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Breeding Zebra Finches

102 Questions

Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.

October 1, 2016

I got 2 zebra finches on Wednesday and they have started mating. I don't know how old they are and I'm assuming they are a male and female.

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They both came from the same cage so they must be a couple. I don't know how to breed birds as I'm new to it all. What should I do next?

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October 3, 20160 found this helpful

How do you breed finces

 
December 8, 20160 found this helpful

nest box nest material,leave them to it,when there is chicks give them frest boiled egg mashed up,they will feed that to there young and its realy good for them..make sure you feed egg every time it runs out but not too much that its there all day and goes bad,refresh it every 4 hours or so,i store the mashed boiled egg in fridge and put a teaspoon full in cage every 3 or 4 hours.

 
Anonymous
May 15, 20170 found this helpful

give them a nest

 
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March 15, 2012

I have 2 female zebra finches. I want to get a male so they can have babies, but I'm scared the 2 females would fight, they are kinda like sisters. One is a little smaller and the other one is fat (always eats xD). So if I got 1 male would the females fight and I would have to get 2 males, 1 for each? Also, would I have to get 2 nests or 1 nest would be okay, and they would take turns breeding? Also my cage's length is 25 inches how many finches could I fit in there? Once the babies are older do I separate the youngsters so they don't breed?

By Olivia from Ontario

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March 17, 20120 found this helpful

You should get 2 males & separate the pairs. I had a cage with divider in center and my pairs were together, but separate! Two nests will definitely be needed. There are many books available on breeding/caring for zebra finches.

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Probably look on Amazon for nearly new books... or half.com. Enjoy! I also had the cage hung where they could hear water running. They love water & baths!

 
May 26, 20130 found this helpful

Hi there. I just went to my zebra finch cage this morning to find one egg in the food bowl. Mum and dad are still in the cage. They chucked out all the seed I put in on floor, and she laid one egg. They're new parents, but we put in a finch nest made of wicker. The female is interested, but the male chases her out of nest. Why? I don't want to take him out of cage, since I've only got one available cage, but I'm frightened he's going to reject her and the baby chick once hatched. Any advice? I'mnew to this hatching lark and breeding.

 
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September 28, 2009

I had to take my male zebra finch out of the cage while the female was laying eggs, because she was fighting with him. Now the babies are hatching and I want to know if I should put him in again.

By Naomi from ME

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September 29, 20090 found this helpful

It may be that the female is still young and isn't into the nest/egg frame of mind yet. I would remove the ivy from the cage as it may be poisonous to them.

 

Bronze Post Medal for All Time! 205 Posts
March 17, 20100 found this helpful

When I had my zebras, I went to this site a lot for advice. They were very nice and very helpful.
www.zebrafinch-society.org/ Good luck!

 
May 18, 20100 found this helpful

Make sure you have plenty of room. Your cage is going to get crowded.
Trade some young birds to promote genetic variety.
A calcium source and lots of good food should help divert his attention. Don't rush the reintroduction. She has her own agenda until she notices that he is really cute and then it will start all over again.

 
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March 12, 2019

My zebra finches are adults, but why they are not building a nest if I have kept nesting material available.


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January 6, 2019

I have two pairs of zebra finches and only one breeder box. Is that enough for the two pairs to breed or I have to buy another breeder box for them? Will the one pair damage the other pairs' eggs?

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December 21, 2017

I have a pair of Zebra finches and this pair has laid eggs for a couple of seasons, but those weren't fertilized. So what can I do? This pair doesn't warm their eggs. Most of the time they are not in nest.


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July 16, 2017

I have 2 pairs of zebra finches, 2 males and 2 females. I'm just wondering if they will lay eggs or not. 1 pair has made their nest in one of the bamboo nests that you find at most pet stores. For the most part, either the male or female is in there when the other one leaves. Occasionally they will both come out together and stay out for a few minutes, but eventually at least 1 of them goes back in.

The other pair doesn't like to go into their bamboo nest, they stay out on the perches together uncovered. Is that normal? Do you think the other pair has eggs in the nest? I'm afraid to get too close or to look inside their nest because I don't want them to get scared and abandon it if there is eggs in there.

Breeding Zebra Finches - large cage with nests
 

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Gold Post Medal for All Time! 677 Posts
July 17, 20171 found this helpful

Make sure the other pair is old enough to breed,are fed well, and have enough sunlight.

 
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May 25, 2017

My zebra finch pair were doing fine for a very long time, until one day my female zebra finch started to chase away the male finch. She has eggs that she needs to incubate and since they have been fighting and don't seem to be on very good terms, the eggs were left there for a good 30-45 minutes or so exposed. I have now separated them, and she is now back on the eggs.

My question is how long can a female be away from her eggs? Is it possible that the eggs will still have a chance of hatching?

