Finches?

[MagicForPets]

Hello. We are thinking about getting finches. I would like to ask everyone a question... do you think the bars on this cage are too far apart for finches? Do you think they could squeeze through them?
http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/fur/230298299.html
If so, can someone help me find a big fancy cage that will suite finches?
Also, can people give me info on Finches?
Thanks!

[CathyBogart]

Yep, I think they could get through those pretty easily. I would look for the words "flight cage" for a big cage that can house little birds. :) Here is one I found on petsmarts website: Flight cage (http://www.petsmart.com/global/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=84552444178 2161&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302047584&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=2534374302023691&bmUID=1162956489738&itemNo=31&Nao=24&In=Bird&N=2047584&Ne=2) You might be able to find an inexpensive one on CL if you keep your eye out.

[IRescue452]

If they are over 1/2inch, they are too far apart. With finches, make sure you get birds that get along. Ask lots of questions and observe the birds if you can, or get them from a rescue or from a person who knows those birds. They can be very aggressive to each other and you could end up needing seperate cages for mean birds. Where I worked in the summer we always had small cages in our break room with singled out mean birds who couldn't be sold with others.

[MagicForPets]

Thank you two very much. :) In case of fighting, should finches be bought from the same store? How big should the cage be to house about 10 finches? How do you tame finches and how do you keep them away from cats? Thanks again! :D

[IRescue452]

Yeah you want to be able to watch them interact

[Giselle]

Finches are nice to look at...That's about it :p I haven't heard of many tame *pet* finches so I can't help you there. However, don't buy a cage with bar widths larger than 3/8". 1/2" is too big. I won't even buy 1/2" for my keets and tiel and a finch is about 3/4 the size of my birds. Even if the finch can't fly out, they can get their head stuck and I have seen that happen before.

I don't much about finches and fighting, but no matter where you buy your finch - ALWAYS quarentine! Keep the birds in separate cages for about 3 weeks to a month before you slowly introduce a new bird into the cage and you should be fine. As long as the cage is roomy, you shouldn't have many problems. I would say that a large horizontal cage would be best for 10 finches.

[IRescue452]

Yeah I guess even 1/2 inch was bigger than we had. The fewer the better with finches.

[husky_lover]

One thing I know about finches is that if you get a male and female you will have babies no to long after you bring them home. My grandmother had finches and she ended of with about 25 of them with in 3 months!

[Husky_mom]

I have no expertice on finches but theres someone who might help, theres this person known as "Finch" .......on www.tailfeathersnetwork.com and she knows a lot about finches........you can aske her about taming tecniques and all......

[Argranade]

Actauly clipped finches are easy to tame, after there molt and they can fly again there still stay tame because there used to being held when there wings where clipped.

All the finches I had where always tame, there great pets .. I love to watch them fly around the toom and listen to them sing to each other. :)

[BitsyNaceyDog]

Finches are wonderful little birds. At the place I used to work we did pet rescue and we had many finches. We had mostly zebra finches, a few society finches, and a few goulden finches. We also had two Java Rice finches, those were my favorite.

Like Cathy said you'll need a flight cage. The one she linked to is a good size, however the bars are too far apart. This (http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=13392&cm_mmc=Shopping%20Portal-_-BizRate-_-Birds-_-Model%20F030%20Flight%20Cage/Aviary&GCID=C12188x002&ref=3474&subref=AA&ctt=62) is a good cage and very simular to the one we used for the colony of Zebra finches we had. Finches like to fly up and be high, so having a tall cage is important.

[MagicForPets]

Thank you so much everyone! This is a lot of help.

[MagicForPets]

Actauly clipped finches are easy to tame, after there molt and they can fly again there still stay tame because there used to being held when there wings where clipped.

All the finches I had where always tame, there great pets .. I love to watch them fly around the toom and listen to them sing to each other. :)
I would love a tamed finch but I'm not too "into" clipping wings... it's rather cruel if you ask me. If it causes pain to an animal, it's considered cruel... to me anyway.

[Chilli]

I would love a tamed finch but I'm not too "into" clipping wings... it's rather cruel if you ask me. If it causes pain to an animal, it's considered cruel... to me anyway.

