Hi! new here and 2 new Zebra finches in my care

[Nicole]

So today I went to buy a Canary but decided I adored the busy little Finches instead.

I have two Zebras, a male and female.
The are housed in a Vision Budgie cage, and I just wanted to be sure I was on the right track.

They will be the sole finches, unless I get lucky and they have babies!
Any advice would be welcomed.

[lovemyfinch]

Welcome to the forum Nicole, and the wonderful world of finching
Do tell what is the size of the cage? Do you have any pics that you could show us of the cage and the new zebra's?

[monotwine]

Welcome to world of finch keeping. Many here, me included, will tell you it gets addictive!

[L in Ontario]

Hi Nicole and welcome!! Have you named your beautiful new finches yet? The curious NEED to know these things!

[cindy]

Welcome Nicole...congratulations on your zebra pair! you luck will be good, zebras are "very" good at multiplying! Everyone here is so very helpful.

I raise zebras, different mutations...they are pretty hardy for the most part. Seed, pellet, cuttlebone a must, veggies, powdered calcium (crushed oystershell, shaved cuttlebone and mineral block), a swing and a nest with shredded paper towel, coco fiber or timothy hay...they really aren't picky about nesting material. They do enjoy boiled eggs, mashed!

If you can post a picture of your cage and your new friends we would love to see them!

[can]

Hi - welcome to the forum! Zebra's are lovely bird, and very chatty!

I adopted two of my zebras and they came with in a Vision birdcage from the old owner, my biggest problem with the Vision design is that there is so many parts which make it a pain to keep clean. Also, the perches are all plastic (custom designed for the cage) and you're probably better with an assortment of different perches: cement, natural wood, rope, etc. Both for the health of your birds and for an more pleasing looking cage. They also tend to be designed vertically and not horizontally, which is more appropriate for housing finches. The one I have I consider to be to small for my birds and is only being keep as a back-up cage.

In my opinion, the Vision birdcages are stock in pet stores because they are an easy sale, however they are not the best cages for the health of your birds. If pet stores told the truth to their customers concerning everything they'll need to care for their birds (although most don't know any better), they would probably sale a lot less birds. However, the good thing is, this forum is a great place to get information, trouble shot and learn from other finch owners! I wish you the best of luck!!!

[LordDeathcon]

So today I went to buy a Canary but decided I adored the busy little Finches instead.

I have two Zebras, a male and female.
The are housed in a Vision Budgie cage, and I just wanted to be sure I was on the right track.

They will be the sole finches, unless I get lucky and they have babies!
Any advice would be welcomed.

I just got my first two Grey Zebra Finches yesterday too I have two males but i'm hoping to get a couple of females for them and start breeding also! As soon as i can upload some pics i will....I've gotten into this at full speed ahead...it helps having a sister that's into them like Janine is....i'm also hoping to go check out some local bird shows to learn more and to buy my females as because i've seen how they are taken care of in the pet shop and I found them dirty and not very lively like they should be.

From what i hear they won't make babies unless they have nesting material or a pre-made nest that they accept plus you must make sure your cage is quite a large one to breed. All the info you need is here in these forums so enjoy!

I hope you enjoy the world of Finches as much as i am! Take Care and looking forward to updates from you!

[Nicole]

So there are a few quick iPhone snaps!
They are in a cage designed for a Budgie given their size I'd say its a pretty good size? They have this toy in the top far back corner they seem bonkers for, they like to dig in it and pull at it.

This morning I see they are hard at work building a nest, they are using the nesting material that dispenses from this little box hanging on the wall on the size of the cage.
It's all pretty comical to watch.

The cockatiel has just been watching them from across the room.

[Nicole]

Hi - welcome to the forum! Zebra's are lovely bird, and very chatty!

I adopted two of my zebras and they came with in a Vision birdcage from the old owner, my biggest problem with the Vision design is that there is so many parts which make it a pain to keep clean. Also, the perches are all plastic (custom designed for the cage) and you're probably better with an assortment of different perches: cement, natural wood, rope, etc. Both for the health of your birds and for an more pleasing looking cage. They also tend to be designed vertically and not horizontally, which is more appropriate for housing finches. The one I have I consider to be to small for my birds and is only being keep as a back-up cage.

