Shaft-tail Setup

[Emberrhine]

Hello everyone,

Nice to meet you! This is my first time posting in the Finch Forum, and while I have raised other kinds of birds before (namely small parrots), I have only recently become a finch owner, but already these tiny, fluffy, colorful creatures have stolen my heart.

I currently just own a pair of shaft-tail finches, and someday I would like to obtain more individuals of this species, but for now I am content to keep just this pair and learn from them how to take the very best care of these charming birds.

I was wondering if anyone out there who is familiar with this species might be willing to review my current care routine for my birds, and let me know if they spot any glaring mistakes or if they have additional suggestions? Thank you all so much for your support and for welcoming me into the finch community.

Basic Overview of Shaft-Tail Care:

The birds: I have two young shaft-tails. The cock, Octavian, is over 1 year old, has normal-colored plumage, and is quite an excellent and prolific singer. The hen, Whitey, is almost 1 year old and she is creamino. They have attempted breeding twice before, but to no success--but I shall save that point for a future topic. Both birds were captive-conceived and parent-raised.

The cage: The finches are housed in an approx. 3-foot-long flight cage that is about 1.5 feet high and deep. I am hoping to get them a bigger, 6-ft. long flight cage sometime in the near future, and eventually, some years down the road, a walk-in flight. The current cage is raised off the floor to eye level, and it contains natural branches, some straight and some forked, for perching. There are also artificial ivy plants hanging from the bars to lush up the cage, but I was careful not to block any major flight paths. Black-and-white newspaper, changed once a day, is the lining.

The food: I start the finches off with a homemade mix of whole-wheat bread crumbles, fresh chopped fruits and veggies (like broccoli, carrots, and apple), finely-chopped nuts, legumes, calcium powder, and live mealworms, and then in the evening I switch to a finch seed mix with dry Quiko egg food. I also always provide fresh endive greens, a cuttlebone or fortified grit, and a millet spray.

Enrichment: I try to provide the finches with special "toys" now and again, like small dry grassy strands, miniature "birdie pinatas," and plastic swings with bells, while taking care not to crowd the cage. Something new to play with and look at always seems to snag their interest.

The environment: The birds are in my upstairs bedroom. I am away at work from the morning to the late afternoon on weekdays, so the environment is quiet without much disturbance, although there is also a cage containing my two cockatiels in the same room. The room is spacious and contains 3 windows--a lot of natural light, and I have a full-spectrum lamp I put on the birds for a few hours a day. I would love to give the finches free-flight access to the room at supervised times, but I am afraid they may hit the walls or become otherwise injured. The cockatiels do have free flight each evening, but they were wing-clipped until they became used to the room and its layout, and they navigate just fine. As for the finches, with those tinier bodies...I don't know if I'd want to risk it. I feel bad, though, since free-flight is so good for their health.

So, that's pretty much the care routine! Any comments or advice are much appreciated. I'm pretty knowledgeable about parrot care, but I won't assume that everything that works for parrots will work for finches, so I can't wait to learn more about how to give my shaft-tails the best life possible.

Thanks,

-MysticalHexanes

[Sally]

I don't have Shaft-tails, but it sounds like you have given them a great home. The only suggestion I would make is on their food, it sounds like your diet is more for parrots than for finches. Don't be surprised if your finches don't eat a lot of fruit, some will but others won't touch it. I would offer the good finch seed mix to them at all times, not just in the evening, as most Australian finches are basically seedeaters, with the other things you are offering eaten as supplements.

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

[delray]

MysticalHexanes welcome! We do have many shaft-tail finch owners on this forum.

[Emberrhine]

Thank you for the great tips, everyone!

I did forget to mention that in the morning diet I also use Lafeber's finch diet pellets. Sally, thank you for pointing out that the diet I use in the morning seems more suited for parrots--indeed, I am more experienced with parrot care than with finch care, and my cockatiels really love this food mix.

I have seen the shaft-tails eating peas, carrots, and broccoli, but they don't really seem to like the fruit, so I'll cut that out of the mix and offer the seed mix at all times of day.

Best wishes to everyone,

-MysticalHexanes

[lovezebs]

MysticalHexanes

Hello, and welcome to the Forum.
It sounds like you are offering your birds a wonderful life.
As Sally mentioned, my only concern is with their diet.
I would offer a Finch/Canary seed mix, as their staple diet. Also, I would offer more greens and vegetables.

My guys enjoy:
Kale, spinach, carrot greens, beet greens, broccoli, red Swiss chard, romaine, parsley, grated carrots, cucumbers, corn, mandarins, apples, grapes, banana, sweet peppers, and Baby Spring Mix.

Among my happy crew, I have two male Shaft Tails, Hunter and Archer (who hate each other) .

Looking forward to getting to know you and your feathered kids. Would love to see some pictures.

~Elana~