Best way to catch finches

[Kyra]

Dear Forum,

I have, what I would call a medium size outdoor aviary, 3.2m x 3.2m and 3.5m high.When I started 9 months ago, I started with 6 Zebra males. I did not want to breed and wanted to find my feet with hardy finches. I slowly added other finches and waxbills. All was fine. I was not aware at the time of the 3, 5 or 7 rule of thumb for zebra males.

About three months ago, 3 of the zebras starting bullying each other, to the extent that one got a nasty beak injury (now healed).

About 1 month ago, the zebras started terrorising my other birds. They are simply brutal. I suspect it is because the other pairs of birds are entering into breeding season. They are no longer zebras in my eyes, but downright thugs. Last night I found my Peter Twinspot with massive head injuries and he unfortunately passed away overnight.

I want to give away 3 of the zebras males and found someone who has an aviary and wants them. My problem is how to catch them. Catch them without freezing out the other birds (them injuring themselves) and without injury to the zebras.

I will not do the catching at night thing. Can someone please assist with suggestions to catch the three thugs.

[paul-inAZ]

A butterfly net or something like it will do the trick in an aviary that size.

[Fraza]

Yeah just any net I use a fish net

[birder]

To catch my finch, I wait until I can get the light level lower (does not have to be totally dark) so they become somewhat inactive and then use a bird net. Here is the net I purchased:
https://www.ladygouldianfinch.com/shop-cage-net.php
Good luck!

[Kyra]

Thank you so far for the feedback. I am getting a net delivered on Friday. I was hoping for other alternative and non-invasive tips as well.

I have also learnt from my research that fish and butterfly nets may not be suitable as the nails might stuck and cause more distress. The only problem is that in South Africa, due to lack of being spoilt for choice...I might have to settle on a butterfly net.

[Kyra]

To catch my finch, I wait until I can get the light level lower (does not have to be totally dark) so they become somewhat inactive and then use a bird net. Here is the net I purchased:
https://www.ladygouldianfinch.com/shop-cage-net.php
Good luck!

@birder

I like the product, except... to ship to South Africa adds $43 to the $23..

[Sheather]

Odd numbers are worst for zebra finches. Normally six or more is best. With just three, two may gang up on and kill the third. You may be best off rehoming them all. Not all zebras are that aggressive but due to indiscriminate breeding a violent demeanor is unfortunately now more common than not in the species.

To catch them, cup your hand over the entrance to their sleeping nest after dark, or grab them from their roosts in the dark. It is the easiest method. Another alternative, which is a lot more time intensive, is to rig a small cage full of treats with a door opened by a string and close it when the desired bird goes inside.

But I would just grab them in the dark.

[Fernando]

A net may scare all birds. And with twigs and leaves and a lot of things, the birds have a fair chance to escape and watch me trying ... For that reason I made a 'trap-cage' - you can see it in the blog linked below, though it is in spanish, the picture do explain how it works. (Search for jaula trampa!) And it works well! As the finches are eager for treads, they get sometime green, unripe seeds in the trap-cage, they automatically jump in and release the guillotine-door and if it is the right bird, I take it with the trap cage, close the 'hole' and do what I have to do - mostly coloured rings for new birds. Actually I only have to wait up to half an hour to get the 'right' bird.
Easy and only one bird gets upset while I'm working with it. I didn't expect it to work so well, even Emblema enter when I attach the trap-cage near to the bottom of the aviary.

A very non-invasive tip I think!

[Babs _Owner]

Fernando

Interesting. Since your english language is very good. I'd love to see an english interpretation on the mechanics.

Might take finches who arent used to your feeding stations a few weeks to trust the trap area.

Kyra needs more immediate results. But I love your ingenuity.

Kyra, with death an obvious possibility, I would use the dark-room grab, as Dylan suggested.

I've used it without even startling the other birds. When lights are suddenly dimmed WAY low. You have about 30 seconds to grasp the bird safely before their eyes adjust. And I've used it successfully with 15 birds in one 5 1/2 foot flight. Everyone freezes and I quietly pluck the bird out.

