Is my finch sick or lonely?

[Abena888]

Hi all. I have had two finches, Fred and George, for about three years. A few weeks ago, I noticed Fred was acting ill-- all fluffed up, sleeping a lot, sitting low on the perch-- and by that same afternoon, he had died. I miss him, and I'm not sure whether or not George does too and is lonely.

I've waited to get a new companion for George to make sure he's not ill as well. For the last few days, he'll seem normal most of the time, but then I'll randomly find him huddled on a perch fluffed up, and I even found him sitting on the cage floor yesterday. He acts completely normal 95% of the time, but these few things have me wondering if he's sick, or if he's just lonely. I'm not sure whether to get a new companion finch to cheer him up, or if I should keep watching him for further signs of sickness before starting the introduction to a new cage-mate. I don't even know what the signs of a lonely finch are, and if they're similar to illness. I'd love to hear advice! Thanks.

[lovezebs]

Abena888

Hi Abena and welcome to the Forum from Canada.

Regarding George...

Would you happen to know how old your two boys were when you first got them?
I am wondering, if we might not be dealing with old age (?)

Now a lonely finch, is an unhappy finch... and an only finch, is a lonely finch.
Finches, and in particularly Zebra and Society finches, are extremely social creatures, and don't do well on their own.

That said, what then is going on with George?

Is he missing Fred? I would say yes, without a doubt. He is probably even grieving his friend's loss in his own way.

Is he sick? Now that I honestly can't say.
For the time being, I would offer him a warm lamp (40w bulb regular desk top or goose neck lamp is fine) beside one corner of his cage, with shade on the other side.

When birds are a bit under the weather, they find the warmth and light very comforting, but we also want to offer them an area to get away from the heat source if they get too warm.

I would also offer him his favorite foods, spray millet, egg, greens, etc. along with a swing if he doesn't already have one, and a mirror for company.

If all is going well, in another month or so, I would suggest getting him a friend.

If and when you decide to get a companion for George, we can discuss the best ways to introduce them.

Until then, keep a close eye on your little boy, and let us know how he's doing.

Best wishes, and good luck.

[Abena888]

Thanks so much, lovezebs! That's a great idea with the lamp. I do want to get George a friend, as I hate for him to be lonely. In the meantime, I'll try the lamp. He's still been eating very well, and I've been spoiling him a little with his favorite foods, which I think is a good sign. He may very well be getting old-- I believe he was around a year at least when I got him, though I'm not positive.

Thank you again!

[Abena888]

Just wanted to update-- George is doing great! He perked up a bit with some warmth and favorite foods, though after a few weeks, he was definitely acting mopey and lonely. He'd huddle alone on his perch most of the time, and wasn't singing much.

So I got a new little guy to keep him company! I officially moved Hei Hei into George's cage yesterday, and it's made a WORLD of difference! George has perked up and become more active again, and is singing his heart out. The two birds have had almost no problems so far-- they huddle up together to sleep, preen each other, sing to each other, and both seem happy and healthy. So glad it turned out well!

[lovezebs]

Abena888

Wonderful news