Canary and Finch Singers

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UpNorther
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Canary and Finch Singers

Post by UpNorther » Sat Jul 13, 2019 10:22 am

My wife and I are retired and looking forward to adding a canary and finches to our home to enjoy their singing, their lively presence and to care for them. We are looking for all males as we do not want to breed them for now.

Some say that male canaries such as Belgium Waterslager or German Harz Roller will sing most alone in a small cage. If we add 1 (or 2) male society (Bengalese) finch, we wonder what impact should be expected on their signing. We would appreciate your comments on the following questions...

We read on FINCHforum that a male canary can happily and peacefully share a cage (such as 24"W x 16"D x 21"H… 60x40x53cm) all year round with a male society finch as they are different types of bird. But would the canary sing as much/well as if it was alone? Would the male society finch sing as much as if it was alone with another male society finch instead of a male canary?

If the male canary were mixed with 2 male society finches, would it sing as much/well as if it was alone? Would the 2 male society finches sing as well as if there were no canary in the cage? Would the same 24" x 16" x 21" cage be fine for all 3 males?

If the male canary was somewhat bigger or smaller than the male finch/es would that have an impact on their signing?

Is it better to phase them in the cage over a period of time or all at the same time? Any quarantine?

Many thanks for your advice as we are looking forward to adding singing birds to our home.

Dave
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Re: Canary and Finch Singers

Post by Dave » Sat Jul 13, 2019 12:20 pm

I can answer at least a few of your questions:

***unless you're going to breed them, it doesn't matter which Canary breed you get. Or even if it is a mixed breed. Some of my best singers are mixed breeds.

***Cage bird health, in my mind, is almost directly related to cage size. Larger is better, and the length matters more than the other dimensions. The smallest cage I would use for a Canary is 30" long, 18" deep, 18" high. And even then, when I've had them in that cage, each day the bird got some free-time to fly about in the room.

***Canaries have specific needs for how much daylight they see. The hours of daylight have to change with the seasons. Without the changes (I change my timers weekly) Canaries get hormonally unbalanced and do not thrive. Even then, male Canaries usually don't sing in July-August-September, as they molt.

***it doesn't seem to matter if a Canary has other bird species around. Mine just ignore any bird that isn't a Canary. Be careful, though, of bird species that are much larger or much more aggressive than a Canary.
Dave

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Icearstorm
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Re: Canary and Finch Singers

Post by Icearstorm » Sun Jul 14, 2019 9:02 pm

UpNorther

I can't answer the canary part, but my male societies will sing to each other for much of the year. However, they may get broody (especially if given a nest and a breeding diet) and stop singing for a few weeks. I've had both males and mixed male-female groups of societies before, and the amount of singing seems to be similar. They did not respond to gouldian or Java singing, so they may ignore canary singing as well. Right now I just have males, and they're starting to sing often again, after 2-3 months of not singing as much.

I second Dave's advice. The minimum recommended cage size for finches is 30" x 18" x 18" tall, but bigger is better.

UpNorther
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Re: Canary and Finch Singers

Post by UpNorther » Wed Jul 17, 2019 10:06 am

Dave and Icearstorm… thanks for your interesting comments. They are much appreciated.

You haven’t commented on «Is it better to phase them in the cage over a period of time or all at the same time? Any quarantine?» Is it because you find the two approaches equally fine for this specific situation?

isobea
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Re: Canary and Finch Singers

Post by isobea » Wed Jul 17, 2019 10:49 am

UpNorther - I would put all the birds in at the same time. I've never kept society finches but have had a single male canary in my 16 ft long outdoor aviary at all times over the last 30 years. One of my males was definitely more territorial than the others. They have their own personalities.
If you have a breeder close by, I would go visit and spend a LOT of time there, standing still, just listening to his birds' songs. Pick one that you truly like best regardless of color or breed. You will be listening to him sing for the next 13 years or so (if all goes well). And take the volume of the song into consideration. Canaries can seem very loud indoors.
This may not be the best time of year to pick one as they should start their molt in August (and will pretty much stop singing). Unless you can visit a breeder soon. If he has several in a bigger flight, also try to observe the interactions between them. You might find one that is 'top dog'. Stay away from him.
Hope this helps. Keep us updated.
Iso

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Re: Canary and Finch Singers

Post by jonvill » Thu Jul 18, 2019 6:16 pm

I would not mix a canary with society finches in a cage that small.
I agree with Dave that 30 x 18 x 18 is the smallest cage I would keep a single canary in. Also there is the diet to consider. Canaries eat a different seed mix (canary grass, rape, thistle, flax and hemp) while finches prefer the millets.
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Re: Canary and Finch Singers

Post by isobea » Thu Jul 18, 2019 8:22 pm

jonvill - Good point!

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