Help New Bird Owner

[mona231]

Hello I just bought 2 Zebra Finches and 2 Society Finches I know the zebra are males and I think the Soc. are females , I put two nests in there because they look like they like to sleep in there are night , the two zebra's go in and sleep in one and the other two and go in and sleep in one at night , i really dont care if they breed , or they just want to hang out , is it ok to keep the nests in there they look comfortable , or should i take them out ??

Thank you

[Sally]

Finches don't really need nests for sleeping, they are more for breeding, but some species do enjoy sleeping in their nests--Societies in particular. I don't think you would have to worry about breeding, don't know that these two species would crossbreed or if any eggs would be fertile. Maybe someone else can correct me on that, you definitely don't want hybrids.

How big is the cage? That has a lot to do with whether the birds will get along or not. Zebras can be pushy, if they don't have enough space.

Welcome to the forum! There is lots of good reading at the Finch Information Center, linked at left, and if you put your location in your profile, it helps to answer locale-specific questions later on.

[finchmix22]

I agree with Sally. Societies love their nests, as long as you have two of the same sex. Society and Zebras are breeding machines, so you should watch to make sure they are the same sex if you don't want babies or hybrids. The cage should be at least 30 inches wide, for 2-4 finches. Since you have zebras and they can be aggressive, I'd put the two zebras in a separate cage, from the Societies. If you have just two finches per cage, then a cage with about 24 inches wide is sufficient. Congrats and Welcome!

[EyesofFreedom]

Welcome Mona...

I agree with the others... you may want to seperate the pairs especially if the cage is smaller than 30"

Zebs can be bullies

[Ginene]

Welcome Mona I have a flight with zebras and societies (2 pairs of each). My zebras boss one another around, but are fine with the societies. Yours may be bossy with your societies, since they're the only other birds in the cage. A roomy cage definitely helps. Also multiple feeding/drinking spots and lots of perches @ the top so they don't have to compete for top spot. As for nests...I would stay away from them. I bought them for "sleeping" too and my flight turned into a breeding ground. This made my zebras aggressive and with 4 abandoned clutches, wasn't great for my anxiety either Start simple and ask a lot of questions on the forum. Hopefully you can avoid a lot of the newbie mistakes I have made (and continue to make ) Enjoy your new babies...