I just popped in to say:
Clipping wings doesn't cause any pain at all. Three of the birds in our house have their wings clipped. And believe me, I wouldn't do it if it caused pain to them. =)

[MagicForPets]

I just popped in to say:
Clipping wings doesn't cause any pain at all. Three of the birds in our house have their wings clipped. And believe me, I wouldn't do it if it caused pain to them. =)
Really? How do you clip them? Thanks and any other info would be greatly appreciated! :)

[Chilli]

You can find plenty of guides through the internet that will show you how, but I highly suggest for you not to do it the first time. If you clip too much of a feather is CAN hurt, but when done right, it doesn't harm them.
Avian vets can clip them for you or some bird breeders can(the person who bred my Quaker clipped his wings before we took him home). After you are shown how in person, then it might be okay for you to do it. I still don't feel comfortable with clipping them myself, though.
I haven't a clue on how much it costs, because I can take my birds to Don(my quaker)'s breeder, and she'll do it for free. I'm sure it can't cost too much, though.

[Twisterdog]

I've had untold numbers of finches over the years, starting with the first birds I ever got, when I was eight years old. So, I've had 30 years of finch experience, including doing some rescue for a few years.

When you get a finch cage, in a addition to making sure there isn't too much space between the bars, you also need to be sure to purchase a cage that is considerably longer than it is tall. Finches do not climb up and down the bars like a parakeet or cockateil would, they simply fly back and forth. That is why length is more important than height.

And, like husky_lover said, they are prolific breeders, and if you get a male and female, they will lay eggs almost constantly. This sounds fun at first, maybe, until you are trying to constantly find good homes for baby finches. And I mean constantly. It's really a better idea to get either two males or two females and just let them be buddies. If you get zebra finches, it is easy to tell the males from the females. It's very hard to tell with society finches.

As for taming and clipping wings, it does not hurt a bird to clip it's wings if it done properly. Only the feathers are trimmed. However, most birds that have trimmed wing feathers are the larger hookbills, like parakeet, cockateils, etc. These birds can use their beaks and feet to climb up the bars of their cage and get around well without flying. However, a finch is different. I'm not saying it's impossible to hand tame a finch. I'm sure it is possible, and I'm sure someone is going to jump in and say as much. However, IN GENERAL, finches are not as easily tamed as other birds. They are rather nervous little guys, easily frightened. They are, IMO, better left to flying around with their finch buddies in their cage. I think, if you want a hand tamed bird with clipped wings to be an out of cage companion for you, you would be better off getting a young, preferably already hand-tamed, hookbill.

Finches are charming, cute, pretty little birds. They make adorable noises, bond closely with their cage mate, and are easy to care for. They are not the best choice for someone looking for a hand-tamed companion bird.

[Argranade]

Really? How do you clip them? Thanks and any other info would be greatly appreciated! :)

When you buy them just ask the pet shop person to do it for you, it's better this way because they'll have experience with doing this and won't have a single chance of clipping the wrong feather which could lead to bleeding and in soem cases that could lead to a fast trip to the vet.

I clip my birds feathers all the time but I have been taught excacly how to do this, now that I learned it's very easy ... when the lady at the pet store clips them ask to watch him/her do so this way you'll know excacly how to do it properly at home.. :)

[MagicForPets]

Thanks everyone. The problem is, my mom doesn't want hookbills, my mom wants finches. She's wanted them her whole life and I doubt I can switch her mind to hookbills, judging by how much different and how much bigger they are than finches. Thanks though :)
EDIT: Also, my mom is being real picky about this finch thing :rolleyes:
I'm not sure if she'll want to wings clipped, she might want it 'all natural'. I'll give it an ask, though :)

[Giselle]

How about a budgerigar (parakeet)? They're just a tad bigger than most finches, but they're incredibly easy to tame and train and make *wonderful* pets. They don't take much space at all. A cage that can comfortably fit 3 finches can easily accomodate 2 budgies. You could also look into lovebirds. They're a bit more difficult to tame/train in my experience but they do live up to their names! They're just adorable little lovies ;) If you're an intermediate-experienced bird owner, you might even want to look into Pacific parrotlets. Though they're about the size of a Java finch, these little parrotlets have the heart of a macaw!

ETA: How big are you on this whole tameness thing? While finches can be tamed to step up and eat out of your hand, they usually won't want or need to cuddle with you. For some bird owners (including myself), that's fine with me. How about you? That might better determine a bird breed for you. :)