FINCHforum

I’m a new Zebra Finch owner. Mom and dad. Unfortunately they came with babies. All are healthy and getting along. But found 4 new eggs in nest this morning. Am looking to rehome the 2 babies...that appear to be a male and a female.

My question...is it inhumane to take the nest down in hopes that I can easier spot the eggs bc the nest hole is tiny and too small to get my hand in? I can’t handle anymore birds.

Please no negativity as I am new to this and very overwhelmed.

Thank you and any helpful advice is much appreciated. I enjoy these birds very much and take excellent care of them...but the egg laying has me flummoxed. I just didn’t realize they’d be laying eggs this often.

Should I try to get rid of the 2 females? I hate to separate the mama and dad.

Squeak

Unfortunately, Zebra finches are the rabbits of the finch world, they reproduce faster than you can rehome the babies. They do not need a nest for sleeping, nests are for reproducing, so the first thing to do is take out the nest, it is not inhumane to do so. I personally would toss the eggs.

I would try to rehome the 2 babies you already have, as Zebras will mate with their own babies, so dad/daughter or mom/son, and you don't want that much inbreeding. You could keep dad/daughter or mom/son if you didn't let them breed, but if you try to keep the two babies with their parents, eventually there would be squabbling. Two pairs don't usually get along well, as each pair wants to be the only one in the cage. Multiple finches do best with 3 or more pairs.

You can keep the original pair, but they may continue to lay eggs, even without a nest--they will use a seed cup or even just the floor. This would not be a terrible problem, if you want to keep the original pair together, you just have to keep tossing any eggs you find. If the hen does keep laying eggs, you would need to make sure she has plenty of calcium to replace what she is using making eggs. You could keep the two males or the two females if you don't want to bother with eggs at all.

You can still enjoy having two finches, not everyone is into or even wants to deal with breeding.

What calcium supplements do I use? Your reply was extremely helpful, by the way. Thank you so much for taking the time to write such a lengthy, informative reply. I will be searching for a home for the babies.

Finely crushed egg shells, oyster shell for finches and small birds and a cuttlebone are good sources of calcium. I have society finches and they are really nice. All three are males and get along in the same cage. No worry about eggs. But to be sure it is a male, you have to see it sing. If you ever decide on a different type of finch, societies are very easy going and easy to care for.

You could consider leaving the nest in and using fake eggs. As the hen lays eggs, replace them with the small plastic eggs you can buy at bird supply sites. http://redbird.coffeecup.com/viewcategory.php?groupid=1

That way at some point the hen will stop laying and try to hatch out the eggs. The advantage is that the hen will lay less total eggs per year. Sometimes if you just keep taking the eggs away, a hen will lay and lay and lay, dozens of eggs. That can lead to a short life for the hen.

Also, calcium is a necessity, but vitamin D3 is required for a bird to utilize the calcium. D3 can be supplied by feeding boiled egg a few times a week, or by using vitamins.