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Gold Post Medal for All Time! 677 Posts
May 25, 20170 found this helpful

Good eggs hatch 14-16 days after laying.

 

Silver Post Medal for All Time! 255 Posts
May 29, 20170 found this helpful

They will be fine. Unless the temps are extreme, they can be off the eggs for a couple of hours.

 
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May 2, 2016

Recently I had a couple of finches, a male and female couple, who had two male chicks. They were on their second hatch when one day I came home from camping and three were dead. The chicks some how survived, but the only adult left was one of the young males.

He seems to be trying to take care of the chicks by sitting on them and feeding them, but I don't think he's can do this by himself. If I buy him a mate do you think she will help him take care of the chicks?

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Bronze Feedback Medal for All Time! 128 Feedbacks
May 10, 20160 found this helpful

Always separate the breeding pair into a separate cage with a nest box when breeding. Other birds will kill the parents & or babies. I doubt the a new female will help rear the babies.

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Possibly the male is doing a good enough job to save the wee ones. As a bird breeder you will need to learn the skills of hand rearing. Good luck.

 
May 11, 20160 found this helpful

A new mate would only distract the young male with "other thoughts." I wouldn't try to hand raise them if you know little about it. They are very tiny and easy to injure. It is possible one or two of the babies will still survive since your bird seems to have the instincts needed.
In the future, separate the nesting pair from the rest as petlover said, and be sure to maintain a constant temperature in the house while you are gone. Also, if you are gone more than a day hire a pet sitter to change food and water.

 
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April 8, 2016

I have 2 zebra finches. They just finished raising chicks and I just found out they have 4 new eggs. I know they're not supposed to lay more than 3 clutches a year so should I take them out, seperate the pair, or keep them there?

If so should I remove the babies now that they are fledged, but not fully for sure. Please help asap I'm pretty worried; it's my first pair. Thanks so much.

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November 21, 2015

My zebra finch can't go in the nest. What can I do?


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November 22, 20150 found this helpful

The male or the female?
What do you mean that the bird can't go in the nest? Do you mean "won't" go in the nest?
I don't think I can help without a better explanation of the problem.

 

Bronze Feedback Medal for All Time! 128 Feedbacks
November 23, 20150 found this helpful

can't or won't ?

 
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August 24, 2015

I have a pair of Zebra finches and they have successfully raised two females. Now on the second clutch they hid the eggs and did not hatch any. This is the third clutch and now I found the eggs have been eaten and thrown out of the nest. What should I do with the pair?

So far I have separated both parents and the female laid an egg at the bottom of the other cage she is in. She is in with her two female offspring. Will the male stop eating the eggs? I also removed the nest. Where do I go from here? Any help will be greatly appreciated. I would like to breed them some more, but right now I'm not sure what to do.

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August 17, 2015

How do do I know if my finches are mating? I have 1 male and 1 female and they have only preapared the nest. In the evening both of them sleep in the nest. How can I tell if they are mating?


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August 17, 20150 found this helpful

You should see them mating. They will make noises like sucking air between your teeth and one will mount the other, flapping its wings.

 
September 1, 20150 found this helpful

Yes I have seen them, but they were doing this 3 to 4 months ago and now also they are doing, so when can I expect them to lay egg...

 
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July 20, 2015

I have had my zebra finches for about month now, 1 male and 1 female. I got the male from my cousin because he didn't want him anymore and I got the female from a shop because I wanted babies. I have bred my cousin's male before and he had 3 adorable female babies, but the male's mate died after giving the babies to new families. So now I got another female and they were good for the first 2 weeks and sleeping together in their nest. I saw them mate a couple times, but lately the male has been plucking the females feathers, but they still get along.

So why is the male doing that? And just recently I have noticed that they don't sleep in the nest anymore and they completely ignore it, but they still sleep together on a perch. What is going on? Anyone have a solution? Should I move the nest to a different spot or should I separate the couple completely even though they are doing fine except for the feather plucking?

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February 12, 2015

My male finch died and I am getting another for my female so she will not be lonely. They had a nest already built. Will the new male use it or do I need to replace it? I'm hoping to breed them too.

By Candace B.

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January 23, 2015

They have created the nest, but didn't lay eggs yet. Should I change the location of the nest because I heard that if they don't like the nest's location they don't lay. Should move it?

By Bishoy R.

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Bronze Answer Medal for All Time! 220 Answers
January 24, 20150 found this helpful

Why do you think the birds will not like their nest in the present location? Suggest you not change anything unless they seem to have problems with the nest in the present location.

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Even just a small change or two can be very upsetting to your birds.

 
January 24, 20150 found this helpful

It has been my experience that if you put a nest basket in there with nesting materials, they will lay eggs. The other problems may be: The location of the cage (in a high-traffic area), or the nest is not a basket. Be sure to use an enclosed zebra finch nesting basket.

