Newbie Here....Advice welcomed!

[JMSpeth22]

Hello all,

I am new to the finch world. I have two male Zebra finches named Harry and Loyd, currently housed in a 26"Lx18"Wx20"H cage suspended from my ceiling (so kitties cannot get them). They have been doing very well, singing prolifically and are very very active. Recently, however, I have noticed they sometimes engage in some "altercations" in which there is a lot of chasing and fluttering, but I have not notice any pecking or feather pulling. They still roost together at night and otherwise seem content with each other. Currently in their cage they have a swing, 4 perches, cuttlebone, two small finch-sized food dishes, a "destroy toy" that has multiple kinds of textiles to peck at for entertainment, and I have been offering fresh greens and a water bath daily, which they do not seem to be interested in at all. I also have been giving millet sprays, and their diet consists of a mix of traditional finch seed and pellets. I plan on transitioning them solely to pellets slowly since they were on only finch seed when I got them.

After reading some of the info on here, I plan to go get some silk vines to decorate their cage with this weekend, but I would appreciate any and all other advice to make their environment more welcoming and enriching. My questions to you all are:

Are their altercations aggression, or play? Is it something that could escalate? How can I prevent that from happening?

Is my cage sufficient in size? I am limited because of the cats. They have not attempted to get at the cage, but when I take it down for cleaning they definitely show signs of predation that do not make me feel comfortable having a cage lower to the ground (Don't worry, my birdies are never let out of the cage unless supervised in a cat-free zone!!!). We also do not have a very good place for a larger aviary that would be more cat-proof. I feel where their cage is now is absolutely perfect because they have a view of outside (and our outdoor bird feeders) and it's in a quiet room with no direct sunlight.

I put a lot of thought into their cage and location. Unfortunately I did not find this forum until after acquiring them. All I want is them to be happy and healthy!

Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated!!! Thank you!

[Icearstorm]

JMSpeth22

It sounds like that is aggressive behavior, though they should be fine so long as they aren't harming each other.

There's quite a controvery over seed versus pellets. Most people feed them seed, though there's been success with both approaches.

30" long is generally the minimum size, though zebra finches tend to remain healthy in slightly smaller cages. Birds prefer being up high, but they will use more of the space if the perches are on opposite sides of the cage and food and water are lower down.

Silk plants should be fine. Foraging boxes are also good; sit a container on the cage floor that won't be knocked over and fill it with sticks, branches, grass, and seed, and they will spend some time exploring it. Finches generally don't play with toys; be careful that they can't get their toes stuck in the textile toy.

Make sure that your finches aren't stressed from seeing the birds out of the window; what we view as harmless may freak the finches out. If you want to keep them in front of the window, I'd recommend covering a small part of the front of the cage so they can hide behind it if they get scared. I would also attatch a solid or opaque back to the cage so they don't feel as exposed (ex. cardboard), though foliage could work, instead.

[wildbird]

Welcome to the forum. Finches are seed eating birds and should always have some seed available. The cats should not be in the same room with the birds. The birds know they are predators and that will stress them. Cats can jump high, and when you're not around will attempt to attack your birds. If the birds ever escape, they will kill them. Better to be safe than sorry.

[Sally]

JMSpeth22 Welcome to the forum! You've gotten some good advice already. Adding some plants may help with the aggression, part of it is just some of the Zebra personality. I also agree that finches should have at least some seeds. I once tried hulled millet for juveniles, thinking that it would be easier for them to eat, but then I saw that those babies were still trying to hull the already-hulled seed. Instinct is a powerful force. Pellets are not natural, so they should comprise only a part of the birds' diet.

[Flight Feathers]

Welcome to the forum!

I definitely agree that seed should still always remain part of a birds diet as it is a natural food they would eat in the wild. Are you feeding them greens? If not, I would recommend feeding them greens 1-3 times week. I feed my birds silver beet and chickweed for their greens. Sounds like your males are getting little bit aggressive at each other but privding natural greenery in the cage (such as leafy branches and silk vines) should definitely help the aggression a little as they will have cover and I would also recommend having two food containers - one at each of the cage so they can have their own food container each and this will help to prevent aggression.

[CathyCraftz]

Sounds like they are aggressive to each other but it hasn't got to the plucking point. Maybe introduce two females to divert their attention.

[Icearstorm]

CathyCraftz

That would cause more issues. Zebra finches and other pushy species are generally housed in even-numbered groups of two, six, or more birds. When there are only four birds, the dominant pair may relentlessly harass the subordinate pair, leading to stress and potential injury. In contrast, two zebra finches may bond, which can reduce aggressive behavior. Cage space is also an issue; more crowded spaces generally lead to more conflict.

[Fraza]

CathyCraftz. Ooooooooooo nooooope never add females to distract this will only cause more aggression adding a third Male would disgrace as they do go better in 3s or 5s

So add two more males or one more male

Because I don’t think the hissing is nice behaviour especially with it chasing they aren’t happy for some reason with each other

How long have u had them ? They could be discouraging territory