Ask Lafeber

Finches and Canaries

Hello, Thank you in advance. I am really confused and need help please. I used to have a pair of Canaries. After the female died last year, I couldn’t buy another one till last month this year. However, I also got 2 pairs of finches and a female Canary. I kept all of them in the same cage, large enough but noticed the two pairs of Zebra Finches started to fight so I have separated one pair in a different cage. Soon after they laid eggs and since last 2 days we have 5 babies! Really excited!!
Now, in the other cage, where I still have a pair of Canary and a pair of Zebra Finches, are not getting along. Shall I get another cage ( cage number 3) and keep these two pairs separate?
What shall I do with the babies? Do I need more cages? Once the babies are few more weeks old, shall I keep all the female in one cage and males in one cage to stop the breeding?

Please help..

Hi Chandra,

Mixed bird aviaries can work out, as long as you do not give them nests or nesting material. Adult birds only use nests for breeding – they do not need a nest to sleep in. As soon as a pair decides to breed and picks a nesting area, the fighting begins. If you want to keep the birds together, you have to eliminate all nests and anything else they try to nest in. If they are using a food bowl, replace it with smaller cups. If a pair tries to claim a corner of the cage, put something in the way, such as a hanging toy.

If you do want to breed the other birds, then yes, you can only have one pair of birds per cage. Chicks must always be removed when they are weaned, or the parents will pick on them. And if they don’t pick on them, they will try to breed with them when the chicks are old enough. When the chicks leave the nest, the nest should be removed and the pair rested for about 6 months or they will keep breeding over and over. In the wild, the season changes and the breeding stops, so they only have one clutch of chicks per year. You can allow two clutches per year, as long as they are rested between clutches. As you suspected, if you keep the chicks, they must be separated by gender to prevent inbreeding. It’s really easy to get overwhelmed by chicks, so make sure you remove the nest as soon as they leave it and rest the pair.

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda