Finch Care - Zebra Finches, Gouldian Finches, Breeding

zebra finches first egg hatches!! [VIDEO]

2010-12-09T08:25:00.001-08:00

zebra finch babies at the nest [VIDEO]

2010-12-09T08:24:00.001-08:00

Zebra Finches in Nest [VIDEO]

2010-12-09T08:23:00.000-08:00

Zebra Finch Sexing

2010-05-03T07:16:00.000-07:00

Zebra Finches are easy to sex. Males can be visually distinguished from females. Male Zebra Finches have a black breast bar, chestnut flanks speckled with white, orange cheek patches, a scale-like pattern under the chin, and of course the red beak. Females on the other hand are totally lacking in any of these male markings and their beaks are a lighter and more orange color. This is the easiest way of sexing but it's not -always- true.

Building a home (Myra Markley)

Zebra Finch Breeding Problems

2010-05-03T07:15:00.000-07:00

1-) You could have made wrong sexing. (Zebra Finch Sexing)
2-) The placement of your cage might not be safety. You should but your cage to a safety room without to much voice and people (what a sentence)
3-) Nests might be unsuitable for breeding.

Zebra Finch Breeding

2010-05-03T06:54:00.000-07:00

Finding a "pair"

Building a home (Myra Markley)

An adequate size breeding cage is approximately 2' L x 1' W x 8"H, but giving a pair more space is even better. Zebra Finches can breed in small cages, but I do not recommend it. They need exercise to stay fit and healthy. Cramped caging can create many problems. Cage length and width are more important than the height of the cage because of the birds' natural flight pattern.

Next, the pair will need a place to lay and incubate their eggs and hatch their babies. There are several types and sizes of Finch nests available. Many people use the bamboo woven nests. I use them because they are inexpensive and I can buy them at any pet store that sells birds. The bamboo nests come in two sizes, regular and large. Both work well but the larger ones are best for birds that tend to produce large clutches.

Another popular nest is the wooden nest box. They can be mounted inside or outside of the cage. (If mounted outside the cage, an opening in the cage will allow the birds to get to the nest box) These nests are easy to clean and make it very easy to count eggs and check on the chicks as they grow.

People do not always agree on what type of nesting material is best for birds. Zebra Finches are not particular--if they can lift it, they will use it in the building of their nest.

I like to give my Zebra Finches small strands of burlap and shredded Kleenex tissue to use for nesting material. It is important to make sure that what you give them is not so fine that they can get it tangled around their legs or around the chicks. Birds can die if they become badly entangled in the nesting material.

We have eggs! (Myra Markley)

Eggs usually are laid at the rate of one per day. Incubation starts after the last egg is laid, and the eggs start hatching about thirteen days later. Zebra Finches can lay between one and eight eggs, but most nests have between two and five eggs on average. The female does most of the incubating but the male will also take his turn on the eggs to give the female a chance to stretch, eat, and drink.

If the eggs are fertile, they will turn a darker color after the first week. If you cannot tell buy looking at the eggs whether or not they are fertile, you can candle them. Candling eggs is really pretty simple but if you are very nervous about it, do not attempt it. To candle an egg all you need is a pen light or a small flashlight. Put the light behind the egg and look for small red veins inside the egg. If the egg is a week old the entire contents of the interior of the egg might appear red, and by this time, you probably will not be able to distinguish the actual embryo.

Handling the eggs is safe if you wash your hands first and do not handle them a lot. The oil from human fingers can clog the tiny pours in the shell that the chick needs for the exchange of air. I try to only candle eggs once if at all. If there is room in the nest, you can hold the small light gently against the shell for a brief period to look for signs of life. This method does not require that you handle the eggs at all.

Sometimes new parent birds will abandon their nest or accidentally cover the eggs with more nesting material and start over again. Removing the extra nesting material that you provided them as soon as the first egg is laid will help keep new parents focused on their duties.

Mother Gouldian Finch Feeding Babies

2010-05-03T06:53:00.000-07:00

Life of Gouldian Finch and Babies

2010-05-03T06:52:00.000-07:00

Looking at zebra finches in the pet store gives no indication that there are more than thirty mutations of this common bird.

