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Question:

May 19, 2020

Zebra Finch pair acting differently and not laying


Hello,

I’ve gotten four clutches over the past few months from my Zebra Finches, but it has been about 4 weeks since I’ve gotten another. What’s more, they’re acting very different. One of them is in the nesting box at all times – they no longer come out and sit on the perches together, or eat together, or groom one another, as there is always at least one in the box. It’s as if they’re acting like there are eggs in there, but there isn’t.

The female can be in there – the male heads in, the female leaves; after a while, the female heads in and the male leaves. At times when they are both out, the male might try to get her to mate – fluttering his tail, doing his call – but the female is not receptive and will just fly away. Even moreso, the male has been sleeping a lot more outside the nesting box at night, wheras he used to always sleep in there with her.

They have exhibited pair behavior – grooming each other, contact sitting, nest building, eating together. But I just haven’t seen any of that now that they’re acting this way. I don’t know what to do.

Do you have any advice?


Answer:

Hi Charles,

Your pair has been overbred. Four clutches back to back is three clutches too many. In the wild, most pairs only have one clutch per year, sometimes two if they start early in the season. In captivity, we have to make our breeders rest because we keep the environment too stable all year. After each clutch, the nest should be taken away and the pair should be rested for a few months. Some finch pairs can handle two clutches in a row but not four. Really two clutches per year is enough. Your birds are exhausted and probably in fragile health. Remove the nest and do not give it back for at least 6 months. Do not give them any nesting material, either. If you give them an egg food, you can stop offering that for now. You should also cut back on any fresh foods they eat to about once or twice a week. Limit their light exposure to 8-10 hours by covering their cage early in the evening. If possible, move their cage to another spot in the room or to a busier place in the house. Generally they need privacy, but you don’t want them to breed right now so a lot of activity around them can also discourage nesting. Separate the pair if necessary as a last resort.

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda

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