Newby here...needs lots of advice.

[TexasMomof5]

Hi everyone! I do not have birds yet, but have wanted them since I was a little girl - I will be 45 this year and I'm thinking this will be my birthday gift to myself! I have always wanted to build an aviary of sorts out of a curio cabinet but never wanted to pay the price for a new cabinet. Well, someone gave me one last week and so now I am wanting to proceed with creating the aviary. I have a few questions in preparation for beginning this project and in choosing the right birds for the aviary and our family.

1. The cabinet is about 6 foot tall and 16 inches wide and deep. -- is this an appropriate size?
2. If appropriate- it is oak but all of my other furniture is black, would it be safe to paint it?
3. What size wire do you recommend for the sides?
4. Do any of you use live plants in your aviary?
5. I am interested in finches, lovebirds, parakeets or canaries - would any of these enjoy this type of aviary?

We raise chickens, ducks, turkey and geese outside but haven't had birds inside before! lol definitely a new experience!

Thanks in advance for your help!

[lovezebs]

TexasMomof5

Hello from Canada, and welcome to the Forum.

I'm glad you've decided to live your dream and get some birds .

First of all, making a cabinet aviary, is not an easy job, but there are several members who have done just that. Not sure how good of a carpenter you are, I know I'm not, lol.

You would definitely have to do your research on safe paints, lighting, safe door openings, screening, air circulation, how to attach perches, removable bottom tray for cleaning, etc.

Regarding your bird choices...

Now Finches and Canaries, are similar in many ways.
They need flying room from side to side for exercise. A finch without the room to fly (exercise) is not a happy bird, and will tend to become obese and may develope health issues.
Usually the absolute bare minimum length is considered to be 30 inches from side to side, with wider being better, and with the height not being quite as important .

Finches and Canaries, are not hands on birds. They do not want to be held or petted or played with. They don't do tricks or learn to talk, but they are amazing to watch.

Male Canaries sing, females do not. A Canary on it's own is alright, as they tend to be solitary birds. In most cases, males prefer to be alone, and will not get along with other males, some will even fight.

Finches on the other hand, are social creatures, and do not do well on their own. There are many different species to choose from, and that is another story for another post.

Now Lovebirds and Budgies, are hookbills, and if handraised from a very young age, can become quite tame and attached to their owners.

Although they enjoy flying, they can also enjoy climbing and can get quite a bit of their exercise doing just that. They also love toys.

Finches and Canary, can be housed together in most situations.
However Finches/Canaries and Hookbills should never be housed together.

Budgies and Lovebirds, should not be housed together either, and some Lovebirds can become very aggressive and nippy .

Regarding live plants....
There are some safe plants, and some unsafe plants (there is a list in the Finch information center).
That said, most live plants will simply get pooped on and eaten by the residents and will have to be replaced on a regular basis.

Finches however do enjoy artificial greenery to play with and hide in.
For Hookbills, it's not recommended as much, as they may eat them.

Hope this was helpful.

[Sheather]

16 x 16 x 6 feet is not an appropriate size. The birds will struggle to utilize the cage. Most likely they'll never lave the very top. At the very least you need something longer.

[TexasMomof5]

Ok, so after reading more and more of the other post, I've decided to not use the cabinet but to try another idea that I have seen. A bedside table or sideboard table with cage built on top. Now to decide on birds! They are all so beautiful!

[lem2bert]

TexasMomof5

Welcome from Massachusetts.

That sounds like a very interesting project, If you have any desire to post pictures I would sure love to see them !!

[TexasMomof5]

TexasMomof5

Welcome from Massachusetts.

That sounds like a very interesting project, If you have any desire to post pictures I would sure love to see them !!

http://pin.it/OvEcDWm


This one is my favorite so far: http://pin.it/hurq8kw

http://pin.it/EOhFqpx

[lem2bert]

TexasMomof5

They are all very gorgeous !! Whichever you decide I hope you enjoy your project. I agree the finches are so much fun to watch, the canary male has a beautiful voice and parakeets if trained can be so friendly and and love attention !!! If you are inclined to update your progress on your cage and your choice of birds, that would be great !!!

