New bird owner

[maddied]

Hi everyone, I just inherited two finches from a sudden and tragic death in the family. I am trying my best to make the birds as comfortable and happy as I possibly can but as things happened so suddenly I am not even sure where to begin on taking care of them and making sure they have the best life I can give them. I was not given any background on how old they are, what type of finch they are, or even their names. All I know is that they were being kept in a hording home. I am working on gathering enough money to get them a new cage. I am also working with a friend to try and get them to a vet for a check up. If anyone can give me any information on what to do in my situation please let me know! Thank you in advance!

[paul-inAZ]

It would help to know what kind of finches they are. In the absence of your photos you might go to the Info. Center =>Species to see if you can match up a photo with what you have.
Also, if you put your location into your profile it would facilitate suggestions for finding local resources for supplies and care.

[Icearstorm]

maddied

Sorry for your loss.

What do the finches look like? Some of the most common are zebra finches, which are greyish; society finches, which usually have white patches; and Lady Gouldians, which are multicolored.

A setup with several perches, 1-2 water dish, 1 seed dish, 1 food dish, and a dish for cuttlebone, ground oyster shell, or baked eggshell should work well. Hopper feeders used for wild birds work well for seed, and gravity feeders keep water from becoming soiled, but the birds will have to learn how to use them. Open dishes are fine, but tend to get soiled. Be careful with the seed container; hulls often collect, preventing the birds from getting to the edible seed. Leave a finch seed mix, water, and calcium sources (cuttlebone, ground oyster shell, or baked eggshell) available at all times, feed egg 1-3 times a week, and vegetables every few days (every day if possible). I use dry eggfood instead of scrambled and boiled eggs a lot of the time, as it stays fresh. Most of these supplies can be bought at the pet store. They can live off of just seed and water for several weeks, if necessary.

The photos below show some common pet finches and my temporary cage setup. The cage setup would work well permanently with less (2-6) birds.

[Babs _Owner]

maddied

Cage at minimum 30in wide so they can fly back and forth. Bar spacing no more than 1/2 inch ( less for waxbills). A good finch only blend seed from you local petstore. Some multivitamin bird drops from the petstore.

That will get you started. There's more, but I know you are just getting them settled.

[lovezebs]

maddied

Hello and welcome to the Forum from Canada.

So you are the new proud parent of two little Finches, and not sure what to do with them.

Well, you've certainly come to the right place. All of us here on the Forum have Finches of different types, some have 2 and some have a few more than 2, lol. Some of us are new to the hobby, and some have been involved with the hobby for many years, so hopefully we'll be able to answer your questions.

Regarding a new cage...
With all species of Finches, the advice is basically the same. Bigger is always better, and you want a cage that is at least 30 inches in length, with longer being better.

Finches, unlike parrots, need to fly from side to side to exercise and thereby remain happy and healthy, so a cage should be longer rather than talker if at all possible. There are some cages for sale on line, which are 30L/ 18W/ 18H, which are usually a good 'starter' cage for 2 Finches.

Now let's discuss diet...
Most species of Finches, need a diet of good quality Finch seeds, along with some hard boiled eggs, and a variety of greens and veggies. Some species appreciate some fruit as well.

Clean water, should be made available daily, both for drinking and for bathing.

Oyster shell grit, and some crushed eggshells are important for their Calcium intake. Also a drop or two of birdie vitamine in their drinking water every second day, will be beneficial.

Some direct sulight is important for their vit D intake, but always make sure that they also have a shaded area to go to, so that they do not become over heated.

Now to the type of Finch that you inherited.

The most common Finches that one usually sees are Zebra Finches and Society Finches.

Let me post a picture of both species, and see if they look familiar...

[Sally]

maddied You've already gotten lots of good advice, but I wanted to welcome you to the forum! There's lots of good reading at www.finchinfo.com, where you will find many articles on finch care. If you put your general location in your profile, it makes it easier for members to help you.

[maddied]

Thank you everyone for your kind words and advice! Thanks to your posts I have discovered that they are both in fact society finches! I have bought them a new cage with the recommended dimensions. I'm putting all of your recommendations into action and I'll be sure to keep you updated!

[sparrowsong98]

maddied welcome to the forum. To take care of them, just clean the cage every day change water every day, and make sure they have seed, not just hulls. You can also give them a shallow dish with water in it to bathe in, and some veggies.