Would you like to switch to the accessible version of this site?

Go to accessible site Close modal window

Don't need the accessible version of this site?

Hide the accessibility button Close modal window
Accessibility View Close toolbar
Chateau Animal Hospital

2635 Old Winder Hwy

Braselton, GA 30517 US

678-960-4535

Open mobile navigation
  • Home
  • New Patient Center
    • Online Forms
    • What to Expect
    • Veterinary Resources
    • Directions
    • Virtual Office Tour
  • About Us
    • Services
    • Bed and Breakfast Boarding
    • Meet Our Team
    • Signs & Symptoms Requiring Vet Care
  • Contact Us
  • Payment Plans
  • Scrapbook & Testimonials
    • Client Testimonials
  • Read Our Reviews
  • Online Pharmacy
  • Boarding Policies
  • Pet Desk App
  • Veterinary Topics
    • Pet Health
      • Chronic Conditions
      • Digestive and Oral Health
      • Diseases and Viruses
      • Pests and Parasites
      • Orthopedics
    • Today's Veterinarian
    • Choosing Your Pet
      • Cats
      • Dogs
      • Finding Your Pet
      • Exotics
        • Birds
        • Reptiles
          • Lizards
          • Turtles
      • Mammals
        • Ferrets
        • Rabbits
        • Domesticated Animals
          • Domestic Pigs
          • Fennec Foxes
          • Prairie Dogs
          • Flying Squirrels
          • Sugar Gliders
          • Skunks
        • Pocket Pets
          • Hedgehogs
          • Gerbils
          • Chinchillas
          • Guinea Pigs
          • Hamsters
          • Rats
    • Living With Your Pet
      • Bringing Your Pet Home
      • Providing Care
      • Travel
      • Saying Goodbye
    • Newsletter Library
      • Tips for Pet Owners
      • Fleas & Parasites
      • Equine
      • Visiting the Vet
      • Unbelievable Pets
      • Seasonal Topics
      • Pet Dangers
      • Nutrition & Food
      • Recognizing Illness
      • Cats
      • Keeping Pets Healthy
      • Fun with Pets
      • Behavior & Training
    • Video Newsroom
      • Health Topics
      • Technology and Science
      • Other Interests
    • Client Survey
    • Pets4Kids
    • Feline
  • Home >
  • Articles >
  • Choosing Your Pet >
  • Exotics >
  • Birds >
  • Zebra Finches

Zebra Finches

  • Created in Choosing Your Pet, Exotics, Birds
Image of several zebra finches.

In general, finches have an expected lifespan of anywhere from 5-15 years. The wide range here can probably be attributed to species differences as well as an increased understanding of their husbandry, especially diet. Zebra finches are arguably the most popular bird species found in the North American pet trade. They are attractive birds, and the males are easily distinguished from the females. The males have black and white bars on the throat and breast, orange cheek patches and brown on the sides of the body. Both males and females have red-orange beaks, although the male's is much brighter in hue. The above description applies to the wild type coloration; a wide variety of color mutations are now available.

Cage Size

As mentioned above, the height of the cage is not as vital as having room to fly horizontally, so a long but shorter cage is acceptable. While experts vary in their recommended minimum size, it a good idea to get the largest cage you can. 30 inches long, by 18 inches high and 18 inches wide is a good sized cage for a pair of zebra finches. If you are going to get a larger group, you'll need an aviary or flight cage. This can be home built, but keep in mind that excellent hygiene is a must so any cage should be easy to clean. Wire spacing should be 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch.

Furnishing & Toys

Supply a variety of perches, but make sure the cage is not so cluttered that the finches cannot fly back and forth (keep an open flight path through the length of the cage). Also, use a couple of different sized dowels and try to add some natural branches as perches too, perhaps angling them to provide further variety so their feet are not always holding onto perches in exactly the same way. Small clip on perches can be used for some of the perches, and are nice since they do not span the whole cage and offer a little privacy in an aviary situation since only one or two finches can sit on one at a time. If possible, provide some plant cover at the perches to allow for privacy (also more important if keeping a group). You can use silk plants or non-toxic live plants. Swings and ladders can also be provided, although ladders are more likely to be used as perches than for climbing. Small bells or hanging toys can also be included, although finches are generally not very interested in toys.