2008-08-24T16:33:00.000-07:00

Looking at zebra finches in the pet store gives no indication that there are more than thirty mutations of this common bird. A normal zebra finch has a gray back, with bright orange cheek patches, beak, and legs. Black teardrops fall along the edge of the cheek patch, and a strip of white accentuates the bright beak. His chest has a small black band, then is white or cream. Brown and white spots run just beneath his folded wings, giving the zebra finch a "wild" look. His mate lacks the cheek patches.

From here, Mother Nature has taken her palette of these basic colors, and turned the zebra finch into her own private canvas. Although remaining mostly with the white/cream, black, or tan coloring, the ways in which these colors can be put together boggles the mind of many zebra finch hobbyists.

Much like budgie or cockatiel breeders, zebra breeders have been working to get more mutations. Sometimes, this means importing birds from Europe or Australia. Thankfully, there are breeders willing to do this so that many of these mutations can be available in the United States. Still, there is a myriad of mutations that those of us close to home can purchase.

Zebra finch mutations mostly come in two varieties, the light mutations and the dark. Each mutation has its own supporters and breeders, which makes it fun for the novice finch breeder. Basically, with a little research, a finch breeder wishing to delve into mutations can pick and choose.

The most basic mutation from the normal zebra is the pied bird. While a pied zebra looks mostly like a normal, it has patches of white all over its body. Generally, the belly of this bird remains white, as with most zebra mutations; however, the white shows up where it normally wouldn't, such as the back or chest.

Read The Rest From Here

Quick Tips and Information for Zebra Finches

2008-08-24T16:32:00.000-07:00

Bird Name:

Zebra Finch

Latin Name:

Taeniopygia guttata

Status:

Least Concern

Scientific Classification:

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Aves

Order: Passeriformes

Family: Estrildidae

Genus: Taeniopygia

Species: T. guttata

General Information:

The Zebra Finch is also known as the Chestnut-eared Finch, the Shelley, and the Spotted-sided Finch. It is common across Australia, and has become widely kept for both research and aviculture.

Physical Description:

On average, it is about 3.9 inches long and weighs close to 17 g. The Zebra Finch has black and white tear-like stripes coming down below its eyes and reddish-brown ear patches on the sides of its head. Its upperparts are grayish-brown and its flanks are chestnut colored with white spots. There are thin black and white bars on its throat and the rump is white with a barred tail. The female doesn't have the reddish-brown ear patches, the stripes on the throat, or the spotted chestnut colored flanks of the male. Juveniles are similar in appearance to the female, but have black bills instead of the orange bills found on adult males and females. The differences between the aforementioned race, T.g. castanotis, and the other, T.g. guttata, are that the latter subspecies doesn't have the fine barring of the throat and are smaller in size.

Diet:

The Zebra Finch is primarily a seedeater, but is also known to feed on fruits and insects.

Habitat:

Due to its extensive distribution, the Zebra Finch can be found in a variety of habitats. It prefers open country, including grasslands and lightly timbered areas, but also occurs on the fringes of towns and cities. It is also common near farms. T.g. castanotis ranges across Australia, with the exception of western coastal regions and the island of Tasmania. T.g. guttata exists from Lombok in the Lesser Sunda Islands of Indonesia to Sermata and the coastal areas of Australia. The Zebra Finch has also been introduced to Puerto Rico, Portugal, and the United States. Its nests are found in a variety of places, including cavities, scrubs, low trees, bushes, in termite hills, rabbit burrows, ledges of man-made structures, and even on the ground.

Reproduction:

The female lays an average clutch of 4 - 7 small white eggs. Both parents take responsibility for incubation, which lasts about 12 - 13 days. The young fledge approximately 18 - 21 days after hatching.

Tony Mandarich

Quick Tips and Information for Own Finches

2008-08-24T16:31:00.000-07:00

Bird Name:

Owl Finch

Latin Name:

Taeniopygia bichenovii

Status:

Least Concern

Scientific Classification:

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Aves

Order: Passeriformes

Family: Estrildidae

Genus: Taeniopygia

Species: T. bichenovii

General Information:

The Owl Finch is also known as the Bicheno Finch, Double-bar finch, and Clown finch. It is one of the smallest grass finches and is considered highly social, appearing in flocks of 20 - 40 birds.

