Everything About Finch Health You Must Know

If you have recently decided to raise zebra finches as pets then you may be interested in knowing about zebra finch diseases, and what signs you should be on the lookout for in your birds. Finch health can sometimes be hard to determine because birds will naturally try to hide any signs of weakness, and to them a finch illness would be a sign of weakness.

The first thing you need to know about the health of these birds, and how to spot illness in them, is that you must observe your birds. Watch your birds and learn their behavior patterns, their feeding patterns, how much water they take in every day, and how they interact with the other animals. Often the first sign of illness in a cage is when a bird starts to display abnormal behavior patterns, like they have a change in diet, or a change in how they behave.

The second thing you really need to know is that you need to get a second cage to use as a hospital cage. When one of your pets becomes ill you will want to quarantine it from the others until it is better. This will slow the spreading of disease, and it will keep the healthier pets from picking on the sick one.

If you notice that your pet seems to be sitting more still than normal, or appears that is moping you are probably observing a sick animal. Normal behavior for these animals is to be moving unless they are sleeping, sick ones sit still, and will often keep their eyes about half-shut even when they are awake.

Pay attention to the air holes located on the beak, frequently these will look wet, or even dirty when the animal is feeling under the weather. Place any bird that displays any symptoms of being ill into the hospital cage until you determine what is wrong.

Once the sick creature has been secluded watch for other symptoms to determine if this is something you can handle, or if you need to take it to the vet. If your patient seems to make faint clicking noises when it breathes you are more than likely dealing with air-sac mites. Pick your animal up and hold it close to your ears and listen for the sounds of the clicking, or for gasping when it tries to breathe. This is a serious disease and you have to treat it quickly with medication called Iverlux. If the animal is severely infected the treatment will not be beneficial, but when the condition is caught early you may be able to save the creature.

This is why it is so important to know the basic behavior patterns of your individual pets, and to remove them as soon as they display behaviors that appear unusual. Your observance and quick reactions to potential illness in the cage will be the very best tool you have against finch diseases in your cage.

Keeping Finches Happy Is Easy

If you want to get a pet that is easy to care for, makes very little mess, does not take up much room, and is very easy to keep happy, you want to get a finch. Keeping finches happy is easy to do.

When people get their first pair of these little feathered charmers they are scared that they will do something wrong in their attempt to care for finches. Actually keeping finches is easier than keeping a dog, or a cat.

When you have one of these birds for a pet you provide it with a cage that is at least 30" long. The cage does not need to be really high, as finches fly more sideways than they do up. Inside that cage make certain you have a place for plenty of fresh drinking water, and a food dish. Place a perch, or two inside the cage spaced far enough apart that the birds have to maneuver a little to change from one perch to the other. Do not situate them where they just step off one and step onto the other one.

Go to the store and pick up finch supplies for your new pet. Find out what finches like to eat, and make sure you have some on hand. Then you are ready to pick out your birds. Yes I did say birds, not bird. You see, finches are very social beings and if you only have one the little creature would quickly become depressed, and would not be happy. To ensure that your pet is happy, and healthy, you must provide it with a friend.

You do not necessarily have to have a male and female pair. You do not even have to have both finches be of the same variety. You simply need to give them a friend to hang around with. If you do decide that you want two different varieties of birds to reside in the same cage, make sure that the two you pick have close to the same characteristics. If you get one type that is easygoing, and you get one type that is slightly more dominant. Then the easygoing bird will soon become an unhappy bird. To make sure you have happy pets do a little research on which types of finches can live in harmony in the same cage.

If you do decide you want a male and a female these little fellows are fairly easy to keep satisfied enough that they breed in captivity.

Your new pets are not really keen on being handled, so you will not want to pick them up a lot. Basically if they have food, water, a friend, and a place they can stretch their wings a little, then you will have pets that are content in their surroundings.

All you will need to do is sit back and let them entertain you with the way they interact with each other. You can share little bits of fresh veggies with them every now and then, to give them a special treat.

Room for Flight Equals a Happy Finch

Finches are small, metabolic dynamos. They are very active because of their need to expend all of that natural energy. Keeping your birds in a cage that is too small for activity is a death sentence to these little beauties. They must have room for flight; it directly affects their health.

If you have the budget for it, an indoor aviary that is at least forty inches high is an ideal set up for a pair of finches. If you don't have the budget for an aviary, let's talk cages.

When choosing a cage, don't go for the smallest cage you can find just because these birds are small. These birds were built for hours upon hours of continuous flight in the wild, so they need lots of room for flight in their enclosure.

For one pair of finches, their cage should be at least 28 inches long and 20 inches high. This is the minimum for two birds. Whatever you do, don't over crowd your cage because congestion is very stressful to these birds and stress will lead to health problems.

The cage must be well ventilated and free from any drafts or direct sunlight which can over heat the birds. The cage should be placed in a well lighted area that doesn't have too much activity. Place the cage at eye level against a wall.

When looking to purchase a cage for your finches, flight bird cages are a great idea. Flight bird cages allow birds to reach full flight. These types of cages are meant for multiple birds and they have several perches and feeders. They are much taller and wider than most average cages and would make a perfect home for your finches due to the large amount of space. Flight cages allow the birds more room for exercise and activity. But don't forget, you don't want to over crowd your birds.

Within the cage you need to provide separate finch feeders for food and water, grit and treat dishes and a bathing dish. You will need softwood perches of differing sizes to help keep your bird's feet healthy and to help keep their nails trim. Finches will also enjoy a nest box to sleep in at night. Paper sprinkled with grit should be placed on the bottom of the cage or you can simply use grit paper. You will also want to place a "bird protector" disk on the side of the cage. This will help to prevent mites.

Your birds with thrive with plenty of room to roam, good healthy food and a stress free environment.

