Single finch

13 Apr 2011, 10:17

I have a zebbie that I was given and he lived quite happily with my female Canary. This morning I found the canary dead in the nest they slept in together and the zebbie a bit agitated. I have removed the nest and the canary.

Will the zebbie be OK on his own now or does he need a friend?

13 Apr 2011, 10:25

zebra finches are very social creatures, in the wild found in HUGE flocks of over 2000 birds. best to get him a friend or 5 ;)

13 Apr 2011, 10:34

No I don't want 500 zebbies in a few month's time!

13 Apr 2011, 10:35

Preferably of the same sex. Unless you wish to discover for yourself that Zebs breed like rabbits.

You preempted my comment.
LML

13 Apr 2011, 10:39

aww, but baby zebras are SO cute!!!!

13 Apr 2011, 10:47

I know and that is why I still keep and breed them after all these years. But in a very controlled environment. 3 very nice young hens out at the moment, 2 dilute and one normal fawn. And being sex linked I didn;t have to wait for colouring up to sex them. And I now know for sure that mum (visually normal gray) carries the recessive dilute gene.
LML

13 Apr 2011, 10:51

So if I get another male they will be fine as long as I don't get ever a hen? What about a different variety of finch? Or I guess I could get another canary.

I was thinking of putting him in with the Burkes (he used to live with Budgies before I got him) but they are so placid I don't think they would cope with his zipping around all the time.

13 Apr 2011, 10:55

Another boy finch of any kind would probably work. Just inclined to keep them with their own kind. Or as you say another canary would work too, and if it's male you have the advantage of beautiful music.
LML

13 Apr 2011, 12:07

finchbreeder wrote:I know and that is why I still keep and breed them after all these years. But in a very controlled environment. 3 very nice young hens out at the moment, 2 dilute and one normal fawn. And being sex linked I didn;t have to wait for colouring up to sex them. And I now know for sure that mum (visually normal gray) carries the recessive dilute gene.
LML

Sorry.
Dilutes are Dominant and Fawn is Sex Linked so the hen can`t carry either , she is just a normal grey , the dad must have been a Cream?

13 Apr 2011, 18:51

That's why I said I knew the sex of the chicks right from the start. Cause fawn is sex linked. The dad is a fawn dilute pied out of a chestnut fronted cock and a fawn dilute pied hen. The mum is a normal gray out of a gray black fronted cock and a normal fawn hen. But there was some doubt as to mums parents carrying dilute.
Are you saying that dilute is dominant in the way that pied is?
LML