Physical Description:

On average, it is around 3.5 - 4 inches in length. It has a white face encircled by a think black line. A second black line crosses its lower breast. The top of its head and its back are brownish, and its wings and tail are brown-black with white spots. The Owl Finch's breast and belly are creamy/white in color. The sexes are virtually similar in appearance, although the male may stand slightly taller. Juveniles have a more brownish hue above and less distinguished markings. There is also a subspecies of this bird, almost identical except for its black rump (as opposed to the white rump of the nominate species).

Diet:

Like other finches, the Owl Finch is a seedeater. It is also known to hunt for insects.

Habitat:

The Owl Finch occurs across northern and eastern Australia. It can be found on savannahs, tropical (lowland) grasslands, shrublands, open woodlands, and along the forest edge. The Owl Finch is also known to venture into gardens, sugarcane fields, and other cultivated areas. It builds its nest in grass, bushes, or low trees.

Reproduction:

In eastern Australia, breeding season is mainly during spring and autumn. In northern Australia, breeding occurs during the second half of the rainy season, but may happen later. Males typically sing during the breeding season. An average clutch size is generally 3 - 6 eggs, with 4 -5 being most common. Incubation lasts about 12 days, and hatchlings fledge at about 22 - 26 days of age. The Owl Finch is known to hybridize with a number of other finches, including the Zebra Finch, Long-tailed Grass Finch, Yellow-rumped Finch, and Masked Finch.

Tony Mandarich

Blue Capped Cordon Bleu Breeding and Comments about these sweet birds

2008-04-17T04:24:00.000-07:00

Visit eyje's blue capped cordon bleu page.
At this page, you can see what does the World think about these lovely animals like anything you've typed to eyje search. We also recommed you to try "zebra finch" and "gouldian finch". You can also join and add your own comments, open your own titles at this site. Here is the main page; eyje

What does the World People Think about Zebra Finches and Gouldian Finches?

2008-04-17T04:20:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wondered What does the World Think about your favourite pets? Not only pets, you can browse Worldwide comments about everything and get ratios and categorized reports for all of them.

Also you browse your people,cities, countries etc. The site is beta but it looks like it will be great.

Jumbo Zebra Finch

2008-03-26T18:19:00.000-07:00

Jumb Zebra Finches are about 2 times bigger than normal zebra finches. I have a male normal zebra finch. It had 5 different wifes but all of them have died. I don't know what to do to laugh or to worry. But this time i changed my mind and bought a jumbo female zebra finch. When i put her to the cage, male finch suddenly jumped on her, seems like they'll be lovelies in near future :) This will be an experiment for me to breed a jumbo finch and a normal finch. I'll write about it soon.

Seperate Zebra Finch Gender ( sex )

2007-05-08T02:17:00.000-07:00

What sex is your Zebra Finches?
There 2 ways to understand.
I don't know one of them :)
But the easiest one is;
Looking at the red tone on their rostrates.
If the red tone is darker and more alive;
It is probably a MALE finch.
If the red tone is lighter,
It is probably a FEMALE finch.
This is not an exact way.
Only a simple and quickest way.
So;
In the picture?
What sex are these finches?
I think; top to botton; M, M, F :)

Large Finch Cage means Best Finch Cage

2007-05-05T01:29:00.000-07:00

Largest Finch Cage means Best Finch Cage? I think so. Finches are unlike other cage birds, they like natural conditions too much. They like flying, building houses everyday without losing their impatience.

Here is a cage belongs to me. I bought this one from ferplast. It is one of the biggest bird cage for home. My finches are happier now.

