Zebra Finches
How to Care Guide: The Basics
Welcome to the wonderful world of avian care. Trust me,
you're probably in the same boat as I was when I started. My boyfriend wants
some birds and instantly went for the large colorful LOUD birds. I watch Animal
Network, so had some understanding that all those beautiful birds were:
Therefore, I quickly pointed out the Zebra Finch cage. They
may not be as colorful as other birds, but they made a very nice
"peeping" song that I knew wasn't gonna drive either us or the
neighbors batty. So, I picked up what I thought was everything my small friend
were gonna need. A cage, millet, seeds, a small nest, a mirror and selected two
birds, a male and a female. Went home, set everything up and released the birds
inside their cage. For weeks, I never knew that I wasn't giving my new birds
the best care possible until I went online and hunted some information up.
Whoa, I was in for a surprise.
First, let me give you a little information about the Zebra
finch. They are one several native Australian birds, very small in size,
between 4 and 6 oz typically. They have been raised captivity for such a long
time, certain types of finches (not Zebra's) are almost extinct in the wild
now. The standard coloration of the Zebra Finch is affected by whether or not
it's female or male. Both sexes have bright orange/red beaks, white and black
striped tails and a darker brown/tan back with a lighter tan/white belly. Males
have bright orange cheeks, a brown area with white spots on both sides of their
bodies, and a black stripe across their chests. Females lack the orange cheeks,
the brown area and the black stripe. They tend to be slightly smaller and
duller in color (backs & bellies). Now just to let you know, Zebra's do
come in a multitude of different color combinations, as well as solid white.
Just because your Zebra may be missing one or more of the standard color
marking, doesn't mean it's not a Zebra. This fact also makes sexing Zebra's a
little hard, because sometimes that "female" is in drag and he's
eyeing your other girls.
Now that we have appearance out of the way, the next big
difference between the sexes of Zebra's are their song. Males will
"sing"; they do this to mainly attract females, but to also announce
themselves. It can be complex or simple, loud and soft. But, you will notice a
difference between Male's "peeps" and other Zebra's "peeps".
Females tend to only peep or chirp, but you may get a very boisterous girl who
will attempt to do her best at singing. Another word of note is that Zebra's
are social birds. One will start peeping and soon the others will join in. Or,
if you start peeping or chirping, they will learn to answer you back.
One important fact to remember is they are social animals,
but social only among their own kind. Zebra's are not like canaries or
parakeets, they will not like to be handled in the least and will do everything
in their power to escape your attempt at catching them. Remember that they are
captive-bred wild birds, very rarely will you find a tame Zebra. Make sure when
you open their cage that all possible escape routes are sealed or at least your
apt/house is. Otherwise, your small feathery friend may escape back to the
wild. Remember: They are tiny birds and you are a HUGE creature they think is
gonna eat them.
Now, before you go out and buy a pair of birds, take this
into consideration: Zebras will reproduce. Lots! If you plan on getting at
least 2 birds (and you'll have to, in order for them to feel safe and act
normally - remember, they are SOCIAL animals), you have to take the before
mentioned fact into serious consideration. Zebra's are the rabbits of the avian
world, they will and do reproduce as much as they can.
I didn't know this information and purchased a male and a
female, was that a HUGE mistake. My birds did mate, finally raised a chick, but
through my stupidity (and the misinformation of a sales clerk of a bedding
purchase), the chick was injured and ended up dying several months later. If
you would like 2 birds, seriously consider either 2 females or 2 males. If you
get both young and at the same time, they shouldn't fight too much amongst each
other.
The more Zebra's you get together, the more 'natural' they
will act, but now you'll need more space to house the little peeps. Since they
are such small birds, one would think they could live in a relatively small
cage. Wrong! Zebra's aren't like other birds that 'play' with toys, mirrors, or
the such. Remember, they still think they are wild - playing can get you killed
in the wild. They need space to fly, space to try to make nests, space to preen
and wash, etc. This is how they keep themselves entertained and excersize
throughout the day. The good minimum sized cage should be 12hx24wx19d. This
should give 2-3 birds enough space to fly around some, make nests, and
generally behave themselves. Also, make sure the bars on the cage are placed
closed enough together so your feathery friends can't squeeze through and
escape. Trust me, these little birds can be one heck of a time to catch.
Now that you have an idea on the cage size you'll need, now
you have to turn yourselves to what you'll need to put in that cage. Since I've
already told you that Zebra's don't 'play' with standard bird toys, save your
money. However, they do need some nice quality perches. I prefer the natural
looking wood type to simple dowels, but if that is what you can afford/get, then
they most definitely will work. Just make sure the diameter is small, Zebra's
have very small feet and if the branch is too large, they won't be able to grip
well and could hurt themselves. In addition, stay away from the 'sandpaper'
perches, they will injure Zebra's feet.
