nest.......or.......no nest?

[stonewind]

I have these two zebra finches who are almost three months now. I heard it was good to let them breed until they are six months old, but they may try when they are twelve weeks, which they are now. So in order not to let them breed I took out their nest so they won't mate........... but they don't seem very happy that I did that. Today I found them sleeping on the ground which they have never done before, even though I put their four ball toy side ways in their "nest corner" so they can sleep on that instead of their perch. They sleep on the bed I made them at night and they sit on it during the day..... but Every once and a while they go to the ground for a long time like they've never done before. what should I do? Should I put the nest back in or keep it out? Hope you can help me. Thanks!

p.s. I heard if they breed too young the female could die because of trouble of laying the eggs, or the male may toss the eggs or baby birds out of the nest in excitement.

[Sam's My Baby]

Hello. I also own 2 zebra finches, I posted on your other post about zebras too. I think that you should separate them until they are old enough to have babies. Zebras breed very quickly. If they ever do lay eggs, do not pick them up with your hands, becuase my female zebra finch attacks and cracks open her eggs whenever someone touches them. Separate them until they are old enough to have babies, and when they do hatch keep the father in the cage becuase he is a great help with the babies (he even lays on the eggs) but do not make the mother have too many batches of eggs becuase it can be bad for her to lay on all those eggs and may cause her to die.

[Heather Wallace]

Good advice, Andrea.

[stonewind]

I know not to take away the male from the cage after there are eggs; I've spent lots of time watching my friends birds with their two different litters they've had. I can't seperate them though, I only have one cage, and I think they woould be even angrier then me taking out their nest beacuse they're really attached to each other. Do you have any more advise?

[Karen]

Does your friend have a cage you could borrow? That seems to be a better solution than removing the nest, and if you kept the two cages near each other, they'd still have each other for "company."