Post
by Crystal » Thu May 25, 2006 3:56 am
The varieties that are not wild caught (i.e. gouldians) may be inbred and a little more physically "dull" than their wild cousins (especially in their ability to maintain a robust immune system), however they have not lost their "original wild roots" in the sense you seem to be referring to. They are still able to function as birds, and have the same desires to maintain a territory, fly, breed, seek food, etc.
Which is to say they are captive, but they are not truly domestic. Zebras and society finches are the closest examples of nearly-domestic species, because they will breed like rats in the face of stressors which would be too much for normal birds to feel comfortable with. However, zebras still fight for space, nesting and food resources, and still require adequate space to fly in order to get sufficient exercise. Zebras (among other species) kept in too small a cage WILL fight, pluck, and even murder their cage mates. They WILL become obese if not given adequate flight space, and they won't ever shed enough of their "original wild roots" to no longer require personal space or to give up defending their nest/territory/food resources, etc.
Your analogy has several flaws. People and birds are too dissimilar to say "if a person can live in a room which is [x] many times bigger than his body, a finch should be comfortable living in a space of proportionate dimensions." Not to mention that no person I know truly lives (i.e. never leaves) his or her 10x8x8 room. The few people I've heard of on the news that don't ever leave their living room are too obese to fit through the door frame of their home and are often so unhealthy that it is a wonder they are still alive at all. The vast majority of people are able to roam out of their "room" to get exercise and to stimulate their mind. People kept in small spaces for extended periods of time become very unhappy and stressed, which has negative effects on mental and physical health and human interrelationships among other things.
Most birds are not even given the option of leaving their living quarters to roam about larger spaces. Letting finches out of their cage to fly free in your home can be hazardous and risky and should not be attempted unless you have "bird proofed" your home...and even then I would personally avoid it.
Birds forced to live in too small of spaces or without adequate mental stimulus or ability to exercise also become stressed. Stress leads to health problems and abbarrant behavior. Stressed birds will mutilate themselves and/or take their stress out on cage mates. They can and will kill each other. Some species are more likely to get along than others, but you are talking about keeping zebra finches which are notorious for fighting in the conditions you are talking about providing for your birds. Even spice finches will defend their favorite perch, and although gouldians and spice finches tend to be pretty "laid back" (relatively), they will hiss at and chase other birds which encroach on their personal space.
This problem only becomes worse if you try to breed the birds, because now not only do the pairs have their personal space to defend, but a nest and resources to raise babies as well. They will become even more aggressive and stressed when you enter a nest into the equation, and even more likely to fight/pluck/injure.
30"x18"x18" is barely adequate for a single pair's permanent living quarters, and is more appropriate for breeding a single pair (a temporary living condition). Once the pair has weaned young in the cage, the young will need to be removed or the parents will go after them, too. If you are planning on breeding, you had better plan on having lots of cages, or one really huge cage. The best (most bird friendly) set ups have 30x18x18(ish) or larger sized breeding cages, and large flights/aviaries for holding non breeding birds.
If you want 2-3 pairs of finches, you either need to have one 30x18x18 cage per pair, or you need to buy/build an enclosure which is big enough to provide all of the birds you plan on keeping with enough space to maintain a peaceful environment.
If your goal is to photograph the birds and you want adequate numbers of birds to take pictures of in a "pretty setting," build a photobox and transfer the birds into the box to take pictures (and then back out of the box when you are done). OR build a well-planted aviary/large flight cage which is big enough to hold all your pairs, and photograph them in that enclosure.
The needs of the birds need to come first if you are going to be a responsible pet owner. If you do not have enough space to adequately care for 3 pairs, do not purchase 3 pairs, and don't try to breed your 1 pair.
