FINCHforum

I am very new to having birds. I have 2 Zebra Finches. The problem is the male was pecking on the female to a point where she was cowering in the corner of the cage. My wife thought she was dead! So I separated them. She seems to be fine now. I read they are social birds, so should I get another pair? Any Ideas???? Thanks

I have the same problem! The male wants to mate and she doesnt. So aggression happens. I think separating them is a good thing, if you want to get babies, then I think you can get another female. Good luck!

If you have the space, and the time, I would say get another "mate" for each of them. They do like to "touch perch" and sleep cuddled (in my experience) but I'm sure you'll get different responses from everyone. You should be able to tell if your bird is unhappy, or needs a friend. But you are right on the "they are social animals" front, they certainly are. It's hard when you get two birds for each other and then that happens!!! Another idea is you could get society finches, as they are very social (hence the name) and they usually get along with zebras. Some would tell you that this isn't a good idea, or that it isn't ideal. But just throwing ideas out there. The only problem if you did this, is that Societies are very docile and loving so if that zebra that was picking on the female is just in general aggressive (which happens) then a society finch with this male will DEFFINITELY get picked on, and possibly hurt... so again maybe not the best of ideas, but it is an option. The other thing with that is I guess they (Societies) are hard to sex, and if the sexing is done wrong they can mate and produce fertile eggs but they will be hybrids/mules, and that is frowned upon... So when it comes right down to it, it's up to you and your situation and the quality of life of your birds, and as I said, they will let you know.... you know your birds much better than you think you do. If it were me, i would get them new mates... but I'm a sucker... and empathetic even with birds!!! lol Good luck!!!

I had a male zebra finch who was the same way, especially towards my society finches. It would be peaceful for one day, and then he would go on a mission to chase my society finches relentlessly. He's since passed away, but I had to separate him to make it stop. He wasn't as rough on the female, but he really had it out for any other bird who came close to him. He had plenty of room as well, so I think he was just aggressive.

male zebras if wanting to nest and mate and the hen is not ready will relentlessly pursue and pluck a hen, if he is blooding the hen then it is a good indication he will likely pluck offspring and possibly any hen he is with, even other species.

You have a few options, isolate him and find the hen a calmer mate once she is healed.

Rehome the male replacing him with another more suitable male

rehome the male and replace him with a hen.

I do not mix societies with zebras, especially if you are uncertain of the sex.

you can find the hen a new male and try to find a hen that will stand up to the male and is not as submissive. I would not house that male with another pair, he has one goal in mind and it is mating and he will go after, harass and pluck any other male he sees as a rival.

pwo51 welcome to the forum! There is lots of great articles about the diet, health, general info regarding the zebra finch at the www.finchinfo.com located at time top left screen. Also, if you put your location in your profile, it can help in the future with locale-specific encounters. Enjoy the forum!!