Ask Lafeber

Zebra Finches (babies)

I have 5 zebra finch babies. They are approximately 5 weeks old. Some of these babies are eating on their own (or attempting to), but I am concerned as to when to remove the nest? Should I keep the nest till they’re older? I am worried about the parents mating again, and I am desperately trying to prevent it. Second question is when the babies mature sexually, when I am able to tell what sex they are, should I separate the males from the females? I am wanting to know if they should be allowed to mate or not?

Hi Zuleima,

Great questions! The nest should have already been removed. Next time, as soon as the chicks have left the nest on their own, you can take it out. This discourages the parents from nesting again right away, and encourages the chicks to learn to fly and start eating on their own. So go ahead and take the nest out so that the parents will wean them. As soon as the chicks have been weaned, you need to move them to another cage. Do not put the nest back for the parents yet – it’s best to rest them for about 6 months. The chicks will get their adult markings in a few months and you need to separate them by male and female. You should never allow related birds to breed. This can result in dead chicks, weak chicks, deformities and other issues. The chicks will not be sexually mature just because they have their adult markings but they should still be separated by sex. Do not give any of them nests. A nest is only for a breeding pair, and only when they are raising chicks. A nest is not a bed – they do not need anything for a bed. So the best thing to do is find homes for the chicks, ideally only same sex birds to each home. If someone wants a male and female, you must explain they can’t share a cage and they should never be allowed to breed.

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda