New Bird Owner...Get ready for a long post!

[jebediah]

Hi Everyone! We just picked up a pair of male zebra finches on Sunday and I couldn't be more excited! But I am a first time bird owner and have a few questions. I want to make sure my boys are as comfy as possible. I had picked up a "finch handbook" at petsmart but it focuses more so on indoor/outdoor aviaries and breeding rather than basic cares for the newbs like me.

I've noticed some people have lights/heating lamps for their finches and some do not. Is it necessary? My boys seem to be in bed around 7 or 8 pm (it's dark around 9pm here) and are up before 7am. Are they getting enough sunlight time or should I worry about getting a light for them (I have an extra aquarium hood light if needed.) I'm not too worried about a heating lamp now, but is that something that's smart to have during the winter, or is it really only needed for sick birds? They're currently in our sunroom but will probably get moved to the office during the colder months.

Sand perches: are they safe? I know bumblefoot can be an issue with some birds, but in general, will Zebra finches be okay? I have 4 perches, a swing, and a ladder, all of the sand/cement to keep nails trimmed. Should I switch out some for plain/smooth wooden perches?

Do you have toys for your finches, or do they not really even care?

We have cats...lots of them. They don't really bother our mouse or rat, but they're most definitely intrigued by our birds. One of our cats, Bing, took it upon himself to cling to the side of the cage and almost tip it over. Since then we've keep the door shut so kitties stay away from birdies, but we'd eventually like to be able to have the door open and not have to worry (as much) about the birds' safety. We're planning on attaching the cage to the wall so as to make sure nothing happens, but does anyone have a way of introducing cats to birds in a safe way? Or does anyone have a way of keeping cats away from birds? I had cat repellant from the brand, Four Paws, suggested to me. They said to spray the stand legs every morning and it should keep the cats away. But is it safe from birds? I've also thought about those motion-activated options but didn't know if they would spook the birds in the process. Any thoughts?

Plus if you have any tips or suggestions in general for a first time bird owner, please feel free to contact them. Thanks for reading!

[Sally]

Welcome to the forum, jebediah! There's lots of good reading at the Finch Information Center, linked at left, where you will find many good articles on finch housing, diet, and especially the Zebra finch.

Many people like to put lights on their cages so they can see their birds better. Birds need vitamin D3, which they get from sunlight or a specialty avian bulb, or you can supply the D3 through diet or supplements instead. A small heat lamp is good to keep on hand, because when you have a sick bird, heat is one of the best things you can provide for them.

I don't use sand perches, they can be tough on the bird's feet. I do have one concrete perch (mini pedi-perch by Living World) in each cage, to try to help keep their nails trimmed. My choice of perches is natural branches from my yard. The varying thickness of a natural branch is good for their feet.

Some people do supply toys for their finches, though these birds are not quite as likely to play with toys as a parakeet will. However, it never hurts to give them something to keep them occupied during the day.

Cats are a big problem around birds. They are natural predators, and you can never totally trust cats around the birds. My two indoor cats are getting old, and they do leave the birds alone, but I think it is because jumping and climbing have simply gotten to be too much for them. It is very easy for cats to hook a bird that is sitting near the sides of the cage. Better to keep them away if possible.

[MiaCarter]

On the cat question.....
I posted this on another thread, but I'll re-post here.

I've got 16 cats and I no longer let them have access to my birds -- they're in a bird room now. But that's because I do lots of fostering, so we have lots of come and go, plus a bunch of my cats are former ferals/strays who are confirmed bird killers. So I'd rather not give them the temptation!

That said, it wasn't always this way. I used to have the birds in an area that was accessible to the cats and you can definitely do a few things to secure the cage from the cats.

Firstly, you need to affix it to the wall. The biggest danger is the cat tossing it off the stand/table, which may compromise it.
So get a few screw hooks, like this:
http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&page=1& ... ew%20hooks

Get 2 bungee cords (or more) and strap them around the cage and fasten it to the wall by attaching to the screw hooks.

That will (hopefully) keep the cage in place.

Next, zip tie all the corners where the cage panels meet to form a corner. I put zip ties every 2 inches.
So even if kitty somehow knocks it onto the floor, it will remain intact. That's super important. That's how many cats get to the birds - knocking over the cage and breaking it apart.
Some cages are also fairly loose on the corners. It's an easy breach point.

Also, get some reusable zip ties. The reusable zip ties have a little tab that lets you open them.
You can use these to secure the ports/doors, so kitty can't stick his foot or head in there. Those doors/ports are the other major breach point, so you want them secured at all times.

