FINCHforum

Hi there

We have recently acquired two lovely black cheeked zebra finches in a large pine cage (78 x 43 x 60 cm) in which they are very happy. They are in the living room, they wake with the dawn and sleep with the sunset.

We would quite like to get them used to being covered at night in the winter (so that we can use the living room after sunset without waking them up). What sort of cover should I use and how should I put it over the cage? Of course in the summer, we wouldn't want to deprive them of true dawn and the opportunity to wake before we do ...

I did try placing a cloth over the cage and they panicked.

Thanks,
Rachel and Jeff.

Personally, I have cages in my living room and I do not cover them. The lights are on, the TV is on. The birds mostly go to sleep, though they will wake and become active from time to time and then they go back to sleep.

I covered my birds all along, and when I got gouldians when I went to cover them (which btw, a cotton sheet folded works fine) but they panicked, I thought they were going to hurt them selves! But as it was in my bedroom, I (same as you) wanted them to get the rest they needed, and I wanted them to be in the right season, and not think the extra light meant it was breeding season! So with the gouldians, when I saw how panicked they got, i started real slow, I eased the lights off, (made it kind of dark, to just one little light on to nothing) and when they would start to settle in, Istarted by just placing the blanket over the back, but leaving the top and front open, then over a few days i would slowly move the sheet a little further and further each day til it was completely covering the back and top and sides, and once they are over their fear of the top being covered, they usually don't care about the fron because that's where most of the light comes in! Now I don't cover them at all, to be honest I don't even think my sleep in their cage anymore! LOL, but for the situation I was in covers were best for them as my room was very drafty also. Good Luck I hope this works for you and doesn't freak your birds out too much!. (btw, after a while, i could crash bang into the cage, not on purpose of course,I'm just a clutz!!! and they could care less, if I was coming with the cover, I think they actually liked it, like a :aaaah, it's bed time" and I could do it in the dark.... or the light..... they are very adabtable birds!! Good luck. But as Sally said, they don't have to be covered, if you're more comforatable with that!

I was keeping a sheet draped over the back of the cage to catch dander and what not and keep the wall clean. I would just pull that over the cage at night. It never bothered them.

I stopped doing that when I got the new cage in the new spot - only a small amount of wall is exposed to the cage, at one end, about 22x22 on that end, and it's about a foot from the wall now. But I think I am going back to the sheet draped over the back of the cage because not covering the cage and the extra light exposure (recently started using the room regularly again) may be triggering breeding - and its time to molt!!!!

I see 2 advantages to using a sheet this way - first, it protects your wall and makes cleaning easier (much simpler to throw a sheet in the washing machine once a week than try to scrub a wall clean), and second, it minimizes disturbing the birds if they're in a busy room.

IF the sheet is there all the time, they will quickly learn to ignore it. In my case, when it gets dark, I'll cover the cage. Then when I leave the room for the evening, I'll draw the sheet back - so they'll be ready for dawn the next morning.

Hopefully that will stop the out-of-season attempts at breeding. If not, I'll have to cut back on their feed somehow.

There is no need to cover the cage in the evening. My birds are sleeping even the TV is on and the light is on. They are taking short naps, eating a supper several times, talking to each other and preening. When we are going to bed, then I turn off the lights and cover the cage to restrain lights from the outside. I am not astonished they were panicked, nobody cover you with some cotton sheet when you want to eat your supper (a 5th supper of zebra finches maybe, no matter )

darwin

Initially, I used to cover cages and flights, but gave up on it fairly quickly. My birds are in my kitchen, so it is a fairly busy area.

The feathered kids, got used to a routine, where lights come on at eight in the morning. At eight in the evening, kitchen main light gets turned off. At nine in the evening, flight lights get turned off, with a small over the counters/stove light still on. At eleven or twelve, all lights off.

Most of the kids are ready for bed at around eight, with some staying up later than others (example: Parrot Finches, who never seem to sleep).

So I guess, it would be a personal choice for you, whether to cover or not. These guys, adjust to your routines. You could place some artificial plants and such over one corner of your flight, where they have their sleeping perch (to offer privacy and darkness). That way, when they're ready for bed, they will go up to that corner, and go to sleep.

I've written about this before. I'm astounded that bird keepers don't think that the length of a day matters to finches. They evolved over a few million years with days getting longer in summer and shorter in winter.

Lots of people have thoughts on this, but that isn't the same as knowing.

Both Lady Gouldian Finches, and the Finch Information Center have articles on day length.
http://www.ladygouldianfinch.com/features_seasons.php
http://www.finchinfo.com/housing/import ... ghting.php


I wonder if there is any actual research on this, on cage birds?

I think there is no problem if our cage with finches is next to the window. Then birds can regulate their day-night cycle on their own. But they have a place to rest, as lovezebs said.

Hello,
I just wanted to say thank you so much for all your helpful and interesting replies! I will have a think, based on all your responses, and decide what to do.
Currently, Darwin and Wallace (as our two finches are named) are sleeping cuddled up side by side on a branch.
They spent much of our breakfast time today, trying to build a nest out of some pieces of dried grass, ever hopeful that females will arrive!
Rachel and Jeff.

Koko

darwin

Dave

Personally I have found covering is the way to go. They shouldn't shouldn't be trying to nest at this time of year (assuming you're in the same hemisphere as the US at least) - its time to moult.

Since I went back to covering when it is full dark outside, my little guy has stopped jumping poor little Pye. He still warble-beeps once in awhile, but there's no real power behind it. That means I don't have to muck about trying to change their feed to get them to stop trying to breed.

I'm going with covering. I do actually uncover the birds when I leave the room for the night so that they will be able to enjoy the sunrise - so they're totally on the natural day-light cycle. And they will be much safer and healthier if they're not trying to breed out of season.