How to Care for Zebra Finches
Zebra finches are popular small birds to own, especially for someone just getting into aviculture. The colorful, active birds will fill any home with bright chirps and provide endless hours of entertainment. The birds can live up to 17 years if you take care of them properly, so it is essential to provide the best environment, food and healthcare throughout their lives.
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Things You'll Need
- Cage
- Cage liner or newspaper
- Small bird toys
- Several types of perches
- Pellet bird food
- Nail clippers
- Food and water dishes
- Nesting material (cotton, straw, coconut fiber)
Instructions
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Set up the zebra finch's bird cage. A zebra finch cage should measure no less than 20 inches horizontally because the little birds enjoy flying. The bars should be no more than 3/8 of an inch apart. A standard flight cage measuring 16 inches high by 24 inches long by 16 inches wide would be just the right size for three zebra finches. Place a variety of small perches throughout the cage, making sure to not put them over food or water dishes to prevent droppings from fouling the food. Finches don't play with many toys, but you can place a few in the cage as well. Line the bottom of the cage with newspaper or a cage liner and clean the cage, perches and toys at least once a week.
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Feed your bird a healthy diet. A commercial pellet food is healthier than a seed diet for zebra finches because it contains the correct level of vitamins and nutrients. The birds also enjoy fresh foods like kale, spinach and dandelion greens. You can even give them small amounts of bananas and apples. Give your birds fresh water daily and remember to clean all food and water dishes once a week.
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Groom your zebra finches regularly. You do not need to clip zebra finches' wings, however, their nails need to be trimmed to 1/16 of an inch from the root. If you are uncomfortable cutting the tiny nails, an avian veterinarian or groomer can do the job. Provide a shallow water dish for bathing in addition to the birds' drinking water.
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Provide companions for your finch. Zebra finches are social birds but are usually shy and reserved with people. They do enjoy flocking with birds of their own species and other finches. Zebra finches, cordon bleu finches and canaries are all similarly sized birds that do well in a combined aviary or large cage. If you do not want to keep a flock of birds, at least keep a pair of zebra finches, as solitary birds tend to become unhappy.
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Observe your birds every day and learn their normal behavior. This will help you notice if the birds are stressed or ill. Healthy zebra finches drink and eat throughout the day, have smooth, groomed feathers and dry nostrils and eyes. They are active and alert. A sick zebra finch will often sit on the floor of the cage or aviary, look fluffy or dirty, have swelling around the beak and wheeze or cough. Learn what the normal finch droppings look like because runny or discolored stools can also indicate illness. An avian veterinarian can diagnosis problems with your zebra finches and prescribe oral antibiotics and other treatments.
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Prepare for breeding and young birds. If you keep a male-female pair who get along, you will probably get a nestful of babies. Zebra finches are prolific breeders in captivity. If you want young, provide nesting material in the cage. Safe nesting material can be straw, cotton fiber and coconut fiber. Zebra finches will breed all year round. The females should be given calcium supplements to aid with egg shell formation. If you do not wish to have baby birds, simply remove the eggs as they are laid.
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Tips & Warnings
Male and female zebra finches are simple to tell apart, especially if they are their natural color. The males sing and have red beaks and cheeks. The females have orange beaks and no cheek patches. However, there are several color mutations, including white, in which the birds do not have the cheek patches. You should be able to still tell the sex by beak color.
Do not use nonstick appliances and cookware if you have birds in the house. The fumes from the nonstick substance can kill birds quickly.
Do not use yarn for nesting material since it can wrap around the birds' legs and cause injury.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Al Barry/Valueline/Getty Images
