Haha it's a lot more simple once you get past the basics & establish a good routine. As we know, you keep water - not fish. There's way less science involved in keeping birds
I have wierd looking ones that are brown and white ones,some as big as my pinkie,gold,red zebra and green ones i live in southern Saskatchewan in canada...can u help me figure out what they are? How to make them happy in my yard?
Dave I’m Australian and I really enjoy finches have done since a kid they fascinate me I have to say a big thank you mate for such an informative article on these amazing birds.
I have a room in my home that is a "bird room". I have 3 budgies and they have a cage but during the day they fly free in the room. Can I put 2 finches in a cage 25 inches long by 16 inches wide and 53 inches high as long as the finches can fly free during the day with the budgies?? Or should I keep the budgies in their cage part of the day ? And the finches in their cage part of the day as well ? Have them take turns being out?
I don't have any personal experience with House Finches, or keeping wild finches with domesticated finches - but I do know that they can be aggressive, so my advice would be not to house the 2 together
Not sure. If your birds are on a correct & balanced diet, your birds shouldn't need targeted nutrition like those you mentioned. I'd be more inclined to use more suitable sources of protein (boiled egg, egg food, protein rich veg etc)
I've never owned a Canary but I know they can be territorial & may even be aggressive towards smaller Finches. There are so many types of finches you can own as pets, so care & info for each can be extremely varied in most areas. Diet, housing, breeding etc. The main difference I would say between the two is that Canaries can live on their own, whereas finches are more flock orientated & prefer company
I found a tiny Gouldian finch which fell onto a car roof and bounced onto the pavement. I thought it was dead when I looked. I scooped it up and allowed it to rest. It woke up and I let it fly off. Did I do the right thing? im based in east London
hi, im curious about how big the bar spacing for these birds can go. ive seen some pretty big cages with a reasonable price, but the bar spacing seems to be wayy too big
Hey. Quarter inch to half inch is the recommended size. I lost a bird a few years back when I put an incompatible waterer in which widened the bar. It was summer & my bird room windows & doors were open so when I came back it was gone. Absolutely stupid mistake but you live & learn I suppose. It was literally 2 days into quarantine, and I've regretted that decision ever since
This was a fantastic video Ive just purchased 2 starfinch Wee beauty’s Ive a cockatiel for years He free flies so i didnt want to stress her and these seem perfect Watching ive removed some toys as you advised Really gonna work on them getting used to my hand but waiting a week or two although they seem to be settling well and making lots of noise Very very helpful advice he Will listen few times to get everything right Thanks again
What a great job you did, I only need to make a indoor one in my internal kitchen/conservatory so can miss out a few of the steps. It gave me great insight on what to do though, thanks.
Greatest video I’ve seen Dave on yesterday so nice and slow so everything can be seen well done you I did go myself selling and collecting for this breeding season keep it up and good luck this year mate
Haha yea, I agree. Best of the worst bunch though to be fair 🤷 And at only a minute or so long, had to loop it. Thanks for watching though. Much appreciated 🙂
Great to talk to you in the queue this morning even though it was freezing, did see you got a few birds on the way round I got a few gouldian’s myself, look forward to your updates 👍🏻.
Two pairs took my time made sure they looked in good shape, long drive back but settled down nicely, sad about the finch that died in front of you though not nice.
@@user-fd5nl3qs8s fantastic! Saw a few nice cock birds in there & was tempted but resisted. Got what I'm hoping is a nice pair of Blue Faced Parrotfinches - fingers crossed. And yep, that poor bird. Not good at all 👎
That’s good did look at some myself but don’t know enough about them so need to look them up, be good if you could do a video on them, not much of a reader prefer watching and learning from people like yourself 👍🏻
Hello, great video! Very informative. What is your recommendation when adopting a pair of owl finches in a smaller cage, and then moving them to a bigger cage when i get them home? Should i allow them to adjust to my house first before switching them to the larger cage?
Thank you for watching! 🙂 The move to a new home/surroundings is stressful to our Finches, & catching them to add them to a new enclosure is stressful too. It would be unnecessary to allow them to settle in their current cage, only to have to stress them out to move them again. I'm assuming you're looking to add them to an already empty cage, so I'd move them straight away - providing the new cage is completely decontaminated & cleaned. If you're thinking about moving them into a cage with other birds just yet - that's a different ball game. Please let me know 🙂
I have two finches for two years and adore both of them and their personalities. Mine like to have a scrabbled egg in the morning and enjoy a fresh cucumber. They like to be by the window and to take frequent showers. The female have a much healthier appetite and always run first for the fresh food were the male head first for the new water to take a bath. My question is what should I do the have them make babies? It seems that they are trying but nothing happens and the eggs dont hatch. Any suggestions?
Hey 😊 What Finches are they? Do you have a nest? What age are they? My first piece of advice would be to thoroughly research breeding finches. Read lots of literature. Watch lots of videos. Speak to breeders. Join forums. RESEARCH, REASEARCH, RESEARCH!!! Breeding isn't as easy as some would make out. Your finches should be conditioned first. If they aren't on the correct diet (calcium, protein, vitamins etc) then you could come across issues.