But to be frank, my birds now know when the net comes out, someone is getting moved or nails are getting clipped.........and they don't like it.....but they are used to it. And when time is of the essence, you have to get the courage to do it.

You can do it. Believe in yourself.

[isobea]

Kyra - I have an outdoor aviary (about 5 m long) which I can subdivide into two equal halves when I need to catch one or more birds. But that won't help you right now.
Years ago I picked up a used round bird cage at a garage sale. I took the bottom off and when I need to catch a bird, I set it up on my food tray. The door will be open with a string attached to the top of it. The string then goes out through the aviary wire to a chair in front of the aviary in which I wait for the right bird to enter that cage so I can pull the door closed. On a day like that I withhold the lettuce/cucumber slice/other treat that they really like and only put it into this trap cage when I am ready to catch the bird in question. Might take up to half an hour but works like a charm and none of the other birds get stressed/traumatized.
Tip: I put something heavy (like a rock) on top of the trap cage so the whole thing doesn't tip when I pull the door closed.
Hope this helps,
Iso

[Fernando]

Babs _Owner

Weeks? No! 30 minutes. I had just installed the trap-cage and a little piece of cucumber did the trick. Now they prefer ripening grasses. Finches are inquisitive people ...

[Gracie85]

We have big 5 foot flight cages, and we use two butterfly nets to catch birds. And often two people as well, one to chase, one to catch. But it does upset everybody inside. We also use a toss-net, which is an old butterfly net taken off its wire, and when a bird goes low to avoid the other nets, just toss it on top, then grab.

Netting them is going to cause disruption of everyone. Trapping them as suggested, in a smaller cage with food inside, dropping the door by a string, will take a little more time, but be much more peaceful.

And I would agree with removing all of your zebras. Males alone who are getting into breeding mode are not going to live peacefully, no matter what their numbers. Given females, they'll probably still be viciously defending their chosen territories, and you'll soon be overrun with baby zebras. Some birds just do not make good neighbors.

[Babs _Owner]

Fernando

We all have our ways. And most here love and care dearly for their birds. Birds have general species uniqueness, yet they are individuals.

Some said "nooo you cant breed gouldians in the same room with a noisey parrot", yet I do. Very successfully.

No one way is the absolute, as all our birds adjust to OUR training, lighting, cues & schedules. Everyone adds their ways to the mix, and somewhere in the middle a novice bird keeper finds a path that meets their home, and their bird's needs, given alternate ways of coping with emergency situations.

Letting everyone give wisdom can save a little life.........as was how I started on this journey and have been successful in it. Without this crew.............you have NO idea how rocky the road would have been.

[Fernando]

Babs _Owner

?? Kyra wanted a non-invasive method to catch finches. I and other user gave a few ideas, how we do it and how it does in fact work for us. No fake-answers.

You answered: "Might take finches who arent used to your feeding stations a few weeks to trust the trap area. "

So, I assume, you have never tried it but as "Kyra needs more immediate results" you just discarded the idea that I offered. That's why I corrected the wrong information. I just can ad: it took me half a day to make the trap-cage. The birds entered immediately and inspected it - even before I had placed the guillotine-door - and once that I had put the door, they let me wait half an hour.
Perhaps this information came too late for Kyra or the problem with the ... pushy ... zebras (I know why I don't want zebras again! Yet my owls are the nearest species to zebras; and I remember my zebras were inquisitive, too). But it may help other users who search through this forum for an answer on the same issue: how to catch a finch without scaring the whole lot.

It - does - not - take - a - few - weeks!

I have no ideas about noisy parrots (though I worked with them long time ago) and gouldians, so obviously I can't give any sound advice on that.

[Babs _Owner]

Fernando

Honey I wasn't chastising you, I was inviting you. Those who know me, know....I know nothing.

I owe everything I learned from my peers.

I love what you share. And I agree (I wont own zebras *wink)/