Don't use the port-mounting food/water cups. You want those ports secured with zip ties. So instead, use the food/water bowls that mount to the side of the cage with a screw with wing nut and washer. Like this:
http://tinyurl.com/ptb8vph

But make sure they're light weight. A ceramic bowl could kill a bird if the cage were to topple.

Finally, get a couple training alarms and put them around the cage.
I have this one:
http://www.amazon.com/Tattle-Tale-Sonic ... B000ANOT9U

If the cat jumps up onto the table alongside the bird cage, they'll sound and spook the cat, hopefully causing her to run away.
And they'll also alert you to the problem!

With most finch cages, the bar spacing is too close together to allow the cat to get her paw into the cage. But that won't stop them from trying! But as long as the cage is strapped to the wall with the corners reinforced with zip ties and the ports/doors zip tied closed, you should be good.
The key is to make the cage so it can fall to the floor and remain intact, without allowing the cat access.

I will note that if your cats are super persistent and sit there all day peering at the birds, it's not fair to the birds. That's super stressful.
It's akin to a guy sitting outside your window 24/7, pointing a loaded shotgun at your head. Nobody wants to feel hunted.
So if your birds are going to feel hunted all day, then it's best to keep them elsewhere, away from the cats.
Or you may luck out with cats who really don't care. I've had a few of those.

For the sandpaper perches....
They can cause bumblefoot.
So you can coat the top half of the pedi-perch with elmer's glue (or similar. Needs to be nontoxic) to make it smooth.
Or you can cut a sandpaper perch sleeve so it's 3/5 of a circle. Then, elmer's glue it to the bottom half of the perch. Wrap cellophane around it so it dries with a good, smooth bond. This way, the foot is on the smooth top surface of the perch, and the nails hit the sandpaper on the lower portion.

[Corkysgirl]

jebediah Welcome to the forum! I see your questions have been answered very well. I do use a heat lamp, really a full spectrum bulb during the day for extra vitamin D3 and also to make sure it's warm enough. If a bird becomes ill, it's always available. I also live in a very cold climate. It's not necessary for most.

[debbie276]

Lights for Vitamin D are in my opinion a waste but for the birds vision a must if they are in a windowless room. For Vitamin D I would offer hard boiled eggs shell and all (for the calcium in the shell). There are also many many supplements that have the D in it that you could sprinkle onto their food.
Here's a very good article about lighting:
https://mickaboo.org/confluence/downloa ... ummary.pdf

I use a ceramic heater so that there are no lights keeping the birds awake, mostly your zebra's will only need extra heat if they are ill.

I wouldn't use sandpaper perches and risk a problem with their feet such as small cuts and/or abrasions that can become infected. Natural branches from outside are the best at different thicknesses to exercise their feet.

The only toys mine get are things like large egg shell pieces and tall grasses with seed heads. It's amazing how many hours they will spend tugging at and playing with these things.

good luck

[wilkifam]

MiaCarter

All the amazon links in your post above are broken.

[MiaCarter]

wilkifam -- ah, you're right!
I copied and pasted part of that post from another one I'd written and it seems it didn't transfer.

So, the Tattle Tale link is:
http://www.amazon.com/Tattle-Tale-Sonic ... attle+tale

I don't recall which screw hooks I linked to originally, but here's what they look like:
http://www.amazon.com/Stanley-Hardware- ... crew+hooks

[jebediah]

Thank you for all the great responses!

I ended up going out that night and returning all the sand perches and getting natural wood ones. I also bought a plastic "vine" plant and placed it near their nest so they could have some hiding places/privacy. I also picked up some vitamins for their water to make sure they get enough D3.

I have another question. How many nests should I have for them? I had bought 2 since I wasn't sure if the males would nest together (they are) and they originally started sleeping in one, but I noticed today they started making another nest in the second one. Is this normal behavior? Also, do you clean out the nests when you clean the cage? Or do you leave their nests alone?

[Sally]

Yes, that is normal behavior, especially when you have only males. If you put 6 nests in there, they would eventually put nesting material in all 6 of them, Zebras love making nests. You could take one out, since they are getting along with each other, or you can leave them both in, up to you. Once you notice lots of poop in the nests, it is time to take them out and clean them. Toss the old nesting material and give them fresh. If you use the wicker hooded nests, I wash them and reuse them, though others toss them and get new ones.

[wildbird]

If given a chance, ANY cat will kill a bird. There is no safe way to have cats in the same room with birds. The birds will also be under constant stress, as they know they are in danger.