 
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November 23, 2014

I have 3 zebra finches, 1 mum, 1 dad, and their baby boy. The baby is old enough now and has started cuddling up to his mum a lot and chasing the dad away when he gets close to mum. Would the baby mate with his mum as he seems to be ready to mate? I really don't want it to happen.

By Tracy from Milton Keynes

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Bronze Feedback Medal for All Time! 128 Feedbacks
November 25, 20140 found this helpful

I would suggest removing the baby male - the two males may fight to the death. Inbreeding birds can be disastrous - deformities etc. In many cases when they do hatch the parents will murder the new borns.

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Please do not inbreed. It's not necessary - just single out the young male & get it a female friend.

 
November 25, 20140 found this helpful

Yes, the young male will fight the dad over the only female in the cage. Remove him to his own small cage, then find him a nice female and put a nest basket in there. By the way, did you know zebra finches love to take a bath? Put a little dish with slightly warm water in the bottom of the cage and watch 'em go.

 
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November 10, 2014

I found my baby had finally left the nest this morning. He has feathers so he is OK, but the mom had died. The father seems to be fine with the chick so far, but should I get another female to help with it?

By Mar

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Bronze Feedback Medal for All Time! 128 Feedbacks
November 12, 20140 found this helpful

I don't think getting a new female will help - she won't accept it - if the father is feeding it, well all will be well - if not you may need to handrear it - having feathers at this stage is good as it means it's closer to being weaned. Keep a close eye on it as they go down hill fast if starving.

 
November 21, 20140 found this helpful

Another female likely won't take care of the baby. Then there's also the possibility the dad will get distracted by the pretty female and turn his thoughts to mating, ignoring the chick.

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Let the dad take care of it. It may not make it, but that's your best bet.

 
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April 14, 2013

I have a pair of zebra finches. Two weeks ago they laid 9 eggs in a period of 4-5 days out of which 5 were fertile. Yesterday two of the eggs hatched, but the parents didn't seem to be feeding them properly so I hand fed them this morning. Should I separate the chicks and raise them by hand or should I leave them in the box with the eggs. I am worried that the parents won't be able to care for the chicks and incubate the remaining eggs at the same time.This is their first clutch. Please help me.Parents in cage.

 
Eggs.
 

By Neil from IN

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Bronze Feedback Medal for All Time! 128 Feedbacks
April 16, 20130 found this helpful

I would be very surprised if your babies will be fed by their parents now that you have fed them - it's usually very important for the early days for the parents to feed the babies due to the minerals that they regurgitate - you may now be committed to handraise them they may now not go back to the remaining eggs either. Google how to raise finches on the internet for important imformation.

 
August 19, 20130 found this helpful

It might be the best if you try not to disturb the male and female, since I made my birds kill the scald from disturbing them. You could try giving them a tiny tiny little bowl or saucer with milk and tiny little parts of bread. If your scalds die it could be of being disturbed or the male getting jealous of the female spending so much time with the scalds. I hope you enjoyed this few helpful tips!

 
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July 24, 2012

I would like to buy 2 zebra finches (female+male) for my birthday, but I don't know how much they cost. Can you tell me?

By Marie H.

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July 25, 20120 found this helpful

I bet if you called the pet store they could tell you.

 
July 25, 20120 found this helpful

Call Petsmart: Zebra Finch

Ideal for children 14 & up Makes soothing sounds Lives approximately 5 years Note: Pet availability is seasonal. State and local regulations may vary. Pricing may vary by store location. PetSmart stores cannot match the price below for this pet. Ask a store associate for details. Very messy with food.

 
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May 7, 2019

I have three zebra finch pairs in three different separate cages. One pair has been my best breeding pair, it's their 2nd clutch this year. They had five healthy chicks 3 months ago and now they have again laid 4 eggs. My question is, my 2nd pair had mated, but it's hen was not laying eggs, so I tried to exchange the cage of my 2nd and 3rd pair. I mean I simply put my 2nd pair into a new cage and the 3rd pair into the 2nd cage. Then I saw 3 eggs in my 2nd cage, which my 2nd pair had laid. What I did next is I reversed the situation back to like it was before. I did undo my exchange, but this time the zebra hen didn't go into her nest.

I then took out its 3 eggs and then put it into my first cage in which there are already 4 eggs and their parents are sitting on their eggs, now after having put 3 more eggs in their nest, they are now sitting them, like all of them. I mean, has this female finch accepted the 3 new eggs, and will they hatch these eggs too? Since I know that after 3 to 4 days their old eggs will start hatching.

I am anxious to know about their behaviour. Do zebra finches hatch another's finch eggs? Or will she know that these eggs are not hers?
Your kind response would be highly appreciated.
Regards.
Yusuf
Pakistan

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April 4, 2018

I went to feed my zebra finches today and noticed 2 were missing. I found the male inside a small gap between timbers with what looks like a nest.

