HOUSING PROBLEMS FOR FINCHES

By Jayne Yantz

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When combining finches in a mixed flight, select species that are about the same size; this will prevent smaller residents from being stressed or intimated. Avoid combining closely related or similarly colored birds, however. Doing so may encourage rivalry, aggression and, sometimes, hybridization. To prevent the most common hybrids, resist mixing any of the "super breeders" (finches that are extremely eager to breed in captivity, such as zebras, societies and silverbills) and always house finches in pairs of the same species.

Mix species with similar personalities, too. If you're a beginner, limit birds in your flight to peaceful species (easygoing orange cheeks or silverbills, for example). When you do mix aggressive or assertive birds, house them only in spacious quarters that are well-planted, so neighbors can stay out of sight and sound of one another. I believe your flight is too small to accommodate pairs of potentially aggressive finches, including green singers, cordons (sometimes) and bronze mannikins, which especially can be real terrors!

To encourage harmony in any mixed flight, divide the space inside the enclosure into separate perching and feeding areas. Use clumps of plants (living plants or bundles of dried grasses, for example) to divide areas within the enclosure. At least, place some plant cover in the upper regions of the flight, where the birds will prefer to roost. By creating separate areas within the flight, your birds will enjoy greater feelings of privacy, safety and security, and there will be less chance that one pair will begin competing for the entire enclosure.

Plant cover also provides important protection should rivalry or conflict or conflicts occur, because victims of aggression can easily escape attack by hiding in foliage. In a carefully planned community flight, however, only minor disagreements should take place.

By providing your birds with first-rate accommodations, it is possible to reduce the stress and frustration that prompts aggression and other behavioral problems. Housing should be spacious, clean and comfortable. Birds should never be overcrowded! (Your flight can accommodate up to three or four pairs of small finches.) Locate finch enclosures in fairly undisturbed spots, preferably where the birds can perch at your eye level (which helps them feel secure). If their housing or surrounding environment is not suitable, finches will let their owners know quickly, by displaying aggression (such as pecking or chasing neighbors) or plucking their feathers, or they'll fail to rear their young properly. Feather plucking among your green singers may be an indication of this problem.

Since feather picking is usually the result of frustration or stress, the best cure is identifying and removing the cause. For example, feather picking often occurs among birds that are housed in small cages, particularly when the accommodations are in busy, noisy or exposed settings. Overcrowding, which is also very stressful, is another major cause of feather picking. Feather picking (or aggression) may also result when the birds don't have the opportunity to breed, either because they are denied nesting facilities or they are not housed in mated pairs. Consider this last possibility and offer your birds a chance to fulfill their breeding instincts.

Regarding the use of peppermint extract to stop feather plucking: I really cannot recommend applying anything unnatural to a finch's feathers. (I also doubt that flavoring the feathers would stop a serious case of feather plucking.) Instead, if feather picking occurs, root out the underlying cause of the behavior by looking for source of frustration or stress that may be bothering your birds. (House plucked birds separately while their feathers grow in, because bald spots invite further plucking.)

Like feather picking, overgrown beaks should not be ignored. Overgrown beaks are a warning that something is wrong with your birds' environment or health. Since active healthy finches keep their beaks trimmed naturally, be sure your birds have roomy quarters (which promote exercise and good health). The enclosure should be equipped with cuttlebone, a few fresh, rough tree branches and some peckable food. In addition to their basic menu, add some peckable treats, such as apple slices, broccoli heads or pots of seedling heads grown from your finch seed mixture -- your finches will enjoy eating the seed heads and digging in the soil. In short, offer an environment that keeps your birds active and their beaks busy.

Sick birds are also prone to overgrown beaks, because they lack the energy to exercise and often fail to eat properly. The result is a slow increase in beak length. Consequently, any bird with an overgrown beak should be checked carefully for illness. If the bird is in good health, however, focus on environmental changes to promote naturally trim beaks.

Slightly overgrown beaks usually correct themselves if birds are healthy and properly housed. If the problem is resolved quickly by improving your bird's environment (or if the beak is very long or deformed), trim the beak. Use a cuticle nipper and gently remove a small portion of the overgrown area. Maintain the natural shape of the beak and don't trim too much! With healthy finches, it's usually sufficient to lightly trim an overgrown beak, then encourage the bird to wear the rest of it down to its natural, healthy shape.