Finch companions in relatively large cage?

[Joshaeus]

'Ello all! I am a teen in New England who is considering owning a small, indoor 'aviary' of 4 by 2 feet in floor space (the height is indeterminate currently) in the future. The idea is to have something to complement my fish tanks.

Anyhow, are there any other birds that can be kept in the finch cage/aviary other than the four or five finches themselves? And do the finches need to be in single species pairs, or would individuals work?

[wilkifam]

I would stick to just finches. Maybe a couple species. 4-6 birds in there would be plenty for that amount of space.

[finchmix22]

Welcome to the forum!
The finch cage calculator over to your left at the Finch Information Center gives a max of 4-5 finches for that size cage. Regarding species, I'd stick finches that are hardy and get along well with others, such as Society finches, Owl finches or gouldians. Good Luck!

[Joshaeus]

Thanks for the responses so far! Now, on a somewhat random note, how much seed should each bird be fed each day? I was planning on giving them some veggies as supplements.

[Sally]

I use gravity-type seed hoppers, so I can't give you an idea of how much seed they will eat each day. And, they will vary from day to day anyway. I would just offer a full dish/bowl/cup of seed each day. Be sure to blow off the empty hulls each day, so the good seed is not covered.

And welcome to the forum! There's lots of good reading at the Finch Information Center, linked at left, and the members are always ready to help. If you put your general location in your profile, it helps when members are answering locale-specific questions later on.

[finchmix22]

Veggies are a great supplement to seed mix. I give my finches chopped broccoli, carrots, sweet peppers, and then give torn up leaves of Romaine lettuce. They just love it!

[Joshaeus]

Would a tablespoon of seed daily be enough for two finches?

[finchmix22]

No, they need more than what they'll eat in one day because they eat off and on and the amount varies. I give a 1/2 cup of seed twice a day for two finches.

[debbie276]

Welcome to the forum Joshaeus
Don't forget to add hard boiled eggs to their diet, shells and all.

[Nerien]

I find that one little medicine cup, the size that comes with liquid medicine like Robitussin, gives enough seed for two finches per day, in general. So that's about 4-5 teaspoons per pair, per day, depending on how full you make the little cup. A tablespoon is 3 teaspoons.

Now, some of my finches seem to need a little more, some use less. Part of that is also dependent on how easily they can throw or blow (wing wind as they fly to & from) seed out of the bowl or feeder.

I've found that a shallow bowl lets the hulls get blown away, so I don't have to worry about the good seed being covered with a layer of hulls, and then the birds go hungry because they can't find the good seed. But it can also let the birds toss seed (depending on personality) so they use more.

The more veggies and egg food they eat, the less seed they eat.

So for starters, you could start with a tablespoon per bird, per day. But then check it at least twice a day to make sure that they don't need more, you don't ever want them to be without seed. If you find that they are not eating nearly all of it each day, then you can cut back slowly until you find the point at which they eat most of the seed given. (But not all, make sure they are never without seed.)

Depending on where you are in New England, different species can be hard to find. Zebras are almost always available, but they can be little psychos, and even with your large cage, 2 or 3 pairs may not get along, they may decide they want to kill each other, and they almost always don't like other neighbors, so beware of zebras. If you do decide you like them, don't plan on successfully mixing in other species, and be aware that they just might not like each other, either.

[mayble]

Would a tablespoon of seed daily be enough for two finches?

I start with one tablespoon per bird per day, and I adjust from there. Some of my birds will eat more, some less. And on the days they get their eggfood and veggies, they won't eat as much seed.