Cage location?

[Pemm]

Hi all,

I’m hoping to get a pair of society finches in the near future. I've been doing as much reading as I can and I feel prepared to step into the world of finches, but for as hard as I've looked I can't find an answer to this.

The problem I am currently facing is that where I live, my room is in the basement, where there are no windows (but there are french doors that can be opened out to a room where there are windows).

I would obviously like to keep the finches in my room and not upstairs, which is a den of constant noise and I just don’t… like to be up there. I don’t think the birds would like to be up there, either. The way the house is laid out also means the kitchen is the central part, and there is very little in the way of dividing space, so I’m worried that by having the finches near to the kitchen they could conceivably get poisoned by high-heat cooking with antistick pans.

I would of course provide the birds with a timed UV light if they were in my room, and I've heard you can leave a radio playing for them, but what I’m worried about is a lack of anything for them to… look at when I’m not around? When I am home, I’m almost always in my room, but I work from 9am-6pm weekdays. I know societies don’t care about humans, but if it would be cruel to keep them in a room with no windows to look out of or anything, I don’t want to do that to them—I would rather wait until I’m at a better point in my life to give them a good home.

Thanks!

[Sally]

Many finchkeepers who have basements use those basements for their bird rooms. The temperature stays fairly constant, rarely getting too cold or too hot, and it is a great use of space. For those in the northern states, it is often the only alternative to an outdoor aviary. Using lights on a timer is the perfect solution to no windows, with another small light (I use a 25w red bulb) as a night light.

Don't worry about them not having a window to look out of, they will be fine as long as you have at least two of them, as they don't like to be alone. Add some fake plants, a swing, and maybe even a toy or two to the cage, and they won't even notice anything. If you add a nest, and you have a male/female pair, you will have to worry about babies. If you don't want babies, get a male/male or female/female pair.

[Pemm]

That's wonderful news, thank you! I am hoping to get a male/male pair, as I love their song and don't think I'm ready to try breeding yet. And thanks for the tip about the nightlight, I'll be sure to add that to my shopping list.

[debbie276]

Sounds to me like you have thought it out well and there shouldn't be a problem keeping finches in your space.
Good luck

[lyzzyjayne]

Sounds like your guys will be in good hands. :]

[dcompt]

If you get a m/m pair, get them a bamboo, or even better, a bigger nest box, and lots of nesting materials. Mine love these: http://www.ladygouldianfinch.com/shop-nest.php (scroll down to "society finch nest") They will entertain themselves for hours building their nest. I have all males and they never get tired of messing about with the nesting materials. If they are young when you get them, it will take them a while to get the hang of it, and they aren't all equally good at it. After they've had some experience building a couple of nests, they might also like nesting in artificial greenery, if it's dense enough to give them a way to get the nest started. It's more challenging for them, but I have a couple who scorn the easy way out and are only happy in the "shrubbery." Among my eight, there are definite preferences for "ready made" or "start from scratch" nests.

Mess alert - you will also have nesting grass and paper all over your floor, but I think that's a small price to pay for happy, busy birds.

[Chocolatebex]

Lucky you! I love society finches! I'm sure they'll be fine down there with you, and you can always move their cage to a sunnier spot in the house at quieter times. Good luck!

[Ginene]

My societies are my favorite finches. They have tons of personality and do the cutest puffy dance while singing. Best of luck with your new birds .