[Barbara]

TexasMomof5 first off welcome and it is sooooo exciting to start deciding on what birds to get.I could never build a cage,but with your excitment I'm sure you could make a nice one,The problem with most of us here is once you get started and see so many different finches and hookbills we have a hard time not wanting them all For that reason I would make one as long,wide,tall as the space you have to put it.Finches will use all of the cage if you feed them at the bottom and put branches and perches on one side then on the other side a little lower as you go down the cage (stagger them side to side but leave spaces far enough to for there flight path.What if you took the cabinet you first wanted to use and lay it on its side,you would have to adjust the legs and doors.Lighting could be a flouresent light and if you have wire on the sides and top you wouldn't need to worry about ventilation.Keep us posted

[Icearstorm]

TexasMomof5

Welcome to the forum!

Hookbills will chew up wood, so make sure your enclosure is metal (or protect the inside wood with hard plastic or metal) if you decide to keep them. They tend to be quite loud (and may mimic you, so watch what you say) and are prone to depression if you only keep one bird and are away often. Most small hookbills are pretty hardy. Note that English budgies don't live as long as regular ones.
Finches are pretty easy to keep, but definitely get more than one. They tend to be quiet, with the occasional chirp or song. Society finches are very easygoing and are great for beginners. Silverbills are also supposed to be good for beginners. Gouldians are fairly easy to care for, though they are prone to air sac mites and undergo a stressful molt. Zebra finches are very common, but tend to be very active and more aggressive than the other species. You can keep a variety of finch species together if they are compatible; I keep four societies and two gouldians together in a 4'x1.5'x4.75' tall cage.
Canaries can be either loud or quiet, depending on the sex and breed. Very few females sing, and those that do tend to have a simpler, quieter song. Males sing, and the overall quality of the song differs with environment and genetics/breed. They can be quite happy alone.
If you use a wood cage, you can seal it with Polycrylic and let it cure for a week. This will keep water from soaking in and make it easier to clean. Both sand and newspaper substrates are low maintenance; sift out sand or switch out the newspaper every few days. Vinegar is good for disinfecting.
Gravity feeders are good for holding dry eggfood or water and keeping it clean; just supply a bath every few days. If you keep an open dish of water, the birds will soil it in no time. A hopper feeder designed for wild birds works very well for seed; an open dish will get pooped in and filled with seed hulls (dish will look like it is full even if it contains nothing edible). Make sure they know how to eat and drink from the feeders before you remove the open ones. Supply dark green vegetables, like broccoli. Hookbills and some songbirds enjoy fruit, but it should compose a smaller portion of their diet. Leave ground oyster shell or cuttlebone out most of the time for supplements (my birds enjoy Sunburst mineral grit).

[Sally]

TexasMomof5

Welcome to the forum! You've gotten lots of good advice already. With your forum name, are you living in Texas now? If you are in North Texas, we will be having a mart in Cleburne on May 6, and there will be a wide selection of birds and cages there. If you are in other parts of Texas, I can point you to other marts.

There's lots of good reading on finches at www.finchinfo.com, and if you put your general location in your profile, it makes it easier for members to point you in the right direction to purchase supplies, etc.

[TexasMomof5]

Yes we are in North East Texas. Not terribly far from Dallas. I would love more information about the mart.

[lovezebs]

TexasMomof5

Check it out...

http://www.thebirdmart.com/

Then check these out....

[lovezebs]

...

Hope you enjoy these....

[Sally]

Yes we are in North East Texas. Not terribly far from Dallas. I would love more information about the mart.

You can go to our website: http://www.thebirdmart.com. Click on Reserve a Table, then click on Tables Reserved, and it will show you what vendors will be there. The Fort Worth Bird Club puts on two marts a year in Cleburne, one in May and one in October, and we do this to raise money to put on our annual all-bird show in September in Cleburne. I'm the one in charge of renting out the tables, and I try to get each vendor to tell me in general what they will be bringing to the mart (or even just what species they work with). We usually have a nice selection of birds, from finches to macaws, plus seed, cages, and other supplies.

On the same website, you will see a link for a flyer, which will tell you the hours, admission, etc., though I can tell you right now:

Hours are 9:30 to 4:30
Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for seniors 65+, and children under 12 are free.

Just like any mart, the early bird gets the worm! The best birds go fast, and people are often disappointed when they arrive late in the afternoon to find that so many birds are gone. Before I was a vendor myself, I was always at the doors before opening, so I could be one of the first ones in. Do try to come to our mart and stop and visit with me!

[TexasMomof5]

What about this???

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40335421/