Are You Interested In Breeding Zebra Finches?

Zebra Finches are easy to care for and that includes when they are breeding. The little birds are great pets due their quirky little personalities, and they are one of the easiest types of finches to breed. It has been said that they will even help to rear the young of other finches like rare types of Australian Grass Finches.

There are many ways the male and female are different. The males have a number of distinguishing features. Some are: orange cheek patches, stripes on the throat, a chestnut colored flank with white spots, and black bar on the breast. Females lack these features and are gray in those areas mentioned. There little beaks are generally a brighter red in males and an orange color in females. The younger male birds, Juveniles, look like females, but with a black beak. Once the Juveniles reach 90 days, the beak and adult colors are usually complete.

Spring is breeding season for the finches. They need a specific environment for successful breeding. Some will do very well as a single pair in a breeding box, while others need a large aviary with many other birds around. A compatible pair of Zebra Finches will nest in almost any environment. They are good parents and rarely have breeding related problems. Both the male and female share responsibility in raising the young. The male will weave the nest using nesting materials like grasses, feathers, or commercially prepared finch nesting material in the cage or aviary. As soon as the hen lays her eggs, it is your job to remove any excess nesting material from the cage. This prevents the male from covering up the eggs in his enthusiasm to make improvements.

The female will lay one egg every other day until the clutch is complete. The average clutch size is four to five eggs. After the eggs are laid the hen who will spend most of her time on the nest. The male will often relieve her for food and exercise breaks. Twelve to eighteen days later, the eggs will begin to hatch.

Parents will need an unlimited access to calcium, such as cuttlebone and high protein foods when chicks are in the nest.

In approximately 18 days, the chicks will feather out and start to leave the nest. By the time the chicks are about a month old they will be eating completely on their own and, thus, can be separated from their parents. The male Zebra Finch will finish feeding the chicks and can rejoin the female after the chicks are completely weaned.

Finches Are Wonderful Pets

Why do people love having finches as pets? What makes them unique? A few of the reasons could be how beautiful they are to look at and how entertaining they are to watch. They are also very easy to keep and look after, which is a great benefit. It is however important to know how.

Nowadays many of us have busy lives, we generally don't want a pet that takes up hours of our time; time we may not have. That's why these happy energetic little birds are perfect because as long as they have enough food and water they will be happy and content to fly around their cage entertaining themselves.

For those who don't have a busy life and have the time having finches as pets is also great because of their energy and personality traits. Some breeds of finches are quieter than others but when they do sing it's always pleasant to listen to.

Finches are generally independent and don't always bond with people, although it is possible with some species overtime. The benefit of this is that they won't feel lonely if left for certain periods of time. This is one of the reasons for their popularity, especially amongst people who want to own a pet that will be fine without them always being there.

The main thing about having finches as pets is maintaining their living environment, whether it is a cage or aviary. Changing their water and leaving enough food for them, changing any accessories to different places in the cage to give them variety, and cleaning out the bottom of the cage to keep their home healthy and keep them happy.

As long as you remember the main things; food, water, cage cleaning, and also trimming your finches nails, you shouldn't have too any problems. Other things can be learned along the way, there are resources in the form of ebooks, web searches and pet stores.

Although finches are independent pets they are very sociable within their own groups so it would be a good idea to get two or more. A male and female will probably breed more frequently so it is recommended that you keep only females. Some experts on finches recommend groups of six or more.

Finches come in a wide variety; such as the Zebra Finch, the Gouldian Finch and the Society, or Bengalese, Finch. They are all beautiful to look at and energetic with their own personalities, yet some species share certain common behaviour traits.

For example, some finches are more aggressive while others are more timid, some are louder while others are quieter. In the end it is up to you to find a species of finch that suits your personality and will make you happy.

Owning finches as pets will be one of the most rewarding experiences you ever have. They are fun, energetic, hardy, independent, and beautiful to look at. They come in a wide range of colours and patterns, and are a wonderful addition to any bird lover's household.

Wonderful Finches As Pets

Why are pet finches becoming a more popular choice amongst people of all ages and experience levels? Because they are small yet hearty, always look pleasant no matter what the variety, are quiet yet make a pleasant sound when they do sing and are fun to look after.

They are also very entertaining as they play amongst themselves. They are very content in their own groups and don't need a lot of human contact.

For these reasons they are popular with a wide variety of people. From the single person living in an apartment in the city to the family living in suburbia the finch is a great pet to have.

Finches come in varieties such as the Society Finch, the Gouldian Finch and the Zebra Finch and also a wide variety of patterns and colours. They are generally very sociable and can be kept with other finches without a problem but with other species such as Lovebirds, Parakeets or other hook bills it would be best avoided; these birds tend to be more aggressive by nature.

One of the best things about having pet finches is their ability to play amongst themselves because as sociable as they are they don't need to contact with people to be happy, they won't behave like other animals might if you can't give them attention all the time.

This is also a reason why your finches may not be great at being finger tamed, although with time and patience it might be possible.

So what about when it comes time to do something like trimming your finches nails? It is actually very simple and safe for both the owner and the finch, lay your palm on its back and wrap your fingers around the finch with your thumb and forefinger gently on either side of its head. It won't usually bite but if it does it won't usually be harmful or dangerous.

It is important to keep in mind that like most bird species your pet finches need room to move within their cage or aviary so make sure their accessories are kept to a minimum; literally one mirror, toy or branch which can be changed around at various times to give them variety and allows them the freedom to fly from perch to perch.

In the wild the finch loves to roll in damp grasses to bathe themselves so as an alternative why not put some damp grasses or dandelion leaves at the bottom of the cage or aviary for a couple of hours as a treat for your pet finches.

The finch is a favourite amongst bird enthusiasts because while they have a cheerful bird song are also a lot quieter than most other bird species, and while they are hardy and have an entertaining and unique personality they are also a lot less costly in the long run than most other species, such as many parrots and soft billed birds.

Pet finches are enjoyed for their colour, busy nature, unique personality and cheerful bird song.