Any Finch keepers out there?

[SilverSage]

My budgies have a new giant corner cage, leaving their cage empty. This is not usually an issue for me, I have plenty of spare cages, but I just can't shake the desire for finches. I love finches. I love to look at them, listen to them, etc. I would like to get a few. Honestly I would like to get maybe 4 birds total? Zebras and Societies are what's available here, but I am getting mixed info on the web; can they be housed together? I always see them together in nursing homes and things, but you also see lovebirds and budgies together in that kind of place as well. Online people say both yes and no, they say keep an even number and keep in threes...no consistency! Lol, anybody have a word or two? I have two cages in mind, one is 12x12x36ish (its a tall one, given to me by someone recently) and one that is 18x18x24ish. I haven't actually measured either. I'm thinking of setting them up in my office, away from the other birds and in a quieter part of the house. I'm not sure if either cage is big enough for even two, even though people are suggesting even smaller cages online. Anybody with experience? Am I kidding myself about cage size, even though they can fly back and forth across them? Can these two species be kept together? Should I just pick a species? Which is LESS likely to breed, I don't want baby finches

 

[41Gryphon]

People in the "olden" days kept European Goldfinches (the species that I keep) in tight, cramped, cages that weren't much larger than the bird itself. This was done as a way to make the bird sing.

Finches are birds that really need to fly. They love bouncing back and forth between perches and flitting about. I definitely wouldn't put a bird in the taller cage, and perhaps one in the other cage. You'll need a larger cage if you want to keep finches, as they don't like being alone.

I don't know much about zebras and societies, sorry!

 

[Sunset_Chaser]

Society's are really easy to breed (going on my twin's stint with them) we picked out 2 at random at a pet store and within a month or 2 they were starting to nest and hatch out babies (they are EXCELLENT parents) She fostered her canaries and gouldians under them too so that's a bonus. (I know you don't want to breed them though Good luck on your venture!!

 

[thekarens]

You can't keep societies and zebras together. Zebras are way too aggressive.

We have:
Goldbreasted
Fire finches
Cordon bleu
Lavenders
And another African that I can't name at the moment

Then we have Australian
Owls
Gouldians
Parrot finches

And societies, regular and American self. Societies can be kept in smaller cages than the other finches because they don't do much flying. Mostly they like to snuggle and be adorable.

 

[SilverSage]

Thank you Karen! I kept reading both ways, and I'm not familiar with the finch community or finch keeping enough to sort the nonsense from the good sense, so I figured I would ask people that I know care about birds and have their eyes open to aggression, etc. they are kept together in the store, but I have learned that means nothing.

 

[thekarens]

You might get away with it short term, but in the long run I think you'd be sorry. The zebras are so cute and fun, but we prefer the societies. They are adorable the way they snuggle and raise their families together. You can keep owls with societies, no problem.

 

[SilverSage]

Pooh Owls could be fun! But illegal in Hawaii I appreciate it, I won't be mixing them but I kept reading that you could, and seeing them mixed, but you see the same thing with hookbills... I appreciate the insight!

 

[RavensGryf]

Finches are the birds that started it ALL for me . I've had many species including some that Karen has. Never Societies or Zebras though.

When I started out, no internet and online groups, so I learned the hard and unfortunate way that some species will kill other species violently right before your eyes in too small of a cage . Your budgies sound lucky with their new cage! Some species were too spastic and wild (wild caught) for an indoor cage, that I had to turn around and sell them since I didn't have an aviary. Even for the more "domestic" species like Societies and Zebras, I'd recommend as large a flight cage as you can get (horizontal width to fly).

One day I'd love a small aviary with finches and various grass parakeets!

 

[veimar]

It's kinda sad to see the ads like this on CL "Selling the cage with two finches: cage is $30 and the birds are free." Or just "free finches"... It's usually society or zebras. I'll probably have to get one or two at some point. I was offered one in winter, but I just adopted Tesla and couldn't take it. What do you do with the babies if they make them?
What kinda personalities do they have?

 

[MikeyTN]

I kept the zebras with canaries, parakeets, cockatiels, and my Lesser Sulphur Crested Cockatoo in a flight cage and they did fine. But my cockatoo did not like the zebras at all so they had to go. Both of those species will breed like mad. Even when you don't want them to they'll find a way by laying in the food dishes which causes a problem when the other ones wants to eat. You could just keep one sex like all boys to prevent that problem which my neighbor did that by separating the sexes.

 

[RavensGryf]

Societies can be kept in smaller cages than the other finches because they don't do much flying. Mostly they like to snuggle and be adorable.

I didn't know that. Then they make good house pets . How about that Dani? I've seen a crested one recently, and it was adorable.

 

[thekarens]

I should clarify that when I say "smaller" we keep our societies in a 30x18x18. We originally got them to be fosters, but we liked them so much that we got more. They really are the most adorable families. Societies are "man made." The Self societies are the closest to the original wild type.

Out of all or finches the parrot finches are the most spastic and the ones I regret getting. They are beautiful, but freak very easily.