I bought a little house for my finches. In this large cage, i have only 2 finches and 2 mourning doves. They live together with any problem. But this mourning dove is a different kind of doves. They are smaller.
You see a little house at the left, I collected some grasses and but them on the surface of the cage. And started to watch them. Finches carried grasses into their house with lovely eyes :)

This one is the house of my mourning doves. Sometimes, my finches steal grasses from their houses :)

Here is another view of my cage. Pardon, the cage of my birds :)

These are my mourning doves. They are so sweet. Their voice is a presence source for me. When the sun starts to show its smiley face, they start singing their exclusive songs.

This is my first finch, probably it's 5 years old. In these five years, he has changed 5 wifes. Yeah 5 wifes died. Now he is with 6. wife. Totally, his wifes gave more than 70 eggs but there is no baby yet.

I gave them grear breeding conditions but probably there is something wrong with this with male finch :) But i don't want to tell it him, i don't want to make him sad.

What i understood from this post?
- You should buy a large cage as large as you can.
- I recommend "ferplast" for a cage label.
- You should collect grases and put them on the surface of the cage.
- You should buy finch houses or do your own.
- Note that, the best "natural" animals and the biggest presence source is a finch...

Parson Finch

2007-05-03T03:09:00.000-07:00

Live in: Australia
Availability: In some aviaires in Australia
Sexing: The male is broader than the hen and has a light grey colouration whereas the hen tends to be a darker brownish/grey.
Breeding: breeding is easy if you give the right diet and copio amounts of seeding grasses.
Aviaire: Parsons are an easy bird to breed in either large well-planted aviaries or in a small aviary or breeding cabinet.
Life expectancy: 6-8 year

All About Cherry Finch

2007-05-03T03:06:00.000-07:00

Cherry Finch
or Plumheaded finch
(Aidemosyne modesta)

The Cherry Finch is found in Eastern Australia. Also know as the Plum-headed Finch, they are very peaceful and can be kept with all types of other finches without fear of aggression. The cock has a claret chin spot (or bib) and a plum or cherry colored crown and the female lacks the chin spot and has a thin white line above and to the rear of the eye.

Cherry Finches should be offered a variety of seeds and green food. When breeding they should also get eggfood and livefood.
They nest easily and the normal clutch is 4 to 6 white eggs which hatch in 14 days.
Photo by Harry Bryant

All About Gouldian Finch Health

2007-05-03T03:01:00.000-07:00

Fresh food and water must be provided daily.
A good finch seed mix will provide their everyday need of grass seeds and millets and is readily available at a pet store.
They will need a good supply of protein, especially when they are molting or egg laying. In a treat cup you can occasionally offer supplements of diced hard boiled eggs, other egg foods, and mealworms. Seed moistened with cod liver oil and powdered with yeast will provide a high fat protein and vitamin D.
In a separate cup supply green foods such as lettuce, spinach, celery tops, and chickweed. Finch treats of seed with honey, fruits and vegetables are fun for your bird too, as well as nutritious!
Grit with charcoal is essential to aid in digestion and it contains valuable minerals and trace elements. Grit should be provided in a special cup or sprinkled over the bottom of the cage floor. Provide a cuttlebone because the calcium it provides will give your bird a firm beak, strong eggshells when breeding, and will help prevent egg binding. The lime in the cuttlebone also aids in digestion.
Give your Gouldian Finch a bath daily or as often as possible. A bath dish that is 1" deep with a 1/2" of water, or a clip on bath house is very important as they love to bathe.
Their nails may occasionally need to be trimmed, but be careful never to clip into the vein as the bird can quickly bleed to death. Bird nail trimmers and styptic powder to stop the bleeding are available at pet shops.

All About Gouldian Finch Feeding

2007-05-03T02:58:00.002-07:00

Fresh food and water must be provided daily.
A good finch seed mix will provide their everyday need of grass seeds and millets and is readily available at a pet store.
They will need a good supply of protein, especially when they are molting or egg laying. In a treat cup you can occasionally offer supplements of diced hard boiled eggs, other egg foods, and mealworms. Seed moistened with cod liver oil and powdered with yeast will provide a high fat protein and vitamin D.
In a separate cup supply green foods such as lettuce, spinach, celery tops, and chickweed. Finch treats of seed with honey, fruits and vegetables are fun for your bird too, as well as nutritious!