Now the only 'toy' a Zebra will enjoy is a swing perch. If
your cage has room for one, they will enjoy it placed in the center, up high,
so they feel safe and can watch everything. Since these birds are jumpy and
have 'issues' with large things (namely us, cats, kids, etc.), some type of
shelter will be helpful. It can be fake silk plants tied to the cage, live
plants either inside or outside the cage, or even a small pre-made nest. They
make some nice finch nests (and make sure to get the finch and not parakeet or
canary nests, they are too shallow, the birds or eggs could fall out) that
attach to the bars and make them very happy little birds. Trust me, they will
make nests or you can buy them one, either way, they shall have a nest. Now,
just to let you know, if there is a nest in that cage, you can expect to find
eggs in it unless you have males only. Even females, minus any male, will still
lay eggs, it's programmed into her. We'll go into this more later.
Ok, cage, perches, nest/shelter. What's next? Well, since
these birds are so small, they have very high metabolisms and have to have
access to food and water, 24/7. Your birdcage should have come with at least 1
or 2 cups that slide out through small doors. One cup can be for water, the
other can be food. I say can be, I keep two cups of water and two cups of food
for my two birds. I have two cups of water because these birds like to take
baths daily and if left with only 1 cup, they will use their drinking water.
Icky! Mine still do that, although I have gave them a separate birdbath bowl,
so expect some nasty water cups. You can buy additional bowls or even water
tubes, but no matter how many you have you will have to change the water every
day and keep an eye on the seed level. I've come home on days to find they have
eaten all the seed in less than 8hrs.
Now, normally I would leave the selection of location of
your cage to a later time, but I will give you a few good tips now. One, don't
place/hang you cage anywhere other animals or small children can reach it. As
mentioned before, these are nervous birds. They will get easily stressed and
sicken if they are constantly exposed to 'threats'. Two, since they are social
animals, they should be placed in a location where they can daily see you. They
will get more used to your presence and you can get them to 'interact' with you
more if they figure out you are part of the norm. Three, you might want a
location that will be easy to clean. They may not be big birds, but they are
messy birds! They will get straw, seeds, water, and feathers everywhere. I have
my cage located about 6" from my ceiling in my kitchen. They are out of
reach of the cat, up high so they can see me coming and going, and the floor is
easily swept daily.
Now I will deviate from the original subject of materials
for the cage to the feed for the birds. Zebras should be fed a high quality
"finch" diet, not parakeet or canary diet. Each bird has their own
nutritional needs specific to his or her breed. In addition to the staple seed,
they should be fed greens daily, with a treat of fruits, eggs, cuttlebone or
ground oyster shell, and millet sprays. Greens don't have to be anything fancy,
just pain old kale or mustard greens will work (don't use lettuce -
nutritionally it's worthless). Fruit can be whatever you can get them to munch
on, just chop it up small and remove it in a few hours (to prevent it from
going bad). Eggs, either whole or chopped, are great for protein, expecisaly
for females, who loose a lot during the egg laying process. Only leave them in
the cage for an hour or so, you don't want it to go bad and make them sick.
Cuttlebone and oyster shell is a source of calcium for them, as well as those
egg shells from the eggs you fed earlier. Female birds need a constant source
of calcium because they will lay eggs. I try to leave a large cuttlebone for
mine, sometimes sprinkling a little oyster shell over their seeds. Millet spray
is worthless as food, but it gives them something to fill their time with and
be social over, I try to treat them to one every few days. The only other
important thing to consider getting for their food is a liquid vitamin
supplement. It's added to their water to supply them with any vitamins that we
failed to provide in their food. In the long run, it will make them a
healthier, happier bird. Now, this is by no means the only things you can feed
your Zebra's, but this is a basic list to help keep them healthy.
Alright, you now know the most of the basics. A few more
items to round out your list and you should be good to start with. Since most
cages have a wire floor, you need something to put down there so they don't get
their legs caught. Newspaper will do, but the ink on the paper itself may give
some birds problems. If you can get non-printed newsprint, that would be
better. Don't use paper towels unless you are planning on changing them
everyday. They will get nasty fast (droppings, water, seeds, and who knows
what) and will end up costing a good bit in the long run. The best thing to try
is timothy grass. It's cheap, smells nice, and gives them something to play
with and line the nest. You can also use some of the new recycled products, but
stay away from cedar chips or pine. They just aren't the best materials, some
can have nasty additives that could harm your birds. Whatever material you
choose, should be changed on a weekly basis or if you have many birds, as soon
as you notice any smell. I put about 2 inches into the bottom of my cage, but
you may have to alter the amount. If you are worried about it all falling
through the spaces in the wire, place a single layer of newspaper then the
bedding.
Now, since you have given them the bedding, you're gonna
notice how messy they can be. Even with just seeds and millet sprays, they'll
make short work of a clean cage. They do make cage bonnets (fish net like
things) to drape over the outside of the cages. They'll help cut down on the
amount of stuff piling up under their cage. Do keep in mind, that they will
often throw things too, so unless the whole cage is covered, expect some stuff
on the floor. This is what they do, thus why I told you to plan on where the
cage will sit to ease the clean-up.
So now, you have most of the materials needed to keep your
small-feathered friends happy. There is tons more of things you could get, but
this is the starting minimum to make them atleast feel at home.