They are zebra finches. I have them on a huge flight cage. After watching your video, i introduce them to broccoli and carrots along with your other recommendations. I am planning to put some vitamins on their water and give them some proper nesting materials to use for their nest. I'll follow your advice to continue the research. One last question, if possible, can you show us what is the proper way to catch and handle a finch (to inspect if they are healthy or how to transfer them to a vet). Thank you advance for all your guidance. @FinchManDave @@FinchManDave
@@dionysiosk I can't 'show' you per se - but I can tell you the easiest way I do it. I use a net with a handle. Like a butterfly/fishing net. The reason for this is because I have a large 10ft flight, & a 6ft flight. In cages I use my hands as it's smaller & easier. When I net catch, once they're in I turn the net slightly so they can't escape - plus it makes them lay still & not struggle. Then I get them out by hand. Keep catching to an absolute minimum as it's stressful for them. I only do it to trim nails, check them over, or to transfer them for whatever reason. Others say they're easily caught when wet. Others catch at night when they're sleepy or it's dark. I personally avoid the latter method as you risk missing them & spooking them into a flight frenzy which can end really badly. And you're very welcome 🙂 I'm here to answer any questions you have, providing I know the answers 👍
Oh I’ve been searching and searching and I cannot find any help with having an injured finch birdie. I decided that I’ll keep him once his parents finish feeding him. BUT I bought a small cage, I quite frankly don’t have room for it and I figured since he cannot and will not fly, he will not need the space…? My plan is to hang him outside during the day so he can at least vocally interact with his kind…is that cruel? Will he be depressed? I just cannot leave him to die outside alone. But I also don’t want to make his life harder by keeping him hanging outside or stuck inside. In the house he’s pretty calm and loves me holding him and carrying him on my shoulder. Since day one, he’s been very tame and seems to enjoy my touch. What would you recommend knowing what you know about these guys? I have African silver bill
Im assuming he is wild? If so, removing him whilst he's still being fed by his parents is not advised. He needs to stay where he is until they're done raising him. How do you know he's injured? He may not be able to completely fly yet. Some can learn faster than others. Let's say he IS unable to fly, & that his parents have done raising him to juvenile stage - keeping him on his own can be cruel. Finches need company. I know that your heart is in the right place but this is a tough situation. If he's unable to fly, then he'll eventually be abandoned & doesn't stand much of a chance. If you keep him caged on his own, that's also bad for him as loneliness can cause health & wellbeing issues that could shorten his life. I would suggest contacting a bird rescue, or an avian vet. They may be better placed to give some kind of diagnosis. If you DO end up keeping him - he'll need another bird for company. And you will have that added responsibility of giving them both the day to day care they need. Please let me know the outcome & good luck with this.
@@FinchManDavethey left the nest already but this little guy was on the ground. His wing is almost all missing. They were attacked by myna birds while in the nest. I have a camera pointing to the nest I built for them under our roof. So I picked him up and found a lady that works in a wild bird center here. She said he won’t fly again. They will not keep him because he’s not native. I keep him close to his nest in a box to be fed by his parents who keep flying back. (Cannot return him to the nest because he keeps jumping out and falling to the ground) I figured keeping him after they stop feeding him gives him some life, better than being eaten by a cat on the ground.
@@petranawahine3661 oh of course, keeping him after gives him a better chance of survival. He can't be on his own though as finches are naturally flock animals that need interaction with others of their kind. I would keep him outside to hear others as alarm & distress calls will have a negative affect on him. Plus in a cage outside, he could be attacked by predators or other birds. He is primarily a seed eater so you'll need to give him the correct food (millets, grass seeds etc). Looks like you have a new pet now 🙂
@@FinchManDavedid you mean to keep him outside or not? It’s been a wild ride since I found him. Another thing is that he doesn’t know how and what to eat yet…I thought some finch food, millet etc and he has no clue that he can eat it. Even his parents don’t notice it in the box. I was told that I’ll have to teach him. I’m trying the first feed in the morning before I put him outside. I mash up some finch food and syringe feed once I open his beak, which is a challenge. One dose is good enough for now, but will have to figure out how when he stops getting fed. This is hard! 😂 I really don’t want him to suffer more than he has to 😢
@@petranawahine3661 it honestly sounds to me like you're already do a fantastic job, & I commend you for that. You really seem like you have it all under control. But yes, I meant NOT to cage him outside. Not unless you are with him the entire time to watch over him
This is THEEEEE best finch video I have ever seen Dave!! Thank u so so much, u can really tell how passionate you are for the care and health of your birds!! 🖤🖤
If the cage can't be divided in the center, it's too small to be having birds in. So you'd use a divide. I have a large central divide in my main flight cage, which they can't see through. Personally, my birds don't mind me being in their flight. They're used to it.
Hey Dave, last week one of my finches became ill. She was puffed up and couldn't fly any longer. By grace of the finch gods, I stumbled on your video and followed all of your advice. I must admit, I put her to sleep last Friday night and figured she wouldn't last the night. I said a few prayers to St. Francis and said my goodbyes. The next morning I took the blankets off the cage waiting to discover her body and lo and behold, she was hopping around and chirping like her happy self. I can't thank you enough for the advice. Finch on!
That's absolutely made my day!! Soooo glad she's ok 🙏🙏🙏 Which part of my video helped you out may I ask? And what do you think caused her to become ill in the first place?
I assume it was because she was too cold. the temperature here has been -2 and no matter how much we run the heater the house doesn't seem to stay warm for long. So I moved the cage into our warmest room and set the cage up on a shelf so that it was higher up. The cage was not very clean at all and so I did a deep clean on everything given your advice. I also ran up to the store and bought a humidifier for $13 and placed it in the cage with warm water. I placed her in her house figuring if she is going to die she can at least be comfortable. I also moved the house toward the bottom of the cage in case she attempted to fly again. I didn't want her to try and fly and fall from a high distance which would stress her out all the more. I placed her water down low as well so she could have easy access. Lastly I moved a lot of the riff raff out of the center of the cage so that if she returned to health, she could move more freely in a horizontal fashion. Lastly, I set a space heater on the side of the cage which produced even more heat. @@FinchManDave