Grit with charcoal is essential to aid in digestion and it contains valuable minerals and trace elements. Grit should be provided in a special cup or sprinkled over the bottom of the cage floor. Provide a cuttlebone because the calcium it provides will give your bird a firm beak, strong eggshells when breeding, and will help prevent egg binding. The lime in the cuttlebone also aids in digestion.
Give your Gouldian Finch a bath daily or as often as possible. A bath dish that is 1" deep with a 1/2" of water, or a clip on bath house is very important as they love to bathe.
Their nails may occasionally need to be trimmed, but be careful never to clip into the vein as the bird can quickly bleed to death. Bird nail trimmers and styptic powder to stop the bleeding are available at pet shops.

Gouldian Finch Breeding

2007-05-03T02:58:00.001-07:00

Gouldian Finches breed readily both in colonies and as a pair in a cage. Provide them with either open or covered nests. Nest boxes, larger than those used for Zebra or Society Finches, should be about 6"x 6"x 6" (15 x 15 x 15 cm) and mounted as high as possible. Both birds will build the nest and they will need nesting materials such as soft hay, sisal, and coconut fiber. Incandescent lighting tends to produce mostly males, while full-spectrum lighting helps produce a more equal number of males to females.
Provide soaked seed, egg foods and spray millet when breeding. Gouldian Finches need more protein than other finches to stay healthy and it is especially important when the female is laying eggs.

General Infıormation about Gouldian Finch

2007-05-03T02:56:00.000-07:00

The Gouldian Finch,Chloebia gouldiae, also known as the Lady Gouldian Finch or Gould's Finch, is a colorful bird native to Australia. It is bred in captivity, but is an endangered species in the wild, with less than 2,500 left in the wild.

Both the male and female Gouldian finches are brightly colored, but the male tends to have the brightest colors.

Gouldians bond and mate for life, and the male courtship dance is a fascinating spectacle.

This bird is found in northern Australia, with scattered records from the Cape York Peninsula through north-west Queensland and the northern Northern Territory to the Kimberyley region of Western Australia

The finch was named for Elizabeth Gould, wife of the British ornithological artist John Gould; as Mr Gould was neither a lord nor a knight, Mrs Gould did not hold the title 'Lady', so the less common term 'Lady Gouldian finch' is a modern misnomer. Thus 'Gouldian finch' is the more usual name used internationally and the one used in its native country.
ou can also Check these "PDF" articles

Gouldian Finch "Recovery Outline" from the Australian Government Department of the Environment and Hertiage Website

Gouldian Finch Erythrura gouldiae: Fact Sheet from the Zoo Victoria Website

Gouldian Finch Fact Sheet by WWF Australia, the conservation organisation formerly known as World Wildlife Fund and World Wide Fund For Nature

Gouldian Finch Care Sheet from the Petco Website

Gouldian Finch Recovery Project hosted at the mygouldianaviary.tripod.com

Railway company destroys Gouldian Finch habitat from The Newsletter of the Environment Centre NT (August 2002)

A Golden Day for the Gouldian Finch commemorating large gift to support a ground-breaking program to save the endangered Gouldian Finch. Links to Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC). Also checkout their Newletter for Sept 2003.

Microsporidiosis in a Gouldian finch (Erythrura [Chloebia] gouldiae)

Gouldian Featured on the Threaten Species Poster for 2000

All about Finch Health

2007-05-03T02:45:00.000-07:00

Excuse us, we haven't prepared this page yet...
You can go to link to get what you need;
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~qfs/qfsarthealth.htm

All about Finch Feeding

2007-05-03T02:41:00.000-07:00

Zebra Finches are seed eaters which primarily feed on grass seeds. A good staple food is those cultivated grasses which also play a role in (organic) human food again: the various varieties of millet, as long as they are small-grained enough.If you have to get food for your Zebra Finch(es) fast, buy a packaged budgy mixture if need be: it is available everywhere, and although it is somewhat too large-grained und may not correspond with the Zebra Finch taste in every component, the small "survivors" will be able cope with it for a while.

