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I have 2 male finches and one female finch (all Zebras). I have tried to add a pure white finch before, but they wouldn't play with her or be very nice and she died.
This morning, I went to clean their cage and found a egg in their seed bowl. I have never put in a breeding nest and am now unsure if the egg will hatch or if this is just something that happens every now and again. I'm rather confused because I was told they wouldn't breed without privacy.
What should I do to look after a baby finch? Will they lay another egg? I'm assuming no, but thought I should ask anyway. Will it be a issue that there is two males?
Thanks to all that help. Lana :)
By Alanah from Brisbane
I have two finches and I was told that as long as you don't put a nest in the cage they won't lay eggs. Well, mine did, and she layed them in the food tray. So, I just added another food tray so I didn't disturb the eggs. But, I only saw them sit on the eggs a few times. I'm not watching constantly but, when do they sit on them? Or are these eggs going to not hatch? Please help. I have made some calls to pet stores and I was told to throw the eggs out. Well, I can't! They are only about a week old. Any information I would greatly appreciate! Thank you,
LilHoneyBrat form Minnesota
I once had a pair of finches and she laid eggs all of the time but the eggs were never fertilized by the male so, of course, they never hatched. If she has laid all the eggs (zebra finches often will not sit on them until the last one is laid) and is not sitting on them constantly, except for eating, then they are not fertile or something is not right about them. If as time passes the eggs take on a deeper blue/grey color then there is an embryo but if she's not sitting on them the majority of the time they are not going to hatch. Zebra finch eggs generally hatch at 14 to 18 days.
You should also make sure she has enough calcium nutrition since she'll often lay eggs. There are special egg foods available at pet stores and it wouldn't hurt to have nesting material just in case there ever ends up being fertile eggs. Don't touch any of the eggs until you know they are not going to be hatched because many birds will shun their eggs after being disturbed.
Enjoy your finches! I loved mine because they made the most relaxing sweet sounds and it was fun to watch their antics. Oh, and every time the phone rang they broke in to a chorus. Oh, and there are ooddles of books on finches at the library so maybe check a couple out to learn more about your babies. :-)
If they are not fertilized they won't hatch. Just cause you have male and female birds doesn't mean that these eggs are fertilized. Female birds can lay eggs even without a male present. I had a cockatiel that used to lay eggs with no male bird present. This is quite common. Call a Vet that deals with birds and reptiles and get more info.
I had Finch's that also laid an egg in their food bowl. I placed a nest in their cage. One that hangs. It wasn't long before eggs started appearing. I would place shredded news papers, cat fur and other soft items in the cage for them to build their nest with. Before you new it, I was the owner of 16 babies. It is truly fascinating to watch. They pretty much will take turns in caring for their young. However when they got older (Showing their colors) I would separate the males and females. I kept the breeders together. I am not sure how two males would react to the babies since both parents have an active role in raising their young. You may want to call a pet store and get an expert opinion. But if you could possibly figure out which is the father, it would be an experience you would want to see first hand.
I just placed a nesting box in the cage and the birds did the rest. The Mom and Dad take turns of feeding and sitting with the babies and eggs. They are fun to watch. I looked for lots of info about the birds. They only have one lover at a time, usually for life. Interesting little creatures.
What do I do if my zebra finches lay their eggs in different spots and I don't know how long they have been there?
The article I read said that the bird will lay one egg a day until she is finished. She can lay up to 8 eggs, but usually 3 to 6. She will start incubating when the last egg is hatched. An egg that has not hatched after 20 days is considered infertile.
I would just start watching and make a note of the day you found them. If the 20 days goes by, dispose of the eggs. She is in a cage, correct? You confused me when you said "in different spots"
It sounds like you may have more than one bird who is laying eggs. I would watch them carefully to see who is laying and where. Once you find out, you can make sure that the eggs are in a safe place and just wait for each bird to start incubating them. If you don't want chicks you can replace each egg with a similar size marble or tiny rounded stone. The finch will sit on them as if they are real eggs but she will give up after a while. If you don't have a male finch around the eggs can not be fertile. In that case I would replace the eggs with the marbles or stones and carefully blow out the contents of the eggs to preserve the shells and enjoy looking at them or using them in decorations. If you just find an isolated egg or two in a different place from the others it may be that one bird lay a few eggs there before discovering that there was already a clutch in progress, to which she switched for her remaining eggs. I know chickens do that but I don't know if finches do. Enjoy watching the nature of it all. Good luck.
boy oh boy!!! well my zebra finch has laid 11 eggs so far and we are still seeing her with signs of laying more so "up to 8?!" is really not a true statement at all! and this is her very first clutch too!!
