Finch newbie

[CathyW]

Hi, I have kept budgies for years but have always been interested in delving into the wonderful world of finches.
My 15yo son has to learn a new skill due to participating in the Duke of Edinburgh award. He particularly wants to make a natural style aviary that is planted out and has a eucy mulch floor. How do you stop mice digging in? Do you plant the bushes as seedlings or already developed plants? Do you have any tips or tricks to do or avoid to help him please?
He is planning to have a small room to walk into then close door before entering the aviary via another door to prevent escapees. He also thought he should roof about 1/3 of the aviary and have a spot that is protected from winds etc by having solid panels on the walls. Is there anything else he needs to do?
Many thanks for all you advice. Cheers, Cathy

[Shane Gowland]

Hello Cathy, welcome to the forum.

Keeping mice out is a challenge. You'll need to use mouse-proof mesh (~6.5mm or smaller) and dig the external walls into the ground 30cm all around, or have a concrete floor. Wanting to plant the aviary out means the concrete floor may not be an option.

Be wary of eucalytus mulch (or any kind of mulch) with a uncovered roof. If it gets wet, and stays wet for prolonged periods of time, parasites and diseases will become an issue. I always advocate for concrete with a thin layer of paving sand for ease of cleaning, but other members may strongly disagree with me here.

Plants that are already a good size are going to be easier to establish. Finches will pick and peck at new growth, so you need plants that will grow faster than the finches can attack them. Some mesh covers for smaller more fragile plants might be needed while they're still small and vulnerable. Another tip is to plant them in spring when they're growing at their fastest.

Be wary of toxic plants. Generally anything native is fine, but always double-check. I have callistemon, dwarf bamboo, an assortment of native grasses, and a tea tree growing in my aviary. The callistemon and bamboo take the bulk of the abuse from the birds.

The safety door to prevent escapes is a great idea. Depending on how large the aviary is, you may also want to have a separated feeding area to make it easier to catch birds, or look into making a feeder trap.

[CathyW]

Thanks so much Shane.
So do you have your plants in pots or are they in the ground? Also do you mean that we need to put the wire along the bottom of the cage as well? If so have you added soil on top of the wire so you can plant?
My son doesn’t do things by halves so is planning on a largish aviary 2.4m wide x 7 m long x 2m high. Still not confirmed re size and is very open to suggestions. The area it is to go in is huge and pretty much vacant (he has removed a huge play ground, climbing frame, swing set and monkey bars already!)

[Shane Gowland]

I use large concrete pavers (1mx1m) as the floor of my aviary. Then, in the middle of the aviary (further than any mouse could dig) I've removed three of the pavers and planted all the plants into those spots.

The exposed soil in the plots was then covered with pebbles to be extra careful. This is what it looked like a couple of years ago when it was first planted:

IMG_20181115_145954.jpg

[finchbreeder]

Welcome to the forum. Get your son to do his homework, by reading the "avairy builds" section of this forum. Though the short hand version Shane has just given you covers the most important aspects. Sounds a lot like my family. Mother is a Budgie breeder, and I am a fincho. Make sure the gaps between the doors and frames are not over 6mm either, as mice and snakes can sneak in through there if the gap is bigger. Talking from experience here, had to do a fixup. Much easier to get it right from the beginning.
LML

[Brisbane_Finches_333]

Hi, I have kept budgies for years but have always been interested in delving into the wonderful world of finches.
My 15yo son has to learn a new skill due to participating in the Duke of Edinburgh award. He particularly wants to make a natural style aviary that is planted out and has a eucy mulch floor. How do you stop mice digging in? Do you plant the bushes as seedlings or already developed plants? Do you have any tips or tricks to do or avoid to help him please?
He is planning to have a small room to walk into then close door before entering the aviary via another door to prevent escapees. He also thought he should roof about 1/3 of the aviary and have a spot that is protected from winds etc by having solid panels on the walls. Is there anything else he needs to do?
Many thanks for all you advice. Cheers, Cathy

Hi Cathy,

To stop rats and rodents getting in (which is necessary as they will get in and kill), one of the most popular and effective ways is to dig a "rat wall". This is a "trench" approx. 60cm deep, filled with either concrete or wire under the walls in the aviary. You can also bury mouse wire in soil about 10cm deep, but that means you can't plant much.

He's spot on about the walk-in room and the shelter, they'll need the shelter in windy and rainy weather, and the walk-in area is good for not only preventing escapees, but catching birds if one is sick etc. You can just 'herd' them out of the aviary, into the walk-in area and catch the desired bird with a net.

I bought my plants from Bunnings in the larger pots, natives such as bottlebrush, grevillea and melaleuca are always faves. So is dwarf bamboo, sold as Tiger or Palm Grass, which some species will rip to shreds for nesting materials. It is wise if you can to plant your plants a while before the birds are going in to let them establish.

It is also wise to put feed stations undercover, as it won't get soggy. Make sure to feed a balanced diet with lots of veggies (they love silverbeet and cucumber, but practically anything green will do, except avocado) and good quality soft food as well as regular seed. If you have any 'weed' grasses growing nearby on the roadside or in a park, and you're it's not sprayed by council, feed it to the birds as they just love the stuff. Also, baked eggshells are good for them. Put them in the oven at 210c until golden brown (to get rid of nasty bacteria) and they'll love it too.

What species are you keeping? Are you interested in breeding them (as a hobby) or just an aviary full of happy finches?

Thanks
Aidan

[CathyW]

Hi finch breeder, thanks so much for the welcome and info. Great tip about the door gap sizes. He hadn’t thought through that yet! He is so excited to be doing this but of course as with any new skill, he is discovering many things he hasn’t thought about! How did you combat the problem regarding the gaps?
Also where is the aviary builds section please? I am searching but it doesn’t seem to come up as a section of it’s own that I can find. It may be that I am doing something wrong being that I am such a newbie even to forums lol.
Cheers, Cathy

[CathyW]

Hi Aidan,
Thanks for so much helpful advice. Is the 12mm x 12mm wire too big for finches? Will this still let mice in? We tend to have a lot of field mice as we live on 3 acres and have a road reserve on our longest boundary that is only slashed a few times a year. Whilst this will be good for the seeding weeds you spoke of, it means we do get mice on the property. We also have a good veggie garden so we can provide the birds with lots of yummy healthy organic foods and leafy greens.
So he will need to do some digging! Just as well he is a fit strong teenager!

[CathyW]

Also another question if anyone could help. Some people seem to have black coated wire in their pics. Is this bought from a particular place or have people painted it somehow? I presume it is just for aesthetics so you look through the wire and see the birds more easily. Is that correct or is there another purpose in mind. Is normal galvanised aviary mesh ok or would the black be better? What would you use to ensure it is non toxic?
Oops sorry more than one question!

[Brisbane_Finches_333]

12mm x 12mm wire is fine, that's what I used for my aviary. Yes, people often paint their wire matte black to help with vision and make the wire seem invisible. I'm pretty sure most modern paints are non-toxic, but you might need to wait for another member to reply about that.