Deciding whether or not to get finches (allergies, etc)

[jehoshabeath]

Hi everyone,

I'm a new member at the forum - my name is Megan. I'm considering getting two society finches. I'm currently gathering all the information that I can to see if this would be a good decision for me

I became interested in watching and drawing birds this past summer. I've been visiting local pet stores recently to watch the birds and have fallen in love with the finches. They're so beautiful as they flutter about and poke at their food, water, and millet. I especially love the colors of the society finches.

I bought a book about pet finches so I could learn what it would be like to have some at home. (I've owned rabbits in the past, but I've never had a bird.) I think I have a good spot for them - it's a quiet place that's free from drafts still gets light. I've made a list of all the equipment that I'd need to give the finches a good home and checked to confirm that my budget could accommodate it. I don't travel much - just overnight trips once every few months.

One concern that I have is allergies. My father is allergic to cats and dogs, but I'm not sure if he's allergic to birds. I also have seasonal allergies, but I don't think animals are a problem for me. Do any of you have experience with finches and allergies?

Also, do you have any other advice for me as I consider getting finches?

Thanks
Megan

[Sally]

I can't help you with the allergy questions, since I don't suffer from allergies, but I'm sure there are others on the forum who will be able to help you. Societies are a great beginner finch, the best in my opinion, as they have such great personalities and rarely have problems getting along with other finches. They are also quite hardy, with few demands. I think you will really enjoy them, if you decide to get into finches.

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

[jehoshabeath]

Thank you so much, Sally. The information on the website and here at the forum is very helpful. These have already answered a lot of my questions about food, cages, etc.

[delray]

jehoshabeath welcome Megan! My family is full of allergies! We are all allergic to certain cats and dogs, and I ahve seasonal allergies, so I can definitely help you. I have 2 amazing society finches, great starter species. I have had little to no probems with them, but if you decide to grow your flock, your allergies may act up. Good luck!

[jehoshabeath]

Thanks so much, Brian - I really appreciate it! Do you find that you need to clean your bird room extra often? Or do you use anything special in/around your bird cage to keep allergy triggers down?

Thanks,
Megan

[delray]

Well, for one, baths for the birds keep the allergins down. I try Every other day, but sometimes we do every 3 days. If they go a while without a bath, you might feel a little allergic. If you stay on top of it, you and the birds will be very happy. The cage should be a minimum of 30/18/18. Good luck and keep us posted.@jehoshabeath

[jehoshabeath]

Thanks delray! I wouldn't have thought about bird baths as a way to help allergies, but it makes sense. I hear that finches really love taking baths, so this sounds like a great thing to do

Do you use a certain kind of water dish or water dispenser? I heard that birds like to take baths in their water dish, so I'm wondering what kind of dishes/feeders to use... Thanks again!

[delray]

jehoshabeath Yes they do. Its very funny watching them flap around and spray water all over the place.

As for the bath dish, this is what i use. Its great. They enjoy using this one.

These are my societies. They are both males. i recomend you get males so there is no breeding. They get along great, and you will enjoy having them.


If you have any more questions, i am here to help.

[jehoshabeath]

Thanks again, delray, this is really helpful. And the pictures are great! Your societies are so handsome

It looks like you've arranged their cage very nicely. Could you tell me about the seed feeder that you have? I don't think I've seen that kind, but it looks handy. Also, what do you use to feed them water? And does the seed catcher work well? Thanks for helping with all my questions!

Megan

[Ginene]

Welcome to the forum! Societies are no doubt my favorite species of finch. I suffer terribly from allergies, but I am not allergic to animals. I have an air purifier in my bird room, which is good for both me and my birds. Along with baths, as Brian recommend...I would also suggest that you do not house your birds in your bedroom. Best of luck in your decision

[jehoshabeath]

Thank you so much Ginene An air purifier is a good idea. I already have one that I could use, too. Thanks for the recommendation!

[inchofstar]

Hi Megan,

I have terrible allergies to like, um, everything. Cats, dogs, horses, anything with fur really, and a lot of plants and trees. Years of allergy shots, HEPA filters on everything, etc. I react to strangers' clothes in public.

I have 3 zebra finches and I previously had a parakeet. I've never reacted even a little bit. Obviously your milage might vary, but I can at least provide you with one account of someone who's not having any problems with birds despite other allergies.

Good luck and welcome!

[jehoshabeath]

Thanks so much for your message, Vanessa. I'm sorry to hear about your allergies, but glad that the finches don't bother you

[ApricotMuffins]

jehoshabeath

This is the bird bath I use in my cages for my finches.

http://www.amazon.com/JW-Pet-Company-In ... +bird+bath

In addition, I place a lixit/water bottle higher up in their cages near a favorite perch. When I sit and observe them I occasionally I see them drink the bath water (which I change daily) but they mostly drink from their water bottle once they learned to drink from it.

My main reason for preferring this type of bird bath is that it attaches to the outside of the cage, so I'm not always having to reach into the cage and pull the bathing dish out, and it also frees up room inside the cage itself so they have more room to fly and bounce around.

As for allergies, keep in mind that birds have a very fine dander that comes from their feathers. Like Ginene mentioned, you should definitely consider an air purifier into the bird room if you suffer from allergies. My finches had a hard time adjusting to the white noise that came from the filter (slightly noisy filter), so I only run it for an hour or two while they are awake in the day time. When I do dust inside the bird room, I use a damp cloth or a swiffer type cloth to keep the dust on the rag and not pushing all that fine feather dust back into the air.

The finches don't like it, but I also vacuum twice a week in the room because of seed husks and torn pieces of cage liners they throw out of the cage.

Another thing to consider is whether you will use cage liners or a type of bedding/litter in your cages. I've noticed some cage bedding is very dusty all by itself and made me sneeze while others have significantly less dust.

[delray]

Megan, this is the water dispenser i use. It is very good, just dont drop it, it cracks. The seed catcher is very good because the finches are pigs, so it catches a lot of the seeds and things like that. The only con is that when we do the weekly cage clean, that stuff may fall to the floor. Vacuum needed. In these situations, i put my nose and mouth in my shirt so i do not breath anything in. An air purifier would be great as Ginene said.

Always glad to help jehoshabeath

Also, 2 water feeders are needed in a cage