My two finches laid their egg in the seed basket. Should I move their egg (would the mother reject it) or is it safe if the egg stays in the seed basket? Thanks.
I would move the egg and hope for the best.
I'd move it but then swap the places of the egg and the seed basket so its technically in the same place.
This is my first time owning zebra finches. About 20 days ago one started laying eggs and finished about 2 weeks ago. She laid 4 eggs in total. Today I noticed a 5th egg. Should I remove the other eggs? Also I'm not even sure that I don't have 2 females. I'm sure my grey one is a female. And they make different sounds, but I am unsure about the white one.
From thespruce.com Egg-Laying
The average zebra finch can lay up to eight eggs in a single clutch, with the median being between three and six.
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The hen lays one egg each day until the clutch is complete and will begin incubating the eggs once the last one is laid.
Incubation Time
Zebra finch eggs begin to hatch within 12 to 15 days after the hen begins to sit on them. As a rule, if an egg hasn't hatched within 20 days, you can consider it infertile.
Since your finch finished laying eggs 2 weeks ago, wait another week, and remove the 4 eggs if they haven't hatched. Since you noticed the 5th egg today, wait 19 days from today to get rid of that one if it hasn't hatched.
Usually they don't start to sit on them until after they lay the last egg. So, start your timing from the final egg, and then give a couple extra days just incase.
I have 2 zebra finches and they have laid 3 eggs in their seed tray. She is sitting on them all the time. If I get a nest box and put the eggs in there would she ignore the eggs?
Maybe.
I would certainly get a nest box for next time, but don't put it in yet. Just put a small bowl for seed in the cage so they can still eat. If the babies hatch and survive, put the nest box in once they have grown enough to be out of the seed tray.
I have a pair of finches. They laid four eggs more than one week ago. After laying the fourth egg they broke the egg. Initially they sat on the eggs for some time, but now they are not sitting on the eggs. What should I do?
Remove the eggs, they are spoiled. I raised finches and Canaries for years. The broken egg or it's remains would have spoiled in the nest & made an unhealthy habitat for other viable eggs. Clean the nest & try again. I'm really sorry.
I had bought a pair of zebra finches, a brother and sister, from a friend and after keeping them a while the female died. I didn't know what to do so I bought a new zebra finch and put her in his cage immediately and she laid an egg. They have not incubated it. What should I do?
I would Call a pet store and ask.
I have two finches, one male and one female. She laid to eggs, but I don't know when one egg fell out of the nest and broke. I didn't know until too late and it was dead in the egg. How can I help the last egg survive? And how often do finches mate and when do they mate?
That was the best information I received since I got me Finches.
My first male didn't like the female so I took i back to the pet shop.
These two like each other just fine. I have had 12 eggs in a very short time .( in 2 different settings).The first clutch didn't work for me except for one and I tried to candle it and I broke it. I had a moving chick that I think would have hatched in about a week.
Read all you can on hatching chicks.It will help you in the long run.
I have 2 pairs of finches in my cage, 1 of the females just laid an egg and now she and her mate are being extra protective and a little aggressive towards the other pair. Should I move the other pair into their own separate cage or should I just leave everything alone since the other pair has started laying? I don't want to disturb the other pair since they just laid their first egg today and I don't want them to get scared or reject the egg or stop laying eggs. What should I do?
They should be moved to a separate cage.
Why hasn't my egg hatched when it's over due?
You start counting from when the bird starting sitting on it, not from when it was laid. Are you sure it was a fertile egg?
Eggs may be laid 2 weeks before the bird starts sitting on them.
