entirely due to their violent nature. Gouldians and silverbills are a bit more delicate than societies, but they're also peaceful when not breeding and would be the birds I'd recommend getting next, as they are hardier than waxbills. Other good birds that are not too hard to care for and not too feisty would be orange-cheeked waxbills, which are among the easiest of the family to please, as well as spice finches, which are very hardy. I would not try cordon bleus, goldbreasts, or strawberries yet.

Overall the care needs of any finches are not too hard. Always access to fresh water and a good quality seed mix. I also provide a good pellet mix. Cuttlebone needs to be available in an accessible place and fresh food should be provided a few days a week at least - broccoli and green leaf vegetables of any type are always favorites, and sweet corn is always well recieved. A little bit of smashed boiled egg (with shell) offered twice a week is a good start, as this is an important protein source. Waxbills also appreciate mealworms and other insects to eat every now and then, making their care a bit more complicated (though they may do fine without these.)

For the more social finches, even if you do not keep more than one of each type, I'd recommend keeping at least two birds of more social species so they have a friend they can relate to. For example, spice finches, societies, and silverbills are close cousins and have similar behavior. A spice and a silverbill are close enough to form a bond whereas a society and a gouldian or a silverbill and a canary are not. A society and a gouldian (or silverbill and canary) will get along as cagemates, but will not become best friends - a gouldian (or canary) is not as social and will not preen and cuddle with a society (or silverbill), which the society (or silverbill) will want to do by its nature. A spice or silverbill, or even a zebra or a waxbill, all cuddly and social birds themselves, would be a better match as a friend for the more social bird. So if you got one silverbill I would not put him with only gouldians, for example. Make sure another more "touchy" bird is also present so he has someone to buddy up with. The Gouldian, however, being less touchy by nature, would be better as the only of its type amongst other species as long as it has some other birds to be near so it feels it has a flock.

The last part is just an obersvation of mine. Gouldians, canaries, other parrot finches are unusual in that they never cuddle or preen like other finches do and so they don't make the best friends for more social birds, even though they may not be aggressive.

[Sheather]

Maybe a cage setup something like this.

[Sheather]

Also just occurred to me - does this cage have any air holes???

[erine]

Oh, let us build your aviary for you. None of us have any space or money left. I love Javas but they can be pushy and I think cutthroats are under appreciated but they can also be pushy. I love my Waxbills. They are so much fun to watch and so busy. I'd go with a mix of them as long as you get them from a breeder because some of those suckeres are hard to sex.

[debbie276]

Here is a link to the Finch Information Center's "Finch Species' Profiles" http://www.finchinfo.com/birds/finches/ ... /index.php

It will give you a general description of aggressiveness and tons of pictures and information about each species.

That size cage I would only put 2 pair if you intend on breeding your birds. Each pair need their own area to protect and defend, more then 2 would be to close and cause too much fighting. If your not breeding your birds and keeping same sex, same species you could go with more. If your doing a non breeding mixed species enclosure then it would depend on the species.

I see you've already had Gouldians and a pair of Orange Cheek Waxbills. I have gouldians and gold breasted waxbills together without trouble but I have a much bigger aviary. If you wanted to breed gouldians I think I would just put 2 pair in there and not another pair of a different species.

Once you decide on the species and breeding or not, forum members that are familiar with that species will be able to direct you better.

Love the set-up, lots of fly space.
good luck, keep us posted on what you decide

[wildbird]

I would be concerned about the quality of air and life in a glass enclosed cage. It seems that birds would do better in a cage with wires rather than plexiglass. Although it is pretty to look at, the birds are living creatures locked behind plexiglass with no connection to the outside world.

[Derk]

mrski
To me it looks like there is mesh on the top. But without enough ventilation, the air could get stale and yeast could form. You definitely want to change the papers on the bottom daily. Would it be possible to replace the top half of each side with mesh? It is a lovely cage and a very good size.

Please let us know what you decide! And welcome to the forum! As you can tell we like questions and are happy to provide suggestions.

[mrski]

Oh, let us build your aviary for you.

Thanks! I would actually love that! Thanks everyone for the welcome and for all of the responses. I really value your experience and input.

First, a couple things about the aviary. The top is an egg crate lighting panel, like this below, so it does have ventilation, but I have been considering drilling holes low on the sides to help get more airflow.

The floor in the photo I posted does look like newsprint, but the tray is actually empty. It's built with white laminate. I have some aspen shavings that I will put in the bottom. I used to use corn cob, but I think I will like the aspen better.

I've also been looking for silk leaves to add some greenery. I hadn't thought about them providing privacy and hiding places. That's a great suggestion and will help me with placement.

[mrski]

Maybe a cage setup something like this.

Sheather, Thank you for your artistic rendition! This is great.