~ Please note that the window you see in the picture looks out on a fully enclosed indoor/outdoor room with storm screens, so it isn’t a truly “exterior” window and no drafts come through. I promise that the cage is placed in the warmest, coziest part of the home.
~ I will be purchasing 2 male zebra finches since I have no plans to breed and don’t want to have to worry about egg laying or potential binding. From what I’ve read 2 males in a large cage should get along well. Please let me know if there’s anything more I can do to promote harmony between the pair.
~ Cage is 37x23x48 and the 2 finches will be the only occupants.
~ Plants are artificial – no fake berries or foam or anything. I soaked them in hot water with vinegar and rinsed them before adding them to the cage.
~ I’m using newspaper to line the pull out tray.
~ I have a variety of perches in the cage including a wooden platform for resting little birdie feet and a small flagstone as a natural, foot safe way to file their nails. Does the number and variety of perches seem about right? I don’t want to create an obstacle course, but I also don’t want them to only be able to spasm back and forth between a couple perches.
~ I’m feeding a mix of seed and pellets. This is the seed: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00F1 ... UTF8&psc=1 And these are the pellets: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001L ... UTF8&psc=1
~ Fresh foods will be offered several times a week (spinach, carrots, broccoli, apples without seeds, sprouted seeds, and hard-boiled egg with shell bits will be the most common offerings). A cuttlebone will always be available. There are 2 food, 2 water dishes, and a treat cup in the cage to help prevent squabbles.
~The light in the picture is an avian sun lamp. The room where the finches live doesn’t get oodles of natural light (largely due to the aforementioned indoor/outdoor room on the back of the house), and I wanted to supply vitamin D.
~ I do not have a nest in the cage – I’ve found mixed information about whether or not that would be a good idea for two males. If I add a nest should I add 2 to prevent fighting, or is any nest at all an issue because they cannot breed? Also, if adding a nest is a good idea, how difficult are they to keep clean?
~ I had some toys on hand designed for hookbills –natural shredding type toys. Will the finches ignore them or enjoy them? Would they see them as nesting material and become frustrated by the lack of nests (or inability to breed if I add a nest or nests to the setup)?
~ I typically use Method brand cleaners in my kitchen and bathrooms – I’ve heard these are okay to use if you have birds. Does anyone have any experience with them? I won’t be using them in the same room as the birds, but I live in a small A-frame style house, so even with the bathroom door closed and the exhaust fan on during cleaning, I know my paranoia will be running at high levels when it comes to fumes. (I will use vinegar and water for cage cleaning)
Thank you for taking the time to look and offer suggestions! I know this was a lot of questions and information.
~Elizabeth
