Fire Finches Newbie

[finchmix22]

O.K. I have two fire finches in a flight with other finches and I wondered if they should be in their own breeding cage. Will they breed with other finches? Will they get picked on, as they are smaller than most others (Spice, RTPF, Lavenders)? Just trying to learn these new species I acquired.

[annague]

Senegals are tiny and can be timid at times. Mine seem to do the best surrounded by other Fire Finches in a large, well-planted aviary with a 'real' floor.

[finchmix22]

Anna,
What do you mean by a "real floor," cement, dirt, grass, ??
Deborah

[ac12]

I'm guessing a solid floor (even newspaper) vs a wire grate.

[annague]

Mine is covered with alfalfa and sweet grass but, yes, I meant a "solid" floor as opposed to a grate. Firefinches spend a lot of time on the ground and the males cannot do their little courtship very well without a solid floor.

Good luck let us know how they do.

[finchmix22]

I cover the grate with paper towels that I change out as they get soiled. I see all the finches pecking food off the paper towels etc. I put that there because they are so small, I thought their claws would go through and they'd get stuck. They seem to move fine on that, but I never thought of adding grass or hay. I sometimes put in coco fiber on the floor, but not a ton of it, as they make a mess with it in the water and food dishes. LOL.

[annague]

Yeah, they do the same thing with the alfalfa/sweet grass but they like to peck at the grass heads that come with it and it provides a cushion should a baby fall (or, God forbid, be pushed) out of a nest.

Do what works best for you and see how they react -- if it doesn't work try something else. (Man, I think I've tried dozens of different things with some of my finch species trying to hit what worked just right).

[finchmix22]

I had to post this pic of my Fire male eating off the paper towels, given our posts. I rarely get this good of a pic of my finches. So cool!

[debbie276]

Very nice picture!

[lovemyfinch]

Very nice bright red.

[annague]

Handsome guy!! Hopefully he'll make you some nice babies with his little hen. Thanks for sharing!