Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
I have a nest high up in the corner and it is full of hay that my female zebra finch goes in. The male doesn't go in the nest, only the female does. The male sleeps on top of the nest. They still haven't bred, but why doesn't he go in the nest with the female? This is my first time breeding zebra finches.
Plz help.
Did you fill the nest? Remove the materials and then put nesting materials in the cage. They prefer to do their own nests.
Do you know how old they are? One of they may be a little young. Give them time and they'll probably figure it out.
The female zebra finch put the material herself and yes it's nesting material and no I don't know how old they are but when I got my female finch he laid a egg so I am guessing she is old enough and the male is about a year or so.
I have two zebra finches and I know that I have a male and a female. I discovered an egg today so I got a nest for them. I looked at websites about nesting material, but it didn't say if I could put in the nesting material myself or if my finches need to do that. So my question is do I put in nesting material myself or set the material in the cage and let them add in material themselves?
By Sandy G.
Put it in the cage in sort of a loose netting, like onion netting. They enjoy pulling out the individual pieces and will make the nest themselves.
I have 2 males and 1 female zebra finches. She's laid 3 eggs so far. How do I find out for certain who the dad is as to not separate the wrong male?
I have a CFW zebra finch male and a normal grey female. What would their babies look like?
I have 3 male finches in one cage and 2 females in another. Can I put a male in with my two females to breed?
I would not put the 2 females in with the male. There may be fighting. You can have the 2 females alone or a male and a female.
From what I know about the finches. They pick a partner for life and stay together. I would put 2 male and 2 females in a cage and watch them to make sure they chose a mate.
I have had some finches and they were so fun to watch. They had babies twice. Very interesting and sweet little birds. I think they pick one mate and stay together for life. If I were you, Id put 2 males and 2 females together and see if they pick a mate. Then I would separate each couple into their own cage. The odd bird I would give to someone. The males sing a song that is distinctly from their family. I love to here them and watch them. When they have babies, the Dad helps a lot with the babies. Good Luck.
I have four finches, I have one zebra finch (male), two white zebra finches (females), and one fawn finch (female). Will they breed and also when they will start laying eggs?
By kasjliton
I have been keeping a pair of zebra finches for the last year. They are provided with nest boxes and stuffing. They keep on laying eggs, about 2-3 at a time, but none of them have hatched. I think some of them are not fertile. What could be the reason? Should I provide them additional food supplements?
By Mily
Often first timers go through the cycles of laying eggs & not following through - sometimes they need a few times to get it right Also are you sure that they are a male & a female? - as females will still lay eggs and go through the motions of sitting on them. Have you seen them mating? Google breeding finches for some good tips.
So I bought a new male pied Zebra finch and I had two female Zebra finches together that I bought previously. One is white and the other is grey. The white one laid eggs and I took them from her before putting the male in that same day.
The white female seems to always attack the male before flying to her female companion and either staying to one side of the cage or going in their nest, but I'm trying to get her to breed with him since she's the egg layer.Momma finch has been sitting on the eggs for about 2 weeks. I found her dead in the bottom of the cage, will the daddy finch continue to sit on them and be able to care for them if any of the 4 eggs hatch?
By Diane
Yes, that is what is supposed to happen. I say "supposed" to because nature is tricky. The dad may decide not to do this. However, hypothetically he should.
This just happened to me as well... Will putting another female in help or hinder the situation? I would really like to see these eggs hatch.
It would hinder the situation. The male would get distracted by the new female and forget the eggs.
I have a breeding pair of Zebra finches who have recently hatched a brood of 3 chicks. They are in a very confined small basket nest. Should I move them to a larger nest? They are about 8 days old and I'm afraid that as they grow one will fall from the nest or be accidentally pushed out.
Hi Wanda
First I would like to know is it a regular finch nest?
If it is then it will be fine. I like a deep nest so when they build it there is plenty room Here is one of my pictures there is plenty of room in it.
I don't know about finches but I do know that most birds will abandon their nest if you touch the nest before or after the eggs hatch.
I had a pair of finches that also laid a nest of eggs. When they hatched, the male finch killed all the babies. I would remove him right away, especially if the cage is crowded.
Hard call. Find a local breeder or bird club.
They need their combined body heat to keep each other warm until they get old enough.
If you change nests, handle them carefully. Make sure they don't get too much room and get separated from each other.
I have a pair of zebras. They built a nest. Today the female died. I want to get a new female tomorrow. Do I put them together and do I need to take out the old nest?
Last Tuesday I removed my zebra finches nest box and put in a bigger one, because they only used to lay 2 eggs in the nest box. I even provided them with a lot of nesting material, but they still haven't started to build their nest. Please help.
My female Zebra finch laid 4 eggs. I just noticed last night that 1 egg hasn't hatched and I can only see 2 chicks. Has the other chick died and been covered? 
I was wondering if my zebra finch gets out of the aviary and has babies in the nest if I leave the door open will they come back to the nest? I am feeling a bit freaked out about my babies.
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.
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?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
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.
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
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.
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/
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.
My zebra finches are adults, but why they are not building a nest if I have kept nesting material available.
