There are many things to consider when
providing a place for your zebra finches to
live. Strictly speaking, nests are not essential but if the birds are outside
it's nice to be able to offer them a retreat and somewhere warmer and more
sheltered. Zebras like to spend nights in a nest. Recommendations for housing
vary depending on whether your birds are seen as pets or you are trying to
breed them. For pet
birds, it's as well to choose a place where your family spends time. You will want to enjoy
your birds, so place them where you can see and hear them! Select a place that
receives a lot of light. They need daylight but keep them away from
direct sunlight which could get very hot. Zebras basically need the same
temperature as we humans do. Also avoid placing them where it may rain heavily
on them. Try not to change their environment too rapidly as the birds will need to acclimatise
to their new situation. Generally, healthy acclimatised zebra finches will
feel quite all right with temperatures between 5° and 30° C. However, when
breeding, 15° C should be the minimum temperature. As aviary and cage birds, zebra finches
can thrive in a wide range of temperatures and under almost any conditions as
long has they have fresh food, clean water and a large enough cage to
facilitate exercise and social interaction. If you have small children, the cage needs to be out of
reach and the
same goes for pets that cannot control their temptation. Most other
pets can be trained to leave the birds alone. You will need to simply be
watchful of the situation and deal with it as the need arises. Do not place the cage where it will get a
draft as in cool climates a
draft can be cold and very uncomfortable. Remember, the birds are stuck
in that cage; they can not go to a different room to find comfort.
Air conditioning could also create an uncomfortable draft for them.
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Zebras are very hardy birds. A rule of thumb for siting aviaries is to ask yourself if you would like it where they are to be placed. If you wouldn't like to be where you put their cage, then they probably wouldn't like it either!
The birds may be kept in cages or aviaries, indoors or outdoors. Since zebra finches are very hardy, they are able to tolerate many different environments without problems.
As a rule, zebra finches are aggressive nest builders. Zebra finches nest in wicker nests or breeder boxes (about 15cm square). Even half a coconut scooped out would suffice! It doesn't really matter what kind of nest they have; they don't even have to have one! They will use just about anything for nesting material - cotton balls pulled apart, feathers from an old pillow, grass and coconut matting or nesting material from pet shops are all suitable. You can start them off by lining the nests if you wish, but they really do a good job by themselves. Zebras are also very protective of their nests. They will chase any bird that comes too close, even to the point of pulling out feathers of the intruding bird.
Zebra finches enjoy space in which to fly around and the opportunity for the birds to fly can be increased by having too few perches rather than too many. Don’t use perches with sandpaper on them as this can be too hard on their feet. A trick to help diminish fighting is to use clothes pegs on the perches about 15cm apart. This way any 'bird bullies' can only push others just so far away. It also gives the bullied birds a new location away from the tormentor.
Safe wood to use for perches include: apple, aspen, birch, cactus wood, cherry, elm, maple, mountain ash, pear, pine, poplar and willow.
indoors or outdoors?
Zebra finches may be housed in either an indoors or outdoors aviary or
cage. If you've just a pair or two or birds then
you might want to keep them indoors.
A nest box like the one shown
above is more than adequate for housing zebra finches. It measures
70cm across with each compartment 15cm wide and 15cm deep. This arrangement allows for quick and easy cleaning out. The finches themselves can enter and vacate the individual boxes very easily too! Be aware that indoor cages can be very
messy and you'll probably find food and water all over your domestic decorations! Buy or build the biggest
cage you can which will offer the birds
the most space in which to exercise and fly and then you'll gain the most pleasure in
being able to watch them behaving as naturally as is possible. Indoors, the cage should have a plastic or metal base tray for ease of
cleaning and this should be covered with sand sheets or bird sand to absorb birds' waste. The bars will need to be narrow enough to stop the birds from
escaping or pushing their heads through and getting stuck. A good cage design allows the base tray to be slid out
from underneath which prevents the birds from escaping while cleaning. Old newspaper
works well as a floor covering - it's cheap, collects the droppings and is
easily removable. Finches can be allowed to take a bath by placing a shallow dish of lukewarm water
in the bottom of the cage or you could buy a bath that clips onto the door of
the cage. Remember to keep the cage away from draughts and strong sunlight. A
healthy zebra finch will have a life span of two to ten years. Look after them
and there's no reason to suggest that they won't survive this length of time. Indoor
aviaries are quite popular and provide a vast area for your birds in which to
live.
Most any style/shape of cage is OK. However, it's important to consider just how
easy it is to clean, how well it contains the mess of flying seeds, and how
easy it is to catch a bird. Always make life easier for yourself when choosing a
cage for your birds! An alternative is the
'traditional' pitched-roof bird house house (shown above) that you might put on an outside wall to
accommodate wild birds. Make sure of course, that the hole is large enough for
the zebra finches to enter and exit quickly and easily.
It would also be a good idea to ensure that either the back of the
nesting box or part of the roof is easily removed in order to clean
it out when the need arises It is recommended that only one pair be kept in the same small cage.
Zebras have a hierarchical society, as do many animal groups. When you
put two pairs together they may fight for the top position - the 'pecking
order' - and feather-pick each other. This situation does not promote breeding
and of course is not healthy. If you want to keep more birds then you'll need
either a bigger cage or several separate cages. For both indoor and outdoor aviaries, toys are a welcome treat. Your birds
are in effect living in a one-roomed house so give them something to do.
Finches don’t play with toys as much as parakeets and parrots, but are still
curious and like to put their beaks into things. Use a sturdy string of beads
hanging the from the roof of the cage or a plastic ball on the floor. Try
different items and use your imagination! They may ignore what you give
to them, but there again they may well enjoy playing with what you offer! Outdoor aviaries can be constructed in a garden to house the birds but
these should have a winter-proof area for the colder months of the year.
Again, the birds need a shallow dish of water at the bottom of the aviary for
bathing and splashing which they do so very frequently and communally. This may be used for supplemental drinking water until
they master the art of drinking from their clean, closed source of drinking
water if this is the way you wish to provide it for them. Zebra finches, because of their strong nesting instinct, sometimes get 'carried
away' with nest building. Often they will build a nest with provided
materials. Then they will lay eggs. Shortly after laying eggs they will decide to reline the nest. If you notice that they are in this
busy mode, take out all possible nesting material (paper towels, cotton balls, newspapers) as they will take this material up to their nest, reline the nest and bury any existing eggs, lay new eggs on top and the eggs at the bottom will
be of no use. The birds will go on and reline the nest continuously as long as
they have a continual supply of fresh nesting material. In this manner
a lot of eggs get laid, but no babies are born.