How Do You Build a Chicken Coop - 5 Essential Guidelines You MUST Know

1. The coops basic structure

Your chicken coop is essentially going to have two main parts. The first is the enclosed indoor shelter or henhouse. This is a place that should shelter your flock from bad weather and enclose them for the night. It will give protection from predators when they are asleep and most vulnerable. The henhouse should be big enough to provide 2 to 4 sq.ft. of space per bird.

The second part is the outdoor area or run. Think of the run as their place to hang out; to eat, drink, bath, exercise and socialize with friends.If enclosed, you should provide 10 sq. ft. of space per chicken. If you birds are kept confined most of the time, allocate as much space as you can for your birds. They will be happier and healthier. It's better to build a coop that is too big rather than one that's too small.

2. Predator-proof Fence

The entire coop structure - the henhouse and run - must be enclosed to keep your chickens in and predators out. Fencing should be no less than 4 to 6 feet high (1.2 to 1.8m) to contain your chickens. Do not use lightweight 1 inch mesh wire for fencing. Flimsy materials like that is no deterrent to predators.

Fencing should be made of medium to heavy-duty materials intended for outdoor use. Livestock fencing or poultry netting are good examples. There are some light breeds which can fly over 6 foot barriers. Keep them in by installing poultry netting over the enclosure.This also protects your flock from aerial predators like hawks or owls and other predators that can climb up and over the fence.

Be sure to bury the fence 6 to 12 inches below ground. This prevents predators from tunneling under the fence. Holes in the wire should be no larger than 1 inch. This prevents your chickens from sticking their heads out and chicks from easily slip through.

The next two features are inside the coop. They are essential if you are raising chickens for eggs, will let your hens hatch their eggs or raise chickens as pets. If you raise meat chickens or broiler these two features are not necessary.

3. Nesting Boxes

This is the spot where the hens come to lay their eggs and where you will find and gather them. You should have 1 nesting box for every 2 to 4 hens. The individual size of the nest box can range from 12x12x12 for average size hens to 16x16x16 for heavy breed hens. The nest box has to be bigger than a hen, allow headroom, and space to turn around. There should also be a "lip" in front of the boxes to prevent eggs from rolling out. They should also be covered in straw to protect the eggs.

Elevate the laying boxes off the ground to discourage chickens from scratching in them which could dirty or break eggs. Some folks create easy access to gather the eggs without disturbing the hens. Make the nest boxes along an outside wall so with a hatch to easily gather the eggs from outside the coop.

4. Roosts

Chickens like to sleep up high of the ground. They feel safer. The roost height depending on the age and health of your chickens as well as the height of your coop. You'll want the lowest roosts to be anywhere from 18 to 24 inches above the floor. Space them 18 inches apart. It is not recommended to have lots of roosts at different heights. Chickens like to perch as high as possible. This creates competition among the chickens for the highest spot.

Allow 8 inches (20 cm) of perching space for each chicken - 10 inches for the larger breeds.

Also, you want the roosts to be wide enough so the chickens can place their feet comfortably on them. Regular sized chickens require perches 2 inches across with rounded edges. No less than 1 inch across for bantams. The flat sides of 2x4s are very popular roosts.

5. Feeder & Waterer

There are variety of specially designed poultry feeders and waterers commercially available. Choose feeders and waterers that give your flock easy access while also discouraging mess and waste contamination. This prevents your birds from filling them with their poops and debris. It's also easy for you to both fill and clean them. Position the bottom of the feeder and top edge of the chicken waterers at the top height of your chicken's back.

These are the five main ingredients in your chicken coop. What you use for the coop, how you lay it all out and what materials you use it is really up to you. Like I said, you can go from buying one already assembled to just using some proven plans to... Going Wild.....

The Colorful Gouldian Finch

Talk about a beautiful rainbow! Gouldian Finches are one of the most vibrantly colored birds around. The Gouldian Finch, also known as The Lady Gouldian Finch or Rainbow Finch, is a colorful passerine bird endemic to Australia. They are found in northern Australia, their habitat being tropical savanna woodlands. Unfortunately this beautiful bird's population is declining in the wild and in 1992 they were officially classified as "Endangered in the wild".

Gouldian Finches can get up to 6 inches long, with the males being a little larger than the females. Both males and females are brightly colored with yellow, red, green and black markings. The males are more brightly colored than the females, especially in the breast area. In general males have deep purple breasts, yellow bellies, and green bodies with black, red or yellow heads. Juveniles have a different coloring; their heads and necks are grey while their backs, wings and tail feathers are an olive-green. 

Their undersides, legs and feet are a light brown. Due to breeding in captivity, there have been a wide variety of color mutations developed including the white breasted, yellow-headed, blue breasted, blue bodied, white bodied and rose breasted variations.

Gouldian Finches do very well when housed with Zebra or Society Finches. They are very social and active so they must have plenty of flight room. These birds are not hard to keep, however they can be quite difficult to acclimate to their new surroundings. They need plenty of exercise to avoid metabolic problems that can be life threatening. They can become ill if exposed to cold, even for short periods of time.

These birds are NOT the ideal finch to try to finger or shoulder train. These birds are happiest when enjoyed from a distance. They should always be bought in pairs. While not extremely difficult birds to keep, Gouldian Finches really should be purchased by experienced bird keepers.

Breeding comes naturally if the birds are kept happy and healthy by providing them with proper nutrition, a clean environment, mental stimulations (toys), social activity and plenty of exercise.

Due to their beauty and incredible color and pattern variations, these birds can be quite expensive. Since these birds are a bit more delicate than other finches, it is imperative that you purchase your birds from a breeder than you can go to with any question regarding the care of your birds and that you have an avian vet you can speak to and have exam your birds regularly.