Cage Placement

You'll want the finch cage in a quiet secure location in your home (although in warmer climates finches can be acclimated to outdoor aviaries). Avoid direct sunlight (overheating risk) as well draughts or being to close to heat or air conditioning ducts. Finches do not crave social interaction with people so unlike parrots do not need to be in a busy social part of the home, and in fact will probably be less stressed if kept in a quiet corner.

Water & Feed Dishes

Provide fresh drinking water daily. Some keepers prefer tube style water dispensers, while others use dishes either attached to the cage (with perches for access) or on the floor (place away from perches to reduce soiling with feces). Whichever you use, make sure there is always a supply of fresh clean water available, and clean water dished daily. Food dishes can also be placed on the floor (also not under perches, of course) or attached to the side of the cage. Again, these need to be cleaned daily.

Bath

A shallow dish of water should be provided several times a week for bathing. The water in the bath should be clean so remove the bath water as soon as it becomes soiled.

Lighting

Some people use full spectrum lighting for their finches. This is helpful especially in controlling molting and breeding behavior, but isn't strictly necessary for the average pet zebra finch.

Seeds

Feed a good quality finch seed mix, although this should never the the sole diet of your finches. Check that the seeds are fresh by sprouting them (put some in a plastic bag with a damp paper towel) - if they will not sprout then they are too old to feed. Millet sprays are a favorite treat of many finches but should be given sparingly, or the finches may develop a preference for millet.

Sprouted Seeds

This is an excellent way to boost nutrition as the seeds are at the peak of their nutritional value at sprouting. Ideally they should be fed just as they begin to sprout.

Greens & Fresh Foods

A variety of green should be provided, such as romaine lettuce, dandelion greens, kale, and spinach (in moderation), along with a variety of fresh vegetables and fruits (NO avocado, though). Experiment to find what they like and keep offering a variety as it may take your finches a few tries to accept new food items. Remember, though, that serving sizes of these foods should be small.

Pellets

These are excellent balanced diets and are nice to offer as part of a varied and balanced diet. Be sure to get a good quality pellet especially formulated for finches, and you may need to be persistent in offering pellets before your finches will try them if they are not used to eating them.

Eggfood

This is a supplement that is very important for breeding birds but that can be fed in moderation to non-breeders as well.

Cuttlebone & Grit

Some sort of calcium supplement is recommended and a cuttlebone is an easy way to add calcium to the diet, as are crushed oyster shells or even eggshells (heat thoroughly before crushing to prevent salmonella contamination). The role of grit is still highly debated. It is now quite widely accepted that parrots do not need grit, but the need for grit for finches and canaries is less clearly understood. Many avian vets now recommend no grit even for finches, as they do hull their seeds (grit is essential for doves and pigeons, for example, because they swallow seeds whole and need the grit to help hull the seeds). There seems to be a definite risk to overeating grit leading to impactions however, so this is something you should discuss with your avian veterinarian. If you do feed grit, only offer a few granules at a time and at infrequent intervals, especially mineralized grit.

  • Pet Health
    • Chronic Conditions
    • Digestive and Oral Health
    • Diseases and Viruses
    • Pests and Parasites
    • Orthopedics
  • Today's Veterinarian
  • Choosing Your Pet
    • Cats
    • Dogs
    • Finding Your Pet
    • Exotics
      • Birds
      • Reptiles
        • Lizards
        • Turtles
    • Mammals
      • Ferrets
      • Rabbits
      • Domesticated Animals
        • Domestic Pigs
        • Fennec Foxes
        • Prairie Dogs
        • Flying Squirrels
        • Sugar Gliders
        • Skunks
      • Pocket Pets
        • Hedgehogs
        • Gerbils
        • Chinchillas
        • Guinea Pigs
        • Hamsters
        • Rats
  • Living With Your Pet
    • Bringing Your Pet Home
    • Providing Care
    • Travel
    • Saying Goodbye
  • Newsletter Library
    • Tips for Pet Owners
    • Fleas & Parasites
    • Equine
    • Visiting the Vet
    • Unbelievable Pets
    • Seasonal Topics
    • Pet Dangers
    • Nutrition & Food
    • Recognizing Illness
    • Cats
    • Keeping Pets Healthy
    • Fun with Pets
    • Behavior & Training
  • Video Newsroom
    • Health Topics
    • Technology and Science
    • Other Interests
  • Client Survey
  • Pets4Kids
  • Feline