Other Topics
Now a couple of other topics to cover. Like, eggs. Zebra
Finch eggs are small, less that 1", bluish eggs. If you have a female (or
several), you will have eggs. If you have no male, then they will be
unfertilized eggs. If you do, take caution. It took my first set of Zebra's 3
tries before they got it right, but they finally did. Then you got babies to
deal with. With first time bird owners, I highly recommend YOU DO NOT TRY TO
BREED the birds. If you have a matched set, remove the eggs as soon as you see
them. It can be costly, to both you and your parent birds.
If you have two females and find eggs, it's simple enough to
remove them and it's taken care of. But, next time you look in that cage, I bet
you'll find more of them. Females will lay eggs no matter what you do. You can
try to trick her into not laying more, but it will only work for a time and
then she'll be back at it. They sell fake eggs, you replace her's with them and
it gives her something to do while quelling the motherly drive.
Now you ask, what if somehow they snuck an egg past you and
it hatched. You got a couple of options, so it's not the end of the world.
First, go out and buy a "Nesting" food for the parents. They have to
have something to feed the baby and their standard food isn't enough to make a
healthy baby. Make sure they get fresh water everyday and either a cuttlebone,
oyster shell or eggs. It will help make sure everybody has enough calcium for
good strong bones.
Next, leave them alone. For like 2 weeks. They can raise
their baby much better than you can. Don't worry about the cage, it will stay.
Just change the water, replace the food, and let nature take it's course. Now,
this is assuming that you just have 2 birds in the cage. If not, you are gonna
have to either remove the parents and chick, or the non-parent birds. I
recommend the NON-PARENT birds. The less you have to deal with the chick until
it fledges, the better for it.
Now after the 1st two weeks, you should be able
to hear and possibly see the baby. I believe fledging starts for zebra's in
about 28 days. It's not gonna be a cute fluffy chick, it's gonna look weird.
It's all good. Just keep an eye on things and leave them alone. Only if
something doesn't look right should you interfere.
Now, in about 28+ days you may start to notice that the baby
is starting to try to leave the nest. Good, your parents are doing their job
and nature is working. At first the baby will look different than the parents.
It's beak will be black and it may just look female. It take alittle while
longer for the adult foliage to come in (that's what fledging is - the baby
feathers fall out and the adult feathers grow in) so you may have to wait to do
the final step until you can tell if it's female or male.
By 2 months old, you should be able to tell if the chick is
a male or female. Now comes the hard part. If it's female, unless you have a
second cage to place her in with other Zebra's, I don't recommend keeping her
with her parents. Her father is a male and unfortunately will attempt to mate
with her. This is a BIG no-no. You'll have to find her a new home. Same goes if
the chick is male, he'll fight with his father for the right to mate with his
mother. Another NO-NO.
If you can't find a friend for the chick, you can also check
around the local pet stores and see if any are willing to take the chick. Most
will, some even pay for good healthy chicks. Now, take steps to make sure this
doesn't happen again if you aren't planning on starting a second cage or a
breeding program. I found a new home for my male and got a new female. Takes
care of the baby issue completely.
Now another issue you may deal with is feather plucking. I
have found A LOT of birds to this. Some are bored, plain and simple. Those are
the ones that more "stuff" to do will help. Change the bedding, give
them a swing, two nests, several millet sprays, talk to them. Something to keep
their minds occupied. Placing an animal in a cage instead of the wild is a
rough change to them. Animals get bored just like humans.
A second type of feather plucker is the one trying to get
nesting materials. My two females will pluck each other at times. They like
soft materials to line the nest with and feathers are great. The best thing to
do for this type is supply with them with nest material. Molted feathers (the
ones they shed - collect them and offer them back once and awhile) work good,
but since they are small birds, that's not a lot of feathers. You can use
shredded paper towels or newsprint. They sell commercial "nesting
material" that looks like the fiber floss in fish tanks. STAY AWAY FROM
IT! This is what caused my chick to die. Her leg got wrapped in the stuff and
her foot died. If you are using the non-grass bedding material, give them a
small pile of grass to use. This normally causes the feather plucking to stop.
By some chance that doesn't, one has to consider other
issues that could be wrong with the birds. Bugs or skin issues could be the
cause, if the feathers are in places the bird can remove it's self. Sometimes
you will get bugs that needs to be taken care of fast, they can kill such small
birds. They sell several OTC meds that can help, but I recommend trying to take
the bird to the Vet or atleast a store that allows animals inside. This way,
you can show them what's going on with the bird.
If you notice feathers missing from the back or head of one
bird, consider another bird doing the plucking. Sometimes two birds just don't
like each other and will pick on each other. Try the "stuff to do"
trick. If they continue, you might have to consider re-housing one of them.
Mine live great with each other, but will still pluck
feathers, even if given good nest material. They just like feathers better. So,
so get them to stop, I catch the "bald" bird and smear
triple-antibiotic ointment on the bald spot. It makes the other bird stop
plucking and in case of any skin issues, it helps with healing. Try this trick
before re-housing a plucking bird.