Ask Lafeber

Zebra Finch

My son has 2 female zebra finch and no males. However he has 2 nests (they were too stressed not having one, only reason we decided to get them) and they still choose to use the one. One zebra finch has fallen out of the nest now on 3 different occasions. Because this is happening at night, he can’t really see why it happens. But I have noticed that she always ends up laying an egg when this happens. My son ends up putting her in a carry cage for the night, so she doesn’t fall again or off a perch. She does look exhausted, but other then that normal. By the next morning she seems to act normal, eating, drinking and flying. I’m not sure why she is doing this. Any suggestions, guesses would be greatly appreciate to help put our minds at ease.

Hi Ally,

You need to take the nests away. The nests are causing them to lay eggs, and if she keeps this up, she will die from laying too many eggs. A nest is only used for breeding, and it should never be left up all year round or given to birds that are not breeding. Make sure they have a high perch to sit on at night, and cover the cage with a light cloth or towel at night if needed. Falling out of a nest is not normal for an adult bird. She may be having trouble laying the eggs because she is already worn out from laying too many eggs.

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda