mealworms and general feeding

[grantandtara]

Hi!
we are new to keeping finches, we just got our first pair on sunday, we like them a great deal and the children..(well, teenage girls) have taken to them hugely! we were sold some seed and told it was all they needed, but reading on here it would seem that they can enjoy a variety of other foods..if anyone can suggest simple ways to keep our crested Bengal couple happy and healthy then that would be nice otherwise, just thanks for being a great resource..
very best wishes to you all,
Grant and Tara

[debbie276]

Welcome to the forum Grant and Tara!
You might want to add some hard boiled eggs to their diet, it's got all kinds of vitamins and minerals the birds need. Don't forget to offer the egg shells also

[chirpy]

debbie276 Hello and welcome!

my society finches LOVE romaine letter
I wash it well, and pat dry

& my guys have spray millet in their cages all times. It is a treat for them but I leave it in there anyway

[Musetta]

Welcome! We call Bengalese finches Society finches here in the US . So you might see them referred to as either name. Congrats on your new finches! Societies do well on a seed diet, but also enjoy various fruits and veggies, eggfood, etc. Unlike some species of finch, Societies do not even need insects to feed their young. I have never tried giving mine insects, so I don't know whether they would take to it or not...?
If you refer to the Finch Information Center, you can look under Nutrition for a list of Safe, Toxic, and Unsafe foods. As chirpy said, Romaine is a big hit with Socs. Mine also like broccoli and kale.

[Sally]

Welcome to the forum, Grant and Tara! There's lots of good reading at the Finch Information Center, linked at left, and the members are always ready to answer questions. As others have already said, a varied diet is great for your birds. Bengalese definitely don't need any live food, but they will enjoy a selection of different veggies. And we all love to see photos!

[beachbird]

My society finches would not eat whole mealworms so I ground them up slightly and add sunflower seed, nuts, and a little cornmeal. The mealworms are dried or what a yucky mess that would be! Lol. They seem to like this combination.

[grantandtara]

Thanks for the excellent tips! we have a few nice photos that Chloe, our eldest, has put on facebook, I shall persuade her with bribery to work out how to put them on here for you..
very pleased to meet you all, and thank you for the warm welcome.

[grantandtara]

Huzzah! it worked! there are Salt and Pepper, sadly you cant see the crests on their heads very well, but anyway, hope you like them as much as we do!

[debbie276]

Very pretty birds