A better fare is a special packaged mixture for exotic or grass finches, of course, as it is supplied by pet food producers. It primarily consists of small-grained Senegal, Mohair and/or Manna millets and the larger-grained La Plata and silver or white millets plus Canary or White seed. You can buy these kinds of seeds individually in big food stores, but this doesn't really pay for just one pair of birds. The great favourite, however, is always spray millet, which comes in different lengths and colours. It is true that millet on the stalk is more expensive than loose grains, we shouldn't however grudge our Zebra Finches the occasional pleasure to pluck the fresh grains from the panicles.

Finch Breeding - Building a home

2007-05-03T02:39:00.000-07:00

Having a cage that is large enough for only two birds is fine if you do not plan to breed, but once you start breeding Zebra Finches, you soon will have not two, but three to six and eventually many more. Your breeding cage must be large enough to accommodate your breeders and their babies without crowding. An adequate size breeding cage is approximately 2' L x 1' W x 8"H, but giving a pair more space is even better. Zebra Finches can breed in small cages, but I do not recommend it. They need exercise to stay fit and healthy. Cramped caging can create many problems. Cage length and width are more important than the height of the cage because of the birds' natural flight pattern.

People do not always agree on what type of nesting material is best for birds. Zebra Finches are not particular--if they can lift it, they will use it in the building of their nest.

Finch Breeding - Proper Diet

2007-05-03T02:37:00.002-07:00

Zebra Finches can live on finch seed mix alone but it is better to offer your Finches a more varied diet. I like to add millet, fresh fruits, sprouts, and egg to my birds' diet. Fruits like sliced apples, oranges, grapes, melon, and other colorful foods add important nutrients to the Finch diet. I often sprout my own millet also. This is easy enough, just soak it for a day then let it grow someplace with sunlight. I also chop hard-boiled eggs (shell and all) for my birds every few weeks. Fresh fruits, and egg spoil rather quickly in the open air so they should be removed after a few hours.

While raising their young, Zebra Finches not only are feeding themselves but up to six other birds that require ever-increasing amounts of food as they grow. One must provide the working parents a good variety of extra food and make sure that they always have clean water. Vitamin supplements work very well along with a balanced diet to ensure the health of your birds and their offspring.

A few serious heath problems can be avoided by providing a good diet. Female Zebra Finches can become eggbound or calcium deficient if they do not get enough calcium-rich foods in their diet. Both health problems can be fatal if not treated right away. Consult your avian veterinarian for proper treatment protocol other ailments can be caused by insufficient protein, calcium, and/or vitamins and minerals.
source: Myra Markley

Finch Breeding - Finding a Pair

2007-05-03T02:37:00.001-07:00

There are Zebra Finch color mutations that have less-defined sex markings, so if you really can not see any distinguishing markings on your bird, look at the beak color. In all but one Zebra Finch color mutation, the beak colors will still be red or orange, depending on sex.
source: Myra Markley

Breeding Tips for Finch

2007-05-03T02:35:00.001-07:00

Zebra finches are a joy to watch as they prepare their nest and raise their young. The mating dance and song of the male is fun to watch and is a good indication that they are happy and ready to breed. The male ‘sings’ and bounces on the perch to attract the hen. He will soon try to jump on top of the hen. If she is willing, they will mate. This only takes a few seconds. He will try this repeatedly.

There are many considerations when attempting to breed Zebra finches. Zebra finches breed freely in captivity, sometimes even under strange conditions, but we should try to provide them a healthy and happy environment.

Zebras mature quickly and can start to mate at 11-12 weeks. For healthier strong birds it is recommended that they be 6-9 months before allowing the to mate.

The placement of the cage or cages should be in an area that does not have a lot of people/pet traffic. The cages should not be moved once the nesting process has started.

The cage should be large enough to make the birds feel comfortable. Remember, larger is usually better. A cage about 16x16x20 would be fine. When the chicks fledge, there could be up to ten birds in the cage! If you use a nest box/basket that is inside or outside the cage makes a difference on the size of the cage. A nest inside the cage takes up room that could otherwise be occupied by a bird.

