All Males in one cage???

[HeyItsRaymond]

Would it be okay to place 6 male Zebra Finches in one cage with no females?

It would prevent me having to deal with breeding but I don't know if they'd get along or fight.

Right now, I have 3 pairs in the cage but the males are constantly fighting. I was going to trade my friend my females for 3 males since he is more interested in breeding.

Any advice would be great.

Thanks!!!

[steve]

It would prevent me having to deal with breeding

Hi

Breeding is great fun and this way you also make your birds happy, it is not a lot of extra work trust me. If I was locked in a house with 5 other males I would go crazy.

Steve

[kristofer]

If you want to avoid breeding than putting them altogether would be a great idea. Having many males in a cage makes them have to take the aggression on multiple opponents which reduces the risk of actual injury since the attention is constantly shifted from a bird to another. Breeding is fun as i am breeder myself but zebrafinches can sometimes be a real pain and hard to sell

[Sally]

If you aren't interested in breeding, then a cage of all males is the way to go IMO. Less stress, no worry about egg binding of hens, and no worry about what to do with the offspring later on (it is not always easy to find homes for Zebra finches, since they are so readily available). I have multiple cages of all males. As kristofer has said, having that many will also cut down on the aggression which you might have with only a few males. It sounds like a good solution to your problem.

[lovezebs]

HeyItsRaymond
Hi Raymond, and welcome to the Forum.

Zebras, can be a bit of a pain in the neck no matter what you do with them, but I love them anyway. I have a flight of mixed male and female, with Cut Throat Finch, Green Singers, and Shaft Tails thrown into the mix. There are no nests, because at present I don't wish to breed.

Do I get the occasional squabble ? Sure, it's the nature of the beast. I always say, that Zebras, are the Terriers of the finch world. However, with lots of space, lots of fake greenery for privacy, enough perches for everyone to roost at night, and several swings, there are no major fights.

With your boys, once they figure out the pecking order, I think they should be fine. An even number is a good idea, so that there isn't an odd man out.

Goodluck and enjoy.

~Elana~

[wilkifam]

Depends too, on how big the cage is.....

[delray]

Depends too, on how big the cage is.....

I agree with Lori. If the cage is too small, there may be bickering because of space lack.

All males is the way to go in your situation if you don't want to breed, because with zebra females they will lay eggs. You would have to pull the eggs then.

Just make sure they have a sufficient amount of space. finches like longer flight room, rather than height.

Good luck

[Angela&Shalamar]

I wouldn't do it unless you have a really large cage. All goes well until they hit about 8 months and then fights start. At least that's my experience. Even male female pairs sometimes start fighting ornery zebras...

[HeyItsRaymond]

This is the cage. I already have 6 Zebra's in it. But they males are fighting a lot and I figure I'd be able to fix that by eliminating the females. And I'd also not have to deal with breeding that way.

[wilkifam]

I would only keep 4 gouldians in a cage that size. Seems way too small for 6 zebras. I have the same cage with 4 gouldian hens and one lonely owl finch. If I was using it to breed, I would only keep one pair in it.

[wilkifam]

You might be OK if you just give the hens to your friend, and keep only the 3 males you have left.

[kristofer]

I have kept 5 pairs of breeding pairs in a cage that size. Fighting is a norm with community birds, as long the fights don't cause any actual physical damage to the birds i wouldn't mind or bother.

[wilkifam]

kristofer
If birds are fighting, then the cage is not big enough.

[kristofer]

wilkifam

yeah sure, whatever floats your boat then

[wilkifam]

http://www.finchinfo.com/housing/cage_s ... ulator.php

Here is the link to the cage calculator. It helps to decide how many birds you can keep in a cage.