Ask Lafeber

aviary bird suggestions!

Heyya! I’m building my birds and aviary, I think 3mx2mx1.5m around. Not 100% sure tho cuz we’ve just started panneling. (We could make it bigger but idk about smaller)

I’m curious, what birds shall I get aswell? Atm I have 2 diamond doves and 2 king quails. What other birds could I get? My father really wants finches as theyre cute and fun. Were thinking zebra.

I want to be a bit discriminatory towards birds and say Australian birds only 😂😂 (I’m Australian and would like a small native bird aviary)

I also want borukes but I don’t think I should get them due to it being made out of galvanised mesh. (Idk if it’s “hardware mesh” big it’s super thick. My father said he didn’t ek what hardware mesh is btw so it probably is hardware mesh. He got the thick type) I’d love to be proved wrong tho so I can get Bourke’s 😂😂 they’re gorgeous parrots. Probably not tho due to those factors.

So these are the birds I’m thinking of buying once the aviary is done

-zebra finch pair Pros: exciting, cute, easy to find from breeders, Cons: Bossy, plucks other birds feathers if not given materials to build near

-goldian finch pair (colourful, pretty,) Pros: pretty, peaceful, easy to get from breeders Cons: idk much about them so I gotta do more research but from what I’ve seen none?

Unsure of these but deffo would get if able/ethical

-Peaceful dove pair Pros: adorable, native too my area (I’ve seen them in the wild!!) peaceful Cons: Don’t know much about them and they don’t seem commonly kept as pets. (More research! 😭)

-Crested pigeons pair Pros: super sentimental to me, theyre in my area, bunch in my backyard, my late sister used to say they were her friend birds, cuz the zoo had one. They’re super sweet and peaceful aswell. Native, cute. Cons: size difference between them and diamond doves is scary, again not commonly kept as pets here.

-Bourkes Pros: super pretty, apparently peaceful, native Cons: galvanised wire would be dangerous too hookbills, they’re a parrot so it’s still dangeorus to cohab them with wax bills,

-spotted doves Pros: they’re free from my backyard cuz they’re non native, cute, gentle, Cons: same size as crested doves, not native to Australia.

My deal breakers -Australian -Cute -Small -Friendly enough to coexist with other birds

Exciting -sentimental

If anyone’s a crazy bird lady/gentleman plz let me know your opinions on this list!

Also out of my list which is the best bird too get? (I’m only allowed 6 more birds before it becomes illegal in my city)

Hi,

You need to stick with non-parrot species since you aren’t sure about the wire. You also need to get birds that can be caged with whatever size & type wire you have. With the birds you already have, you can add finches like Zebra and Society – Gouldian and other finches can be too aggressive. The larger doves and pigeons would bully all of the other birds. Diamonds are fine with finches. Have plenty of food and water stations and never give them anything to use as a nest. If you let them nest, they will end up fighting and you will lose birds. No breeding – give them toys and swings for enrichment – and they should get along just fine. Always have an even number of birds.

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda