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finches
- Thread starter rekn
- Start date
Corny Noob
Proud Momma
Texas Tail feathers breeds finches.
suecornish
New member
Queenie and Smokey say they are quite tasty.
Corny Noob
Proud Momma
suecornish said:
Yeah ...not for food for pets
dionythicus
Kiss My Hearse
I've had zebra finches in the past. Love the noises they make, but not the mess. If I was going to get finches again, I really like the looks of the Gouldian finches (amazing colors!!) and spice finches. Of course, now that I've seen an owl finch, I like those, too!
http://www.finchinfo.com/birds/finches/species/index.php
http://www.finchinfo.com/birds/finches/species/index.php
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I've bought lots of birds on line, but frankly shipping is cost prohibitive for the less expensive species like finches. I've found that the best source for birds are local bird shows. Be warned, finches are like corn snakes. You can't have just one. Most people end up with dozens.
texastailfeathers
New member
Corny Noob said:
Yup, I do.
rekn, try checking out www.birdbreeders.com . Do a search for your state and you should come up with quite a few good breeders. Most of the beginner finches cost under $30 each, and they're not really worth shipping. It's best to find a local breeder.
Pet store finches are usually quite healthy, although typically overpriced. I've bought lots of beautiful, healthy finches at flea markets and bird marts. You can check for bird marts in your area by doing a Google search for "bird mart" or "bird show". Look for good feather quality, clear eyes, and a clean beak. A clean cage is a good sign too. Seed litter is to be expected, but a half-inch of droppings is a very BAD sign. Zebra finches often pluck each other out of aggression and to gather nest materials, and a plucked zebra is still a healthy zebra...just not so pretty.
But if ALL the finches in a cage show signs of being plucked, it probably means they're kept in cages that are overcrowded, so avoid those.The best finches for beginners are society finches, whether for pets or breeding. Javas are nice too, but they're twice as large as society finches so they need a bigger cage. Every pet store will tell you that zebras are good beginner birds, but I disagree. They're extremely busy little birds and they are obsessed with nesting, to the point of aggression.
Are you wanting finches for decorative pets, or would you like to learn to breed them?
Owl finches are terrible beginner birds. Gouldians are beautiful, but they're extremely temperamental breeders and they're very delicate. They require a more specialized diet (Australian birds often lack iodine).
I currently raise societies (aka Bengalese), bronze-wing mannikins, orange-cheeked waxbills, Indian silverbills (another GREAT beginner finch), and Java rice finches. Spice finches are wonderful too. They all require similar care and are non-aggressive birds. They're also great breeder birds and they're all under $40 (from most breeders anyway).
Here are some finch sites:
eFinch
Finch Info (already mentioned in a previous post)
Finch Niche
Finchworld
ZebraFinch
Lady Gouldian Finch
Nanci
Alien Lover
You know what I've been having a craving for lately is a canary. I've never had one. There is one at my vet's office, though, and when I am there in the afternoon, he's just singing his little heart out. But I wonder if that gets annoying, like that repetitive tiel song they all do, or is it soothing like a pigeon/dove and you can just tune it out? My grandparents had a series of canaries for their whole lives- they seemed like nice little birds.
Nanci
Nanci
texastailfeathers
New member
Nanci said:
I can't stand most canary songs. I have birds chirping in my house from sunrise to sunset and I tune them out just fine, but I've never been able to tolerate canaries. There's just something about their songs that annoy me. They have a tendency to get shrill and strident, and the song is not always melodious. Sometimes it's just repetitive and irritating. The opening paragraph in Kate Chopin's The Awakening makes mention of a bird singing "with maddening persistence" and I never understood that line until I got a canary. To me canaries rank up there with mockingbirds, and we all know how I feel about those.
texastailfeathers
New member
rekn said:
Owl finches are fairly hardy, but they are also very rare and very difficult to breed. As far as breeding difficulty, reef tank is a good comparison. One out of every hundred breeders will brag about their owls breeding like mice, but the other 99 breeders can't get them to raise a single baby.
Owls are busy, energetic birds that spend most of their days zipping around the cage. You really need a large aviary for owls. Their health can deteriorate rather quickly in a small cage.
I'd really recommend any of the lonchura finch for a beginner: society, silverbill, Java, spice, munia (nun), mannikin, etc. If you just want a pair of finches as pretty cage ornaments, I recommend a pair of Javas or spice finches, or even societies. If you want more than one m/f pair, always get 3 or more pairs, never just 2 pairs. 2 pairs in one cage is a recipe for disaster.
Unfortunately, I don't have any finches available at the moment (breeding season is over for now) and I don't ship. You'll find that most finch breeders don't. It's just too much trouble. You really should try checking out www.birdbreeders.com to find a local breeder. If you can't find a local breeder, look for a bird mart in your area. Then maybe try pet stores and large, nice flea markets.
Once you've gained some experience with the easier species, then trade up to owls, gouldians, parrot finches, etc. (Yes, most bird breeders take trades.)
tyflier
[Insert Witty Commentary]
Nanci-
We have a couple canaries at the shop, and I absolutely adore their singing.
Now, of course...this could be incomparison to our 2 African Greys(both Congo), 3 Amazons(yellow naped, double yellow, and blue fronted), blue and gold macaw, indoor aviary of breeding cockatiels, 3 red-breasted parrots, 2 red rumps, a Princess of Wales parakeet, 3 conures(sun, dusky headed, and Janday), and all the birds we board and sell. With that much noise, I may be appreciating the canaries based solely on how(comparibly) quiet and melodic their songs can be...
We have a couple canaries at the shop, and I absolutely adore their singing.
Now, of course...this could be incomparison to our 2 African Greys(both Congo), 3 Amazons(yellow naped, double yellow, and blue fronted), blue and gold macaw, indoor aviary of breeding cockatiels, 3 red-breasted parrots, 2 red rumps, a Princess of Wales parakeet, 3 conures(sun, dusky headed, and Janday), and all the birds we board and sell. With that much noise, I may be appreciating the canaries based solely on how(comparibly) quiet and melodic their songs can be...
suecornish
New member
I had zebras and they breed like rabbits, even when there was no nesting material. I'm down to 5 or 6 right now. Hard to tell how many. See, we adopted a Quaker Parrot and he learned how to open the finch cage. Now all my husband has to do is learn to lock the finch cage.
tricksterpup
I has nuttin to Say.
Nancy,Nanci said:
I agree with Jen there song could get annoying to those weak of heart.
I personally love them and I enjoy the song. I used to breed them when I was alot younger. I just enjoy canaries. I personally would love to get some more in the future but my current place is kinda dark and cramped and I have Cats right now that would just pester the hell out of the bird.
Hypancistrus
New member
Can you keep finches if you do not want to breed them? Or do they have to be in M/F pairs?
texastailfeathers
New member
Hypancistrus said:
You can keep finches without breeding them. In that case, just do not provide a nest or nesting material. Also, do not allow them more than 12 hours of daylight (10 hours per day is ideal for non-breeders) and limit their soft foods.
The biggest part of not breeding is not providing a nest. Birds are not opportunistic breeders. If they don't have a nest, they won't raise babies. There are some oddball exceptions, but this is pretty much the rule for all birds.
However, I do not recommend zebra finches as non-breeders. They are obsessive breeders and tend to bicker when not allowed to breed. The hens often become compulsive egg layers, and that is not healthy.