Tag Archives: finches

Why is the Goldfinch the only finch that can eat upside down?

Posted on January 31, 2012 by admin| 1 Comment

I live in So. Calif and have recently become interested in bird feeding. I have feeders for thistle that finches like and have heard that the Goldfinch (vs the common Housefinch) can eat upside down. There are feeders that accomodate this trait just for the Goldfinch without attracting the Housefinch. Does the Goldfinch range include So. Calif and will this special feeder induce them to feed? Finally, what is it about the Goldfinch that enables it to eat upside down while the other finches cannot?

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Birds……………….?

Posted on January 30, 2012 by admin| 3 Comments

Okay; I have two Zebra finches (Male; Romeo Female; Juliette)
They are first time parents and they mate all the time.
Juliette was recently showing signs of illness so I moved their cage to a warmer place and she recovered.
She is always in the nest box I provided them and from what I’ve read; the male is supposed to line this box with nesting material.
I’ve provided them with shredded up papertowels (strips) and he isn’t lining the nest I gave them. Instead he is lining the entire cage.
Their nest is homemade (it’s an old salt box and I’ve cleaned all the salt out and cut a hole in the top and used a popsicle stick as a perch)
Now; the only reason I did this is because I asked the breeder I got them from and she said that that’s what they nested in.
What should I do?
Should I get a new nest that he will line?
What nest has worked best for all of you breeders out there?

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I have some questions on hand feeding baby birds.?

Posted on January 14, 2012 by admin| 3 Comments

First off, my birds are Zebra Finches. I know it’s not very common for someone to hand feed Zebra Finches, but I brought home my pair about a week ago, and my little brother was absolutely thrilled and he wanted to know if he could hold them. So I figure why not? The female laid her first egg either last night or this morning, so I figure, now is the time to figure out if hand feeding is a bad idea or not. First off, I won’t be horribly disappointed if my attempts to make them trust humans is all for nothing. But my main question is this: If I hand feed them, does that mean it has to be ALL me, or do the parents still pitch in? I work full time at a pet store and go to school, so I can’t take on the full job of raising them. Second question, how old should they be when I start hand feeding them? ..You know, I have a lot of questions. Maybe if someone could just tell me what to do, how to do it, how often, etc, that would be great. Thanks.

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My cat brought inside 2 baby birds, what should I do?

Posted on January 11, 2012 by admin| Leave a comment

My cat brought in 2 baby birds, one at a time. I think they may be baby finches. They are both covered in feathers but are unable to fly. The first one seems to have a broken wing. Probably from my cat. The other has lost a bit of blood but I am unsure of whether it is serious or not. I have them both in my chicken brooding box with the light on. Here is a picture of each of them:

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b291/Poliwag/CameraPictures031.jpg

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b291/Poliwag/CameraPictures032.jpg

The first one moved over to the corner of the box after I put its sibling in. I followed my cat to where she found them but I couldn’t find the nest. It’s night here at the moment so I don’t think I will be able to find it right now.

What should I do? What do you feed baby birds?
It’s too late at night to be able to call anyone or buy anything from the shops.
My cat is not a hunter. This is the first time she has ever caught a bird. She has only ever caught mice. At the moment it is too late to do anything. I live in Australia in a small town area, I am not sure if I will be able to get any help here =/

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Posted in Bird Nest Boxes

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im looking into breeding birds?

Posted on January 11, 2012 by admin| Leave a comment

1 witch will sell better Canaries or finches
2 how big does the entry of the nest box have to be
3 can i use a bird house and do i even need a nest box
4 is 7/8 of an inch good for the entry of the nest box or the bird house
5 any thing else i need to know

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What to feed young-ish zebra finches?

Posted on January 8, 2012 by admin| 4 Comments

I took two little baby zebra finches (no adult colouring at all) out of my aviary and put them in an indoor cage. The nest had been abandoned and there was a dead baby bird in there too. The two birds I took out had just fledged and no other birds seemed to be paying them much attention. The nesting box was wrecked so I have since pulled it out. I have provided the two young birds with finch seed and water but I have noticed that there are no cracked seeds or husks. I presume this is because they aren’t eating. I’ve tried to feed them some warm porridge and milk through a dropper and this worked a little bit, but it was late and they seemed tired. Any advice on a homemade feeding recipe and feeding techniques would be appreciated. Thanx

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can u get hives from chickens,cats,dogs or pet birds?

Posted on January 8, 2012 by admin| 5 Comments

okay i’ve had hives for almost a month.the last two weeks haven’t been bad because i only get a couple of hives a day.everyday i go outside to feed and water and play with my pet chickens.i also have 4 barn cats that i visit everyday.i also go outside and play with my outdoor dog.and inside the house i have two zebra finches and two cockatiels in the living room.could i possibly be allergic to 1 of my pets.
by the way whoever answer my question will get 10 points.

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