Location, location, location . . .

[Tigg]

Hey guys,

My name's Tigg and I'm brand-spankin' new on the Finch Forum. (Like 7 minutes new.). It's very cool being here, and having read a LOT of posts up to now, decided it would be great to connect with it and all of you! (You guys are brilliant, btw. I'm gonna' learn SO much!)

I'm new to keeping finches, which has been pretty incredible in all the research, YouTubing and reading I've done, and I'm really looking forward to the process and commitment to these little guys.

My family and I have kept birds in the past, (ducks, cockatiels, ring-neck doves, and parakeets), along with a bunch of other animals, and have always done really well with them, but I'm way open to learning and creating what I need to, to become a successful Fincher.

So that said, the title of my post - I'd like to throw out my 'plan' as I head into this hobby which starts w/placement, and tweak accordingly to create the best experience for my birds.

I live on the 6th floor in a large studio apartment. I have this massive bay window w/11' ceilings and 5+' windows, facing North, so it's bright, but w/out any direct sunlight. Here's what I'm looking at as great space for a finch cage - the right side of my buffet in front of the window:

I've been scouring posts under the 'Housing' section and have seen some great options. Not entirely decided yet, and not too worried about the cost to start with, (figure it's an investment for the birds and me), but it's a bit overwhelming looking at all the stuff out there. I'm looking at 30-35"w minimum x 18/19" by 36ish" tall, but could reasonably go as high as 5 feet, which I'd be alright with too. (Food and water down below, perches staggered goin' waaaaay up high.). I'd also be placing the cage on a rolling cart on the opposite wall during the colder months, to make sure they don't get too cold or drafts. Still great light, just not so chilly.

We also are lucky here in Indy, having a very cool family run LBS here - all of their birds for sale, incl. finches, are hand-raised and bred locally by avid breeders, and in talking w/them, I'm really impressed.

I'm looking to adopt a couple of pairs of Society finches, but if I go really tall, I could see adding a third pair as well. Ideally, it'd be a boys club, but I know sexing them is a challenge. (Unless we sit in the shop and pick out the warblers. Hmmmm . . . ).

Anway, that's what I've got going on in my head, and I'm in no rush to make this happen - I'd rather do it right than fast. So your input on this would be my privilege and much appreciated as I start out.

Again, it's great to be here and I'm lookin' forward to reading more of you!

[Babs _Owner]

Tigg

Welcome to the forum!

I started with a nice 30" wide for my first finches, sweet societies.....

By time we get through with you, that whole bay window will be filled up.

[Sally]

Tigg

Welcome to the forum! There's lots of good reading at www.finchinfo.com, where you will find many articles on finch care. That bay window area looks like a fantastic place for finches, you could even close it off for a walk-in aviary!

Societies are the best starter birds, they are very hardy and easy to care for, and they have wonderful personalities.

[Babs _Owner]

Tigg

Keep in mind that finches prefer always the highest perch and they like fly side to side. So you want to go wide rather than high.

A cage the length of the buffet table would be lovely, and you can incorporate your statue and plant inside the cage in their exact positions, given your plant isn't toxic.

Just a thought, if you want to keep the look of the decor.

[Sheather]

A basic 30 x 18 flight cage is plenty big for a flock of societies, if you don't want to get too overzealous yet.

[Tigg]

Wow guys - thanks for the warm welcome and your very fun visions for my budding fosterhood.

But let's back this up juuuuuuuuuuuust a bit, if I may. *gRiN*

As cool as the thought is, I don't think I'm exactly ready to whup out the power tools and wire fencing and aviary out my studio apartment juuuuuust yet.

And though an 8 foot wide cage on my buffet would be a whole Finching extravaganza unto itself, (and hey, call me crazy but I'm not sure that original late 19th century nouveau bronze of Buddha was designed for bird poop - LoL), I'm really just this urban finch-daddy newb with a cool view and a blank spot, lookin' to expand his animal family, (currently one nutball canine named Buddy and a 27 gallon tank full of fish), with some feathered friends.

*cHuCkLe*

I'm as excited as you guys seem to be and your posts are a delightful testament to your shared passion for this hobby. Know that I appreciate the generosity in taking me under your wings, every pun intended.

Btw, I found a very smart plan on the forum today for stacking two 30" flight cages and turning them into one which would be the perfect fit for my space - lovin' it - and I think for now, I'll be pickin' up a cool little Society Finch or 4 in the near future.

Just to get me started.

