Can You Keep Finches From What You Learn on the 'Net Alone?

[sierranomad]

Can you cut down a 6 meter tree with a hatchet?

I think the answer to both is the same. Yes, but...

I am new to bird keeping, having gotten my first birds nine months ago. But I've been on the 'net for just about a year learning all that I could, and I've learned a lot for which I am truly grateful (and my birds are, too).

But yesterday I got The Finch ... a Breeders' Companion and boy, my eyes are ready to be opened. For example, if you'd asked me, based on what I've learned on the 'net, I would have said that there is one disease that humans can catch from birds, Chlamydiosis. But Breeders lists 6, plus mites. It also gives human symptoms for these diseases as well as precautionary measures.

In the giving of medications administered in the water the book gives 15 warnings, for example Avoid medicating birds in the drinking water during very hot or rainy days, as they may consume too much or not enough of the medication.

These are things I've learned in just browsing through the book, and am excited about what else I will learn.

Don't get me wrong. I greatly value what can be learned on the 'net, especially a forum like this that allows novices like me to get advice to specific questions/concerns from those that have perhaps decades of experience in finch keeping. I think it is priceless. But I think it's complimentary to, and not a substitute for an authoritative, comprehensive book.

[Buzzard-1]

Nothing can replace experience!! but to get the experience smart people research. Yes you can keep finches with basic knowledge the mortality rate and breeding results are the main thing affected. I'm still learning from both members on this Forum and through studying the birds I have. What works for one may not work for others I had an old friend (RIP) who kept many species of finches (including live food eaters) never provided anything but basic seed and water and a bit of green grass when it was around and his mortality rate was minimal and fantastic breeding results constantly. I could never figure it out?

[Diane]

I think experience and research go hand in hand, sometimes one is in front of another but both are needed all the time. Another thing that is required is an open mind to others findings and a very heavy dose of patience.
Websites and forum are an invaluable resource, information available at a click wherever you are in the world.

[Myzomela]

I agree with all the above comments.

Another skill which helps is to be able to separate the good information from the misinformation, and the facts from the folklore.

For example, if you google "twirling" in finches, there is a claim that nystatin successfully treats this condition. This is absolute rubbish, as nystatin is not absorbed from the gut so cannot affect anything occuring within the brain, nor anywhere else in the body except i the gut.

Old books talk about Condy's Crystals ( potassium premanganate) being a cure-all for anything from worms to scours in birds. That's because back then medications were limited. This chemical acts as a mild antiseptic so may help with mild bacterial infections but will not kill intestinal worms or coccidia any more than adding bleach or Virkon to the drinking water will.

So read any information with a critical mind. Apply what you think will work in your situation, then watch the results & adjust accordingly.

[sierranomad]

I agree with all the above comments.

Another skill which helps is to be able to separate the good information from the misinformation, and the facts from the folklore.

So read any information with a critical mind. Apply what you think will work in your situation, then watch the results & adjust accordingly.

The problem for novices like me is that we often don't know how to "separate the good information from the misinformation". I mean, if someone says that it's good for your bird if you allow a cat in the aviary then, yes, then I know it's rubbish because in my experience cats like to eat birds. But until I've gained a level of experience (or have an trusted source) I often don't know what advice is good and what is bad.

This forum is valuable because it doesn't take long to tell who are my fellow novices and who has experience, so I know who's advice to give more weight to.

And that's also why I think the book was money well-spent...because as a novice, I don't know what I don't know and I can't ask a question about something I don't know I don't know, you know?

[finchbreeder]

Isn't it frustrating when you don;t know you don;t know. Sorry couldn't resist. Use all sources of information to compare the advice given and consider where you are in relation to where the source of information is. And the odd prayer won;t hurt either.
LML

[jusdeb]

The internet has opened up a world of information on birds and husbandry ..some good / some not so good .

Common sense , research , experience and knowledge given by those more experienced all add up to successful bird keeping .

Forums ( not all ) where members are comfortable enough to question each others theories are invaluable when it comes to unbiased information .

[sierranomad]

Isn't it frustrating when you don;t know you don;t know.
LML

Ha-Ha. Absolutely. When I first started learning I felt like a blind man entering an obstacle-filled room for the first time. Knowing that you can't trust everything you read on the 'net, it was as if I had dozens of people giving me warnings "go this way", "No, go that way". But I didn't know who to listen to. I hadn't found this forum yet. I was on a forum, some of the members of which didn't seem as knowledgeable, straightforward or honest. Some seemed more concerned with "not making someone feel bad" over the loss of a bird than helping them.

Forums ( not all ) where members are comfortable enough to question each others theories are invaluable when it comes to unbiased information .

Boy, is that ever the truth. Also, as you and others have also said, experience is so valuable. Learning from the experience of others is helping me to gain my own...without all my birds dying in the process.

I should have gotten a book to begin with, but I wanted to save money. But then again, not all books are created equal, I got a book a couple weeks ago that I'm going to return because it's dogmatic about some things that aren't true.

[Pete Sara]

My answer would be NO. As things like climate can have variations on how you keep birds from place to place, some areas my be prone to differant diseases ect. I learned alot over the years without the internet , but I have learnt alot from the internet, but a diagnosis over the internet is near on impossible so always consult a vet....pete

[flap]

we often don't know how to "separate the good information from the misinformation".

I agree, and that is why I don't think you can keep finches WELL with just info on the net. By going to reliable sources of information, such as books by Kingston etc, as well as the net, as well as experienced forum members, vets etc, it increases our chances of having strong healthy happy birds.