Office Hours

Our Regular Schedule

Monday:

9:00 am-6:00 pm

Tuesday:

9:00 am-6:00 pm

Wednesday:

9:00 am-6:00 pm

Thursday:

9:00 am-6:00 pm

Friday:

9:00 am-6:00 pm

Saturday:

9:00 am-6:00 pm

Sunday:

12:00 am-5:00 pm

Location

Find us on the map

Testimonial

Read What Our Clients Say

  • "The Doctors and the staff are always very friendly and courteous. They always call and check on my dogs the day after we are in the office."
    S.K.Gentry Braselton, GA

Featured Articles

Read about interesting topics

    Skunks

    Home and Veterinary Care for Pet Skunks If you're an adventurous pet owner, you may love exotic animals such as skunks. You'll be happy to learn that skunks can indeed make excellent domestic pets, but only if they receive the proper care to enjoy a happy, healthy life. Your veterinary team can help ...

    Read More

    Sugar Gliders

    Thinking of getting a sugar glider? These tiny marsupials are energetic and friendly, making them popular choices as pets. Though they weigh less than a half-pound, they're more closely related to kangaroos than they are flying squirrels. If you think a sugar glider would make an ideal pet for your family, ...

    Read More

    Flying Squirrels

    Much like sugar gliders, flying squirrels make affectionate pets when purchased young and raised by their owner. Unlike sugar gliders, however, flying squirrels are rodents that need veterinary care specific to the species. Your veterinary team can help with the care and treatment of flying squirrels. ...

    Read More

    Rats

    Did you know rats make surprisingly affectionate pets? If you're thinking of bringing home a pet rat, here's what you need to know. Health Rats that are bred especially as pets are safe to keep and should be free of disease. But common conditions may affect your rats from time to time. Your veterinarian ...

    Read More

    Chinchillas

    Chinchillas are playful, loveable, and amusing pets. If you want yours to remain in your family for long, you should ensure that it has a good diet. Chinchillas require a lot of attention due to their playful nature; therefore, it is best to have supervised playtime with yours if you want to create a ...

    Read More

    Fennec Foxes

    Fennec Fox Care Guide With oversized ears and mischievous faces, fennec foxes are cute as can be. But these exotic pets require a lot of care to stay healthy and happy. Health At just three pounds, fennec foxes are the smallest member of the fox family. Native to the Sahara desert, fennec foxes are ...

    Read More

    Guinea Pigs

    Curious and inquisitive by nature, guinea pigs make great pets. These little bundles of fur are quite social and enjoy spending time with the people who handle, feed, and groom them. As a pet, guinea pigs are relatively low maintenance, rarely aggressive, and fun to own. How to Care Guinea pigs are playful, ...

    Read More

    Prairie Dogs

    Prairie dogs are cute, affable creatures. But before taking one on as a pet, check your local laws. In some states, such as Colorado, it's illegal to keep prairie dogs as pets. Mostly, this is because they may spread monkeypox. If you live in a state that welcomes pet prairie dogs, be sure to buy from ...

    Read More

    Gerbils

    Gerbils are great little pets for pet owners who don't have room for a dog or cat. They're friendly and fun to watch, but they do take a moderate level of care and investment. If you're thinking of getting a gerbil, here's what you'll need to know to keep him happy and healthy, including giving him a ...

    Read More

    Hedgehogs

    Shy animals that roll into a ball when scared, hedgehogs are covered with spiky quills. They're small, clean, and fun to watch so they're quite popular as pets. Even so, these little guys need lots of activity to stay healthy. Health Hedgehogs can have health problems, including dental diseases, skin ...

    Read More

Newsletter Signup

Sign up for more articles

Connect With Us

  • Copyright © 2021 MH Sub I, LLC dba iMatrix.
  • Admin Log In
  • Site Map