[Babs _Owner]

(and hey, call me crazy but I'm not sure that original late 19th century nouveau bronze of Buddha was designed for bird poop -

Btw, I found a very smart plan on the forum today for stacking two 30" flight cages and turning them into one which would be the perfect fit for my space - lovin' it - and I think for now, I'll be pickin' up a cool little Society Finch or 4 in the near future.

Get out your cleaning equipment, because that cage of finches are going to shoot "poop" on everything within a 5-12 inch radius of the cage. Including shooting seeds and hulls for miles every hour on the hour. Unlike sculpture.

And there are droplets of water & moist food you must take into account as well. So protect your items and furniture well for bits that will be thrown through the cage daily.

Two 30" would be great for a family of societies. They are a species in particular that enjoy being close to each other.

[Tigg]

Thanks Babs.

Yup, I'm well-prepared and planning accordingly.

Having had some loveable but boisterous Cockatiels and parakeets in the past, I know all about how far dung gets flung!

My cleaning bucket runneth over . . .

*gRiN*

[lovezebs]

Tigg

So, have you picked out your small herd of Societies yet?

I'm pretty sure Buddha, wouldn't mind some flung dung, lol. I'm sure he got some first hand when he meditated under the trees .

[Tigg]

LoL - that's awesome. I bet there isn't a Buddhist anywhere who thought about that.


I haven't picked them out yet, no, but I'm looking forward to it. I think I'm gonna' go w/the wire-2-cages-together option I read about here on the Forum, using this:

https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostor ... light-cage#

I'm hoping to get them about Mid-May. Society buddies to follow shortly thereafter.

[lovezebs]

Tigg

That will make a nice sized flight for the upcoming feathered kids.

Although Finches need side to side flight for their exercise I find that my guys (all eighty + of them) do use the whole flight

My favorite flights, are the F030's , and the whole space is used.
Dining areas and washrooms are on the bottom, with sleeping and sunbathing at the very top.
The middle is the gym area, flying, swinging, acrobatics, etc.

I think you will enjoy Society Finches.
They are sweet natured, laid back, peaceful, and attractive. The males have a cute little song and dance routine, and the females sound just like crickets.

Good luck, and post some pictures when you pick them up.

P.S. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.

[skyjump100]

Tigg

Welcome to the forum.

You will love it here just as I did when I started with finches. Everyone here is super helpful and always have great advice.Even after several years I am still learning new things here!!!!

As well as advice these guys are soooooooo supportive and keep you going when things get tough. I'm having a tough year with breeding this year with not many chicks surviving and these guys are awesome!!!

I m in awe with your planning and research and wish I had been more organised when I started. I had the same size cage as you will have but soon got caught up in the fun of it all and now have 3 big flight cages plus nursery cages, hospital cage and breeding cages. So easy to get carried away lol.

I have always had Gouldians but was recently given four bengalese to hopefully use as foster parents. They are fabulous wee birds and keep me amused with their antics e.g queueing up to use the bath lol.

Hope you enjoy your birds when you finally get them. I think i will start taking bets on how many you will actually bring home ha ha !!!!

[Tigg]

Wow, thanks skyjump!

When it comes to my animal buds, I tend to figure more info is a good thing. I figure half the fun is in learning. Winging it, (yeah, yeah - pun intended), has never really worked for me as a pet owner.

Neat to hear about how you've come along on the journey with your birds. Gouldians I'm not so interested in, beautiful as they are, but I'll have to go take a look at Bengalese. Sounds like they and you are havin' a blast together! (And yeah, it IS easy to get carried away.).

If I lived in a space bigger than my flat, I think I'd be buying cages, plural, at some point. But go ahead and make those bets.

I'm starting with 4. Possibly 6. Couuuuuld be 7. Maaaaaaaybe . . . oh . . . . nevermind.

*gRiN*

[w.l.]

Tigg

Bengalese = Society

An alternative name for the same bird.

With your planned double cage so much longer than high, you could easily place another double one on top of it, should you decide to add more birds without using up extra space.
A double cage of that size could house pretty much any of the common pet species.

[Tigg]

w.l.

Which would explain why, when I went to Google and typed in 'Bengalese Finch', and hit 'Images', I thought 'Wow. They don't look like all that different. I'll just stick with Society instead'.

And the lessons just keep rollin' in.

Check me on this, if I'm reading you right, wI, but you're talking about adding another one of those cages on top of the first one?

That's the plan I mentioned in an earlier post - buy 2, remove bottom from one / top from the other & wire them together to create a cage 30 long x 36 high.

I've read / seen several posts in 'Housing' and elsewhere where the poster did such, rather successfully.

I was so NOT finding the size I was looking for (basically that) and then found the posts on how to do this and it seems like the best option thus far.

Have you done this before?