Considering a classroom aviary - questions please?

[teach12kids]

Hello everyone! I'm so happy to have found this forum. I hope you can help me. I am a pre-k teacher in an inclusive classroom of 12 kids, 6 of which have special needs. I am considering putting an enclosed (plexiglass) aviary in the classroom. I think it well be a positive thing for my kiddo's with autism and for the rest, well, just downright fun!

I'm very knowledgeable about hookbills, but not finches. I have many questions that I'll list below, OR if you think it's NOT a good idea PLEASE let me know. I'm open to all thoughts and want to be sure I'm doing all the right things.

Okay, here goes.......

1. What kind of peaceful finches would you recommend?
2. I'm not interested in breeding.....all males or all females?
3. Our local bird fair is this weekend. What do I look for in a healthy bird?
4. We have a nap time for an hour each day. Are they quiet with the lights down? Covered?
5. Do they need a light? My cockatiels needed a night light to prevent night terrors.
6. Why do I always see nest baskets in their cages in pet stores?

I have more questions, but this is a good start.

Bev

[Babs _Owner]

teach12kids

Most hearty and peaceful are society finches. Most breedable without drama, for science lessons are......again, society finches.

Awesome you are bringing finches into the classroom!

They dont need a cover or a lights-out que. They are the first to get to bed on their own in their community cage (well before lights out), and my earliest risers.

Negatives: they use the water for a toilet and splash-bath. change that about 2-3 times a day. Easy peezy. Plus, look at this avatar, who could resist their lovin' and preening??

[Sally]

We've had members in the past who were teachers and had finches in their classrooms. I have a few questions of my own:

1. When you say aviary, are you talking an aviary large enough to walk in, or more like a large flight cage?
2. Who will care for the birds on weekends, or will you set them up to be on their own (can be done)?
3. Will there be heat and/or air conditioning on the weekends (depending on where you are located)?

Now for your questions:

1. I would recommend easy, hardy finches. Societies would be great, with the caveat that they are harder to sex than some species. They are very personable, active little guys with great personalities.
2. I'd say go for all males.
3. Look for a bird that is active, in good feather condition, with bright eyes. If the bird is puffed up, eyes closed, looking like it is cold, that is a bird that is stressed and may be getting sick. Look for a vendor that has clean, not overcrowded cages, and that is knowledgeable about the birds he/she is selling and willing to spend some time talking to you. Good breeders love to talk about their birds!
4. No guarantees here. With the lights down, the birds may think it is time for them to take a nap too, or they might decide to keep flying about and chattering.
5. A small night light is definitely a good thing to prevent night frights, which finches can have too.
6. I think pet stores put nests in their cages because people think it is so cute to see little tiny birds peeking out of nests. In your situation, you do not need nests. However, if you have Societies and know FOR SURE that you have all males, you could put nests in the aviary. Societies will pile in a nest like the clown car at a circus, which would probably give the children a kick.

Welcome to the forum! There's lots of good reading at http://www.finchinfo.com, where you will find many articles on finch care. (It might be a good idea to incorporate some of these articles into your lessons.) If you put your general location in your profile, it will make it easier for other members to answer some of your questions.

[Babs _Owner]

teach12kids

yep sally nailed it

You see most society finches in a cage with a nest because they all pile into the "clown-car" together when they sleep.

And yes, with a DARK cloth you can cover the cage for silence during naptime.

But their song is so sweet and soft, the kids might actually be lulled to sleep and comforted by it.

If you dont want breeding,replace all real eggs with fakes to keep the hens sitting.

[teach12kids]

Thank you!!! From what I've been reading, I thought society finches would be the way to go. With all the color variations, how can I tell males from females? I've relied on seller's opinion before .

1. It is a large plexiglass flight cage. Like you may have seen in doctor's offices. I'm not completely sure of the measurements as I won't pick it up until Thursday, but it looks like about 2'x4'. How many birds will be comfortable in this space?