Place only one pair of birds in one cage. They will fight when more that one pair is in a cage. If you use a ‘flight cage’ then multiple pairs can be housed together. A breeding flight with many birds needs to be large. At least 3 feet wide, 4 feet high, and 6 feet long. The bigger it is the more birds it can support. Provide more nest boxes than there are pairs so they can have a choice.

Zebras prefer a nest that is enclosed with only a hole for an opening. Wicker baskets can be purchased at most pet stores. These work fine but are hard to clean between clutches. I use nest boxes which hang on the outside of the cages. The type you use will also depend on your budget and how many birds you have set up for breeding.

Place the nest high in the cage. Birds feel safer when higher. Sometimes the birds will not like the nest that you have given them. After they have had the nest for 2-3 months and still do not like it, replace it with a different kind. Sometimes this will be to their liking. Sometimes just moving the nest will help.

Nesting material should be clean and safe. A variety of materials can be used singly or together. Dried grass works well. Be sure that the grass has not be treated or fertilized. Pet stores sell little boxes of cotton that the birds like. Be careful of strings. Strings are dangerous. Birds love to play with them. There is a possibility that the string could get tangled around a birds leg or neck and get caught on the cage, thus injuring the bird. Simply be sure the strings are two inches of shorter. Shredded clean burlap works great for nesting material. I cut the burlap into two inch squares and shred it.

Diet is very important for your breeding birds. They need to be in good shape to do all the work of raising youngsters. The same good seed diet that you normally feed should continue. The hen has to develop the eggs so she must not be calcium deficient. Cuttle bone, crushed oyster shell, and mineralized grit all will help. Both mom and dad help feed the chicks. They eat and then regurgitate into the chicks mouths.

Light is a very import part of keeping birds. They need sun light! If there is not a window in your bird room you need to provide ‘full spectrum’ lighting, lots of it. In the breeding season they need light 14-16 hours a day.

When all is to their liking, they will start. The male will build the nest. He will pick up a piece of string or grass and hold it in his beak and show it to the hen. It looks like he is playing. He will weave the material in the nest box into a concave comfortable nest. He may also pick up feathers flying in the cage to line the nest to make it soft.

The hen will lay about one egg a day, for 3 to 8 eggs. They will start sitting on the eggs when she is done laying eggs. Both mom and dad help with the incubation but mom does most of it. The eggs should start hatching about 14 days after they start sitting. If after 20 days nothing hatches, remove the eggs for they apparently are not fertile. She will start laying again soon. You do not need to empty the nesting material, just the eggs.

When you remove the chicks the parents will start on their next clutch. In fact they may start even before you remove the chicks. If they continue this immediate succession, you will need to separate them to give them a break to build up their strength. I usually recommend only 3-4 clutches in a row. It depends on how many chicks in each clutch and how short of time they leave in between clutches.

If you have a nest of eggs that do not hatch, leave them in the nest for about 20 days after the last egg is laid. At this time you can safely assume that they are not going to hatch. Remove the eggs. If you wait too long she may lay many eggs in the nest. Sometimes she will continue until no more eggs fit.

If you have many pairs of birds you will need to band the chicks so that you can tell who is who. You can keep track of pairing unrelated birds when you have identification leg bands on the birds. You can use closed bands or split bands. Closed bands need to be put on the chicks at about 8 days of age. They are permanently on the bird. Split bands are plastic bands that are not a solid ring but have a split so they can be spread apart and put on any age of bird. Bands come in different colors and some have numbers.

Chicks do not hatch with the trademark orange beaks and legs. Most have black beaks and legs. Some of the lighter color varieties have beaks 'horn' colored or a color similar to our fingernails. These colors change to adult colors at about 5-6 weeks of age.

Chick Development Schedule
incubation is 14 days
8 days old put on closed band
21 days old they fledge (leave the nest)
4 weeks old they start to eat on their own
5-6 weeks old the adult colors will start to develop, along with the beak color changing to orange.
5-6 weeks old move the chicks to their own cage. They will disrupt the next clutch process and the parents may start to pluck their feathers.

