I want to know about your experience with Zebra Finches

[Dapplepony]

Hello! I'm thinking about maybe getting some Zebra Finches (I'm doing my research so I can convince the family to let me get a pair), so, I have a questions and I'd like to know about your experience with Zebra Finches.

1. Do I have to get a male and a female? Or can I get two females or two males?
2. Are they fairly talkative?
3. Are they people friendly or shy?
4. Are they quiet at night? (They're probably gonna be in my room, so I want to know if I'll be up all night listening to them.) And
5. Do you have a favorite brand of food that you would recommend?

I think that's all my questions for now.

 

[Tony K T]

Hello! I'm thinking about maybe getting some Zebra Finches (I'm doing my research so I can convince the family to let me get a pair), so, I have a questions and I'd like to know about your experience with Zebra Finches.

1. Do I have to get a male and a female? Or can I get two females or two males?
2. Are they fairly talkative?
3. Are they people friendly or shy?
4. Are they quiet at night? (They're probably gonna be in my room, so I want to know if I'll be up all night listening to them.) And
5. Do you have a favorite brand of food that you would recommend?

I think that's all my questions for now.

 

[Justahannah]

I had a male/female pair when I was in high school and I really enjoyed them. They were never tame enough to hold, would get flighty/noisy if anything sudden happened in the room, and they would make a huge mess flinging their seed everywhere so I had to vacuum frequently. That said, they were pretty and I liked their friendly "beep beep" noises. Also, having a pair, they bred often and easily...it seems like every time I checked their nesting box there would be another clutch of eggs. I ended up selling the chicks back to the pet store on a regular basis and making just enough to keep up with food costs.

 

[Tony K T]

Aw just try them.If it doesn't work out there is always someone that will take them.They are messy little buggers.They aren't hard at all to raise,just feedt them and give them water and a treat(spray millet) every once in a while.They may even eat brocolli.
In N.H.,Tony.

 

[lilyfish]

I have a few zebras, and I would not recommend grouping grown males together. They most likely will bicker and fight, chasing each other around the cage. Look for a male and female. The females will be plain with no black barring across their chests. Even when they are young and still have the black beaks, you should be able to see the difference between the girls and boys in the chest area. At least that's what I have noted in my young ones.

They do chirp away during the day, although I do not find it nearly as jarring as a cockatiel shrieking. No night noise as long as the lights are low or out.

They are not birds you take out of the cage and tame like other parrots and cockatiels. They are just fun to watch as they flit around their cages, and if they are breeding, they are fun to watch as they take care of the little ones.

Food is pretty simple as Tony KT stated. They are a bit messy with their food, but you can always put up a cage guard to keep it in the cage.

I agree with Tony KT, just get a pair and try them! I find them to be an easy, relaxing and entertaining bird.

 

[Whispering Winds]

I have several kinds of finches, all given to me by people who thought they wanted them, and then decided they ate like truck drivers and pooped like maniacs . . . . so I have pooping eating truckers in a tall cage. I have a huge aviary, like furniture that I bought, but it was simply too hard to clean . . . I keep looking at it now thinking I could re do it and make it slick and easy to clean and put them back in there, because it was 6 feet tall and 4 feet wide and 2 feet deep and 30 little birds were happy as clams in there. I also have a canary and 3 parakeets that were given to me and they all co-habitate very happily together. I just gave about 12 away to the neighbor, so that helped some. I have a little male Gouldian (probably misspelled it, gives me fits that word does!) that I can pick up and talk too, and he is so sweet. Has a hurt wing and has been tamed because he just can't get away from me like the others. . .I have 2 green breasts I think she told me they are called, and 4 total of the Gouldians, that I have to say are my favorites. . . their colors are just outstanding. They love baths, greens, and always always keep seed out for them and fresh water every day!!! They chirp and are very happy little birds, so if you don't have to have a singer or a talker, then you might really enjoy them. I also have Cinnamon Finches which are very very pretty.

 

[AtlantaChick]

I kept the class finches for a summer in school, and what I remember most is the mess. Even with the cage guard and regular vacuuming, I still found bits of birdseed in the corners when I moved out several years later. I've always wondered why they don't make finch cages out of screens instead of bars...