care There is generally little that needs to be done in the way of health maintenance.  A balanced diet is by far the most important thing. However a few of things to watch out for are signs of illness, nails, leg bands and strings or string-like materials. Did you know? Migrating ducks and geese often fly in V-shape formations. Each bird flies in the upwash of its neighbours' beating wings and this extra bit of supporting wind increases lift thereby saving energy Pigeons can reach speeds up to 160 km/h Swifts, doves, falcons and sandpipers can approach 320 km/h Penguins, ostriches and dodo birds are all birds that don't fly Hummingbirds eat about every ten minutes, slurping down twice their body weight in nectar every day If your bird sits in the corner, looks puffed up, or generally looks under the weather then he may be ill.  Make sure there is a good supply of fresh food and clean water in shallow dishes, on the floor of the cage at all times.  This will make it easier for the bird to access them.  Try to raise body temperature by moving the cage to a warmer location or by placing a lamp beside the cage or aviary. Unfortunately, because of the zebra finch's tiny size, an illness can run its course and kill it before you even notice the symptoms. Nails will usually be maintained naturally by the inclusion of a cuttlefish in the aviary.  If nails grow too long then you will need to catch the bird and trim them.  A nail clipper works well but be sure not to clip too much.  If you clip to the 'quick' it will bleed.  If you look very closely at the tip of the nail, you will see that the tip looks more clear in colour.  This can be safely cut off. However, only do this in extreme cases. Keep a close eye on birds that have leg bands attached to them as their legs can grow too big for the band.  This could restrict blood circulation leading to a swelling of the foot and possibly kill them. In this case it would be important to remove the band by cutting it off. This could well be a two-person task but be very careful - the leg is extremely delicate. Strings can be dangerous although birds do love to play with them. However, there's a possibility that the string could get tangled around a bird's leg or neck and get caught on the cage, leading to injury of the bird. Best just to have short pieces available - say 5cm - rather than to risk future injury and lose your bird. how to catch a zebra finch Zebra finches, like any other caged birds, are notoriously difficult to catch. Their prime instinct is that of survival - they obviously see you as a great sign of danger, especially when you plod into their aviary fully equipped with bird net in tow!  Be sure that you remember that your hand is immensely strong compared to a tiny bird. If you keep trying to catch them for a very long time without success, the birds will become overly exhausted (and so will you!). Try to avoid this. When picking up any type of finch be very careful as you could unintentionally cut off its air supply. When picked up, just let it sit in your hand with no pressure whatsoever. Hold the wings by putting your fingers over them, and put its head in between your fingers. Don't squeeze... even if they struggle and to be on the safe side hold them in a tissue. Nets can be purchased for catching birds. This works better in a large cage or flight rather than a small cage. Removing some of the perches which could interfere with hand movements sometimes helps. When a bird is on the perch, move your hand toward him from the rear. Totally encompass the bird with your hand, not squeezing too hard but just hard enough that he cannot escape. If you make sure that his head is covered with your fingers, he will be more calm. To catch birds in (near) total darkness is sometimes the only way of entrapping birds. However, remember that neither you nor your intended prey cannot see so they may get scared and fly into the wall of the cage while you're attempting to catch them and subsequently injure themselves. Birds virtually do not move when it is dark and you can sometimes push them off the perch before they will move. You yourself can see just enough by leaving on a dim night light as the only source of illumination. Whatever your chosen method, there's no straightforward way, but with perseverance you usually find one method of catching your chosen bird(s).  No matter method you do choose though, it's a safe bet that you'll become exhausted before your birds do! what happens if your zebra finch escapes? Hopefully this will never happen, but if it does then you need to know what to do. If the bird escapes from its cage into your house you can use a light piece of material or clothing to throw over it. Gently pick up the bird within the clothing and return it to the cage. If one escapes outside then you should be prepared to say "au revoir" to it! However, if it flies not too far away from the aviary then you could again use the above technique and throw a piece of light material over it.  You could even put a small cage outside complete with food and water. Leaving the door slightly open you might be very lucky in that the bird returns to investigate. Finches are small birds and when they have been living in a cage with everything supplied for them - food, water, shelter - they will not know how to fend for themselves if they should ever leave that safe sanctuary. They will probably fly until they get tired and then get eaten by a larger bird or a cat. C'est la vie!