Finches are the most delightful aviary birds, great for the hobbyist bird-keeper or breeder. Keep their living conditions in excellent order, and watch them thrive. Enjoy their song and wonderful animation. Finches (belonging to Fringillidae family), are just the sweetest little birds to own and observe daily.
* AVIARY REQUIREMENTS
Size will depend on the available area and the amount of money ready to invest. Check with pet-store outlets that sell aviaries and be sure to look for one with small mesh size suiting this bird type especially.
For an outdoor aviary; think ahead through the varying weather conditions your birds are likely to experience. During the winter; will they have areas that are sheltered and out of strong winds and heavy rains? It is important to have a floor that is well-drained and receives good periods of sunshine to dry out thoroughly. These little birds love to sit in a cozy, protected but sunny spot too. Come the extreme hot Summer months; will they have an area that has good overhead protection/shade or even shrubbery to hide in? Protection from the extremities IS vital to their good health and well-being. Do include lots of natural branches for your finches, aside from the traditional dowel perches. They need variance in twigs/branches to exercise and keep their feet healthy too.
On cats & wild/native birds: Do consider that neighborhood cats, once they know of your aviary with active tiny birds, will absolutely delight in visiting them. Not only in the day but mostly at night (even though we know they shouldn't be out and about!). To be woken during the night hearing your finches being terrorized and find them flitting back and forth and sometimes flying into the aviary netting, is infuriating. Sometimes even if you've not heard this happening; you can go out to see your finches in the morning and find one or two have succumbed to fright and terror, and are dead on the aviary floor. Be forewarned, it can, and does happen. To take precautionary measures right up front can save you a lot of heartache. Some native birds too may frequent the aviary top and also frighten your birds. Possibly, you could string some fine fishing line back and forth above the aviary to prevent both cats and other birds gaining access to that position.
* SELECTION OF FINCH TYPE
While there is a huge range of colorful finches available, don't try to select only those that appeal most to you. Be guided by the breeder as to what types will live together harmoniously. Some aren't always good-natured. Maybe initially, but not when it comes to breeding time! You can avoid this problem by shopping and buying wisely. Always look for clean plumaged, bright eyed, alert and agile birds.
* DIET & CARE
Generally finches eat a millet-based diet with other seed additives such as canary, panicum and niger seeds. They love to pick on seeding grasses or millet spray; this is a treat. Offer greens in the form of silver-beet, spinach, milk -thistles. Cuttlebone and fine shell-grit is a necessary part of any finch diet also. Live feed by way of meal-worms, are devoured quickly and also termites, they love them!
Cleanliness is imperative. Keep your finch aviary clean of spent seed (save possible mold buildup), keep water receptacles clean and replenished regularly with fresh water. Do add a shallow dish for bathing too, they love a splash and are great fun to watch. Be sure to ask your bird-supplier about a suitable worming program too. This is generally in the form of drops added to a water receptacle which replaces their usual drinking supply for a required time frame only.
In Summary:
Healthy finches are happy finches. Happy finches make for a most interesting and attention-grabbing addition to your garden. Their lively behavior is most captivating, and will be enjoyed by all ages. This petite bird species becomes a total joy to anyone who takes ownership and fosters good caretaking ... this could be you.