In my opinion, the Vision birdcages are stock in pet stores because they are an easy sale, however they are not the best cages for the health of your birds. If pet stores told the truth to their customers concerning everything they'll need to care for their birds (although most don't know any better), they would probably sale a lot less birds. However, the good thing is, this forum is a great place to get information, trouble shot and learn from other finch owners! I wish you the best of luck!!!

Aww that's too bad! we are experienced bird owners and I rather like the vision line for a few reasons, The see through plastic base is the best! and I love the canopies over the food dishes to protect from contamination, in terms of keeping clean, I've not had issues we had a Budgie in there at one time and our Tiel has used it as temp housing as well (he tends to sit on top though ) I find it's like everything you have to change the liner in the bottom and wash the cage down as needed.The Vision cages also have a modern look that blends in nicely with our house decor and it does not scream "bird cage alert bird cage alert" unlike our Tiels cage which is this big white monstrosity on wheels..

They seem to love the birdbath that clips inside as well.
It does have perches, but I provided a cement swing perch as well for variation for their little feet.

[franny]

I have to say, from looking at the picture, that this cage is just not suitable for finches. Way too small. It would be fine for a tiel, or any hookbill, as they can climb and get exercise that way, and as well, they are usually let out of their cage for free flight time.

Finches usually are not so tame as to want outside flight time. They prefer to be left to themselves without much interaction between humans and them (except for cage cleaning and feeding). For this reason, they need a much longer cage, so that they have room to fly, to keep them happy and well exercised. Simply hopping from perch to perch is not enough exercise.

Besides not allowing for flight (birds seldom fly vertically).. and while they may make some use of the vertical space, it is in their nature to want to dominate by taking the topmost perch as their own, and claiming it as territory, so having very little horizontal space can cause aggression because they are forced to "share" the most desirable territory.

And I'd also say that Zebras, especially, are very active and can be real bullies, even to their cage mates. I think this could be exacerbated by keeping them in a too small cage.

Check out the FIC section on cage size to see the minimum cage size for a pair of finches. I think that 30"L by 18"W is the minimum you should have - height not so important.

Also, I agree with getting rid of the plastic perches. They are too even in diameter. The birds will be more comfortable on natural branches.

Oh, and welcome to the world of finches. Very different from keeping hookbills, as you've already found out.

[Nicole]

I have to say, from looking at the picture, that this cage is just not suitable for finches. Way too small. It would be fine for a tiel, or any hookbill, as they can climb and get exercise that way, and as well, they are usually let out of their cage for free flight time.

Finches usually are not so tame as to want outside flight time. They prefer to be left to themselves without much interaction between humans and them (except for cage cleaning and feeding). For this reason, they need a much longer cage, so that they have room to fly, to keep them happy and well exercised. Simply hopping from perch to perch is not enough exercise.

Besides not allowing for flight (birds seldom fly vertically).. and while they may make some use of the vertical space, it is in their nature to want to dominate by taking the topmost perch as their own, and claiming it as territory, so having very little horizontal space can cause aggression because they are forced to "share" the most desirable territory.

And I'd also say that Zebras, especially, are very active and can be real bullies, even to their cage mates. I think this could be exacerbated by keeping them in a too small cage.

Check out the FIC section on cage size to see the minimum cage size for a pair of finches. I think that 30"L by 18"W is the minimum you should have - height not so important.

Also, I agree with getting rid of the plastic perches. They are too even in diameter. The birds will be more comfortable on natural branches.

Oh, and welcome to the world of finches. Very different from keeping hookbills, as you've already found out.

Hi there,

Just wanted to address a few things

First of all this is my first pair of Finches, They came from a pet store in a tiny crammed cage on a wall so the cage they are in right now might actually feel palatial to them
They were in there with at least 10 other birds, the conditions were kept very clean, just extremely cramped.
This is still a learning curve for me so I used what I had onhand, while it may not be the absolute best I would imagine they will be ok in there for the interim while I feel out this whole Finch thing (which so far I like)
I can update the cage in the coming weeks.

