Housing A Zebra Finch – Basic Knowledge
Why Zebra Finches Make Perfect Pets
Although Zebra Finches only live approximately 5 years in the wild, when cared for in captivity, their life expectancy doubles! In some occations, some report their pets to live as long as 12 to 14 years! This makes Zebra finches the perfect companions in any home. Whether you are a novice or veteran bird enthusiast, you will fall in love with these birds because they are charming, hardy and inexpensive to care for.
In their natural habitat, Zebra Finches make their homes in a broad range of environments including dry savanna, brush or grasslands, cultivated fields and pastures so that tells you how adaptable they really are. For more than one century, these birds have been a preferred choice by even some of the most skilled collectors because of their active and cheerful nature. Because of this reason, it is always recommended to have at least two Zebra Finches paired together so they don’t get lonely and be sure that their housing is large enough to accommodate their energetic flying spurts.
Characteristics
Although Zebra Finches are available in a wide variety of colors and patterns, there are markings that are most prevalent. Typically, the male will have a white belly, accented with gray wings and a gray upper body. They have a cheek patch on both sides of their head and a teardrop under their eyes that can range from fawn to tan to brown but enthusiasts simply call it orange as a universal description. Their flanks are a vibrant chestnut color with white dots and their legs and beak are reddish-orange. The physical characteristic that gives the birds their name is also their most unique feature being the black-and-white striped pattern that they wear on their chest.
While female Zebra Finches are quite similar in appearance, their legs and beaks are a bit lighter and their teardrops under their eyes are black, rather than orange. Other color varieties of Zebra Finches include chestnut-flanked-white, fawn, pied, black cheek and black or orange-breasted.
General Care
When these birds are in the wild they can actually go a very long time without any water since many are used to living in harsh conditions. However, when they are kept in captivity, they must be provided with fresh, clean water at all times to be healthy.
Every finch is different when it comes to food they like and dislike so you will need to experiment a bit to come up with a diet that is healthy, yet satisfying. They should be given seed as a basic component to build on. You can get many kinds of seed mixes at your pet store. You should alos add mixed sprouts like alfalfa, vegetables, mashed up hard-boiled eggs, spinach, lettuce and bread crumbs. Cabbage, peppers and onions should always be avoided.
When feeding Zebra Finches fresh food out of your kitchen, only offer a small amount at a time and take away anything uneaten. Food left in the cage can spoil and cause illness. You will find that spray millet is something they are quite fond of and their beaks are powerful and they have no problem removing the shells off even the smallest seeds. This is a specie that prefers to graze throughout the day so be sure that your Zebra Finches always have something available for them to snack on when they get the urge.