Is the female in there or did she escape do you think? I don't see her anywhere.

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July 14, 2017

Is it OK to move my momma birds with their nests, egg, and babies into a larger aviary?


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Gold Post Medal for All Time! 677 Posts
July 15, 20170 found this helpful

If you still have eggs, don't move the nest.

 
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May 17, 2017

My partner bought my zebra finches new nest boxes as we have had babies before, but they have gotten to a certain age where they have managed to come out of the nest. A couple of times then they end up dying, so he has bought better ones. Now the zebra finches won't go in them. What do I do? Thanks in advance.


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Gold Post Medal for All Time! 677 Posts
May 17, 20170 found this helpful

There may not be enough airflow in the boxes. Drill some holes.

 
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May 18, 2016

I have two zebra finches. I actually want them to lay eggs. Yesterday I saw that the female layed an egg by sitting on one of the perches. The egg fell down and broke. She hadn't made a nest yet. Is there any way to make them lay eggs in the nest which I have brought for them. I have also put some dried leaves in it.


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May 22, 20160 found this helpful

Give them nesting materials, which consists of short pieces of yarn (NOT thin string or thread) cut into about 2 to 3 inch pieces. Also you can use very little scraps of cotton material. Don't put anything in the nest. They want to do it themselves.
It is possible the nest is not up to her standards.

 
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April 6, 2016

What do I do if my pair of zebra finches laid their eggs in two different nests?


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Bronze Feedback Medal for All Time! 128 Feedbacks
April 8, 20160 found this helpful

Remove the egg from the other nest box. Place it with the other eggs in the other nest box. Then remove the nest box so there is only the one. Or if you have many birds & many nest boxes , separate the pair you want to breed & place them in a large cage with a nest box.

 
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January 28, 2016

We have two Zebra finches. We noticed one egg on 11th January and both parents were sitting on it until 25th of the month; we didn't move the cage. The female didn't have a bath during this period, but the male did. Once in a while the male was arranging the nest, so we put some cotton to the cage on 25th. They both took cotton very quickly and put it in the nest. They quickly finished arranging all of the cotton in the nest and were sitting on it. Soon we found that they had covered the eggs with cotton, buried them.

What should we do now? Should we take the eggs out? It's almost 14 days now.
A few times we saw eggs, but never hatched them before. Please reply as soon as possible as we all, at home, love them.

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January 30, 20160 found this helpful

Give them 16 days from the time the last egg was laid. Assume one egg was laid per day.

 
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December 4, 2015

We've had our two finches, a male and a female, for a month. They started acting odd, then started building the nest. We noticed an egg yesterday morning, so I did some research to see what to expect. What I read said that the hen will lay one egg a day (or 24 hours) until she has 5-7, and start incubating them after the third.

As of now (36 hours later) there is still only 1 egg. I read that sometimes they get stuck and she can't lay. Should I be worried? Should I wait until tomorrow? I feel like I'm stressing them out by checking the nest so often.

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February 13, 20160 found this helpful

Finches I think do not like when you touch their eggs , they might get stressed out and throw it out of the nest and will not lay more eggs ... again check it out on the internet I am not sure about this.

 
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November 7, 2015

When their nest is nearly done, how many days do I have to wait before my female zebra finch lays her first egg?


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October 22, 2015

My male zebra goes in and seems to stay in the nest for an extended time, but the female goes in and quickly comes back out. Both spend nights in the nest. What is going on?


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January 6, 20160 found this helpful

do not worry they are mating and prepairing the nest to lay eggs

 
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September 13, 2015

I have 1 male and 1 female finch. They are about 1 year old. They laid an unfertilized egg on 17 aug 2015, just after that they stopped mating. In the mornings my male bird arranges the nest, but in evening neither of them go in the nest nor do they sleep together. 1 month ago they used to sleep together and used to mate, but now days they aren't. In the morning hours they play together, they never even fought. Can anyone say what's the problem and give me the solution? Thank you.


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September 13, 2015

I have a pair of finches and 2 chicks, they are about 8 weeks old. Can I move them to a bigger cage?


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August 16, 2015

I have several finches in a very large cage. I had a pair lay eggs and I now have one baby. Dad seems to be being very aggressive to the other birds. Should I separate mom, dad, and baby into a new nest?

If not now, when should I separate them? I want to eventually keep that breeding pair in their own nest to continue having more babies.

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August 17, 20150 found this helpful

Yes, you should separate them into their own cage. Move the nest box or basket, but be prepared for the fact that they may not care for these particular eggs if they got too stressed.

 
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August 3, 2015

My zebra finch had 4 eggs and she is taking good care of them, but the dad is being aggressive to female. He keeps biting her and doesn't let her go into the nest. The dad is in the nest and is taking care the eggs, but why are they fighting and why won't the male let the female go in the the nest?

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