I've not seen any agreession between these two little birds, at the pet store they were snugged together on the perch so they seemed to already "like" each other, the behavior has been absolutely adorable to watch, they chatter to each other, eat together, build the nest together and with my limited knowledge of Finches, (but having some with other birds) I dare say they look "content"

They have a nice cement perch in there (which was not obvious in the picture) I've noticed the wood in many of the members pics here, I'm just starting out again, so bear with me and try not to be to harsh on me I'm just taking this day by day and will add the improvements as I go along, I think the cage is a bit bigger than you think it may be it's not that far off the dimensions you gave, it was an iPhone picture so that makes it hard to gauge things.

Thanks for the welcome! I've been reading quite a bit around here although I'll admit the strange posting delay is driving me a bit bonkers!
So many beautiful birds here.

[L in Ontario]

I've been reading quite a bit around here although I'll admit the strange posting delay is driving me a bit bonkers!
So many beautiful birds here.

We've had quite a bit of spam and other garbage on the forum recently and thus have had to initiate a 5 post delay. You are now beyond that limit and will have no further delay in seeing your posts.

That cage is fine for the interim. I had an even smaller cage when I adopted my first pair of Zebra finches. Who knew? We all learn as we go along. I'm sure you must be enjoying them tremendously. Zebras have such lovely songs, calls, beeps and whistles!

[LordDeathcon]

That cage is fine for the interim. I had an even smaller cage when I adopted my first pair of Zebra finches. Who knew? We all learn as we go along. I'm sure you must be enjoying them tremendously. Zebras have such lovely songs, calls, beeps and whistles!

I agree their song is actually a sweet soft one and easy to the ears i find...

I find from the time you own them you begin to really get into them....i've owned my two male zebs for only 3 days now and already i'm looking at breeding cages and two female zebs to buy for the males. Today i found a couple of nice ones at the petshop for $15 I hope they are still there when i get more cash to buy the cage too.

[franny]

Yes, I agreee it will be fine for now. I didn't mean to come off so critical. Didn't mean to, and I realize that you are here asking questions to learn about how to look after the finches. So I just wanted you to know about the big difference in how finches are housed as opposed to most hookbills. I don't mean it to come off as a personal criticism at all. Please accept my apology if I was too harsh.

It's just that although it's a definite improvement from pet store conditions, there can never be too much room. So if you can, just keep that in mind when looking for an upgraded accommodation for them.

[Sally]

Hi Nicole, and welcome to the forum! Most of us were newbies to the world of finchkeeping when we joined this forum, and most of us made all of the newbie mistakes. This is such a friendly forum, and any advice offered is just that, not criticism.

Your vision cage will work for now, and if you are like most of us, we continue to expand the number of finches and the size and number of cages! If you like the looks of the Vision cage, I believe they make one that is 30" long, which would give your Zebras some extra flying room. Pet shops often sell wonderful cages for parakeets, but they don't always have good ones for finches. On craigslist, I see ads all the time for tiny cages that are advertised as perfect for finches--tiny birds, tiny cages. The reality is that finches are so much more active than many other types of birds that they need larger (longer) cages than much larger birds. And if they have babies, suddenly you have 5-8 birds in that cage, and the babies need flying room to build up their wing muscles.

Pet shops also don't sell appropriate nesting material for finches. I can't tell you how many of those little boxes of string I purchased, until I learned that the string can get wrapped around the legs of the birds and cut off circulation--who knew? Unfortunately, you have to order many of your supplies online. Coco fiber is one material that is used by most finches. Zebras will even use strips of paper towel. Hay is another thing that can be used--many feed stores will give you a small bag of loose hay that falls to the floor in their hay rooms--timothy or coastal bermuda will work.

Keeping finches is definitely a learning curve. I have about 150 of them now, and I learn new things all the time!