Zebra finches live to be 4-8 years of age. I have heard of birds living to 10 and 12 years old, but I think this is rare.

Cages and Aviaires for Finch

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Zebra finches are very active and enjoy flying around. Experts recommend that zebra finch owners provide their birds with the largest flying space affordable. A minimum flying space of no less than 20 inches is recommended. Cages, either metal or wooden, are the most frequent cost-effective choice for housing finches. Aviaires, generally indoors, are often refer to in literature discussing the housing of finches. These structures are much larger than cages ranging anywhere from 50 cubic feet to those large structures found in zoos. Because of the zebra finches miniature size, all bird cages are not appropriate. For exotic finches, the space between cage bars should never be greater than one-half inch. Brass cages (made of actual brass) are not recommended because of potential toxic qualities. Happy, unstressed finches have their cages or aviaries in quiet, low traffic areas of the house, office or classroom. swings are an excellent accessory for the finch cage

Social habits of Finch

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Zebra finches are extremely social birds; however, only social with other birds. Typically, zebra finches are shy around people and do not like to be petted or held. Some owners of hand-fed zebra finches attest to birds that are more comfortable with human touch. However, as a general rule, individuals seeking pets that enjoy being held should probably avoid the zebra finch. In their native habitat of Australia, wild zebra finches travel in flocks in the wide open grasslands. Zebra finches in captivity retain this extremely social nature. Zebra finches should be kept in pairs to insure their happiness. A pair of zebra finches will often stay in close physical contact at rest or while grooming or preening one another. Often, however, trouble between a pair of Zebra finches will flare over situations, including but not limited to, sitting on the eggs. One strategy for curbing an aggressive male is to provide him a toy to vent his aggression against.
source: Rick Fulmer

Soft Chirping of Finch

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Another major attraction of the zebra finch is the soft chirping sound it makes. Many individuals find the sweet sound of the zebra finch to be soothing and pleasant, in stark contrast to many other varieties of loud squawking birds. The male is also generally the more vocal of the sexes.
source: Rick Fulmer

General Infıormation about Finch

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The Zebra Finch, Taeniopygia guttata is the most common and familiar estrildid finch of central australia and ranges over most of the continent, avoiding only the cool moist south and the tropical far north. Zebra Finches inhabit open steppes with scattered bushes and trees, but have adapted to human disturbances, taking advantage of human-made watering holes and large patches of deforested land.

There are two distinct sub-species. Taeniopygia guttata guttata, the Timor Zebra Finch, extends from Lombok in the Lesser Sunda Islands or Nusa Tenggara in Indonesia to Sermata in addition to coastal areas around the continent of Australia. The other sub-species is Taeniopygia gutatta castanotis. This species is found over the wide range of continental Australia.

The morphological differences between the sub-species include differences in size. Taeniopygia guttata guttata is smaller than Taeniopygia guttata castanotis. In addition, the T.g. guttata males do not have the fine barring found on the throat and upper breast of T.g. castanotis as well as having small breast bands.

The Zebra Finch breeds after substantial rains in its native habitat, which can occur at any time of the year. Birds in captivity are ready to breed year-round. Wild birds are adaptable and varied in their nesting habits, with nests being found in cavities, scrub, low trees, bushes, on the ground, in termite hills, rabbit burrows, nests of other birds, and the in cracks, crevices, and ledges of human structures. Outside of the breeding time, brood nests are constructed for sleeping in.

"Zebra Finches are extremely gregarious birds that are never met singly in their native habitat but are always found in groups of several pairs. The closest bond is between the cock and the hen... these two do things separately only while the eggs and nestlings have to be kept warm. However, despite the close contact with their mates, adult females indulge in bodily contact only rarely. Males in full coloration never do" - Hans-Jürgen Martain, 'Zebra Finches'.

Zebra Finches are sometimes used as avian model organisms They are commonly used to study the auditory processing capabilities of the brain, due to their ability to recognize and process other Zebra Finches' songs. Their popularity as model organisms is also related to their prolific breeding, an adaptation to their usually dry environment. This ability also makes them popular as pet songbirds and they are usually found at relatively inexpensive prices.