2. I'll set them up with plenty of food for the weekends and we're there year 'round. My only concern would be the 2 weeks off for Christmas, but hey, the rabbit, frog and gecko come home with me then. The birds can too!

3. Heat and ac are constant so that won't be a concern.

I'm in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

[Sally]

teach12kids

You can't tell the sex of Societies by looking at them. They are monomorphic, both sexes looking alike. Best if you can find a reputable breeder who will sex them for you and guarantee the sex. Only males sing, and usually it just takes a while of watching them to pick out the singers/males. Most breeders put different colored plastic bands on their legs, so when they see one singing, they can mark their records that the white-banded one sang, or the yellow-banded one. If you buy birds at a mart, hopefully you will find a breeder that is local, so it would be easy to switch out one that might turn out to be a female.

1. Horizontal measurement is the most important, as finches need to be able to fly. I'm assuming the 4x2 would be 4' long. Is the 2' high or deep? A cage 4' long by 2' deep can hold 4 to 5 birds, but since Societies are such social finches, I would guess you could go to 6 if you wanted, especially if you have just males.

2. That should work fine. Just make sure that they have two sources of water over the weekend, if you are using tubular drinkers, in case one would fall off. I leave my birds frequently for the weekend and they do fine.

3. Perfect.

[cindy]

Make sure the school does not turn off heat or AC when school is not in session....

[teach12kids]

Okay. Pictures can be deceiving as it looked much bigger. Flight space is 31" long x 22" wide x 29" tall. How many do you think in this space?

How about gouldians? Their awfully pretty and we could talk about their colors. Do they require any special care? I'm guessing they would be more expensive though.

[Babs _Owner]

teach12kids

Im the wrong person to tell you about space, as I give just one breeding pair of gouldians a 33w x 18in deep x 36 tall flight cage.

Societies can be grouped together, so I would say 4-6max in that space.

Non breeding gouldians 4

Breeding gouldians 2

Those are modest standards by most people.

YES . Gouldians require more care.

[Shannylee]

Gouldians are more expensive than societies and you can fit more societies in a smaller space. Societies go for about $10 at a bird mart but I didn't see a gouldian for less than $40 (in FL). Societies aren't colorful but they have a very sweet, calming nature.

My son and DIL are teachers. Bless you

[teach12kids]

Societies it is! Thank you for the advice and kind compliments. I love what I do and the kids I care for.

Let's talk about food. Pellets, yes or no? What kind of seed? What fruits and/or veggies? Millet? Eggs? I'm used to tiels and English budgies. Similar diet?

[teach12kids]

Oh, and I'm reading a lot of info too. It's just nice to talk to real people with real experience.

[cindy]

My finches (including societies) like the seed and zupreem, lafebers pellets mixed.... finches need seed. If not using pellets along with seed you can supplement them with a good vitamin, mineral supplement.

The also like dried egg food (Higgins, it also contains seed) You can give boiled grated egg with chopped kale, shaved broccoli, chopped kale but do not leave it out long, it can spoil.

[Babs _Owner]

teach12kids

My societies wont touch pellets. They love shredded boiled egg, swiss chard, kale 2x a week with their daily mixed seed and dried eggfood for their vitamins.

And they get crushed egg shells once a week. They adore that. Millet twice a week.

If they breed they get boiled egg with crushed egg shells daily (especially while the hen lays & when they are feeding their young I remove the egg shells so they only feed the babies the boiled egg)

Very excited for those kids!

[Icearstorm]

My societies like canary seed, beets, spinach, scrambled eggs, and shredded broccoli. I keep the seed in a hopper feeder and water in a modified hummingbird feeder (with holes cut out of the lid covering the wayer/nectar reservoir) to keep the poop out. Placing an open water dish in the cage with them for about half an hour a day allows them to bathe without leaving much time for them to poop in it and then drink from it. I also dust their fresh food with a little bit (about 1 tbs/pound of food) of phosphorus-free multivitamin once or twice a week to make sure they get all the nutrients they need, though the food dusted in this spoils more easily.