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Spice finches are small, Asiatic
birds dressed in chestnut-brown feathers with an attractive white and
brown scalloped pattern on their breasts and flanks.
Males and females look alike, so it is
necessary to rely on differences in behavior to separate the sexes.are
classed as mannikins, along with
such popular birds as society finches,
bronze
mannikins and silverbills. Mannikins
comprise a group of small, handsome birds with broad bills, sturdy builds
and plumage that is sleek, distinctly patterned and restricted in color
(usually browns, white and black). Typically, mannikins are hardy and
undemanding.
Offer your mannikins a roomy enclosure, especially if breeding is your
goal. Cages should be at least 30 inches in length, but expect spice
finches to be at their best in larger flights
with ample plant cover, where birds
can snuggle into protective foliage to escape being observed. To help
reduce the frequency of nail trims, include some reeds for perching among
the plant cover. In the wild, spice finches perch on reeds, which wear
nails naturally. To protect captive birds, trim
nails before they become dangerously long.
Spice finches enjoy a daily bath and should have bathing facilities. They
also appreciate sleeping in nests (or clumps of dense foliage) at night,
so offer cozy sleeping accommodations.
Spice finches are congenial birds, and they do well in mixed
flights where they can be kept in pairs or small groups throughout the
year. Spice finches can also be housed on their own in individual pairs or
small flocks, but because they are very gregarious birds, spice finches
should not be kept singly. Commonly, finches prefer companions of their
own kind. When housing spice finches in mixed flights, avoid combining
spice finches with other mannikins (especially societies or
silverbills),
because this may result in undesired hybrids.
Offer your birds a seed mixture for finches that contains a variety of
seeds, including millet and canary. Add millet spray as a treat.
In addition to dry seed, spice finches enjoy soaked or sprouted seeds and
millet sprays. Spice finches also eat fresh, green, ripening seedlings
heads, such as crabgrass, chickweed or plantain, which are similar to the
ripening seeds spice finches eat in the wild.
To add protein, use commercial nestling food, pelleted food or egg
food. My spice finches are not big fans of these soft foods, but they
do eat some, which improves their diet. If your spice finches accept live
food, offer these protein sources, too. Also offer greens (such as
spinach, dandelion leaves or kale) regularly, which are favored by most
spice finches. Also provide cuttlebone,
mineral mixture and a small amount of grit.
Spice finches reproduce most successfully when they have a roomy,
plant-filled flight; they often do not breed well in cages. Offer your
birds nest baskets or boxes and lots of pliable grasses for nesting
materials. Be sure they have a quiet, undisturbed location. When young
hatch, offer a variety of soft, nutritious foods that are easy for parents
to feed their offspring, such as nestling foods, ripening seedling
grasses, soaked seeds, egg food or live food. If parents fail to rear
their young, nestlings can usually be
successfully fostered to society finches. As soon as they are
independent, place fostered young with their own kind to reduce the
potential for imprinting problems.
It is difficult to predict when a pair of finches is apt to raise young
successfully. Look for two things: steadiness and appropriate breeding
behavior. To rear young successfully, parents need to feel comfortable in
captivity, which is revealed by calm, steady behavior. Birds that feel
comfortable rarely appear nervous or insecure, these comfortable birds are
less likely to abandon their nest or nestlings.
Second, finches that breed successfully generally display appropriate
breeding behavior, which consists of standard patterns of behavior used by
their species to raise young. When birds breed, using standard behavior
patterns helps birds communicate with their partners and improves chances
of breeding successfully. In short, if your birds display the
"right" behaviors (for their species), you can be optimistic
about their chances of successfully rearing young.
Among spice finches, expect mates to sit close together, preen each
other's plumage and roost together at night. To ensure that pairs
actually consist of a compatible male and female, acquire a group of spice
finches, and let the birds select their own mates. Males can be recognized
by their courtship behavior: Males fluff their plumage, do a bobbing dance
and sing a very quiet song. The female responds by quivering her tail, an
invitation to mate.
Both members of the pair contribute to building the bulky nest (usually
hidden in dense vegetation), though the male collects most of the
material. As eggs are laid and incubation
begins, one partner is often seen alone during the day, usually at a
distance from the nest. At night, both birds sleep together in the nest.
Parents share nest-building, incubation and brooding duties.
After eggs hatch, both parents make numerous trips back and forth to the
nest, carrying food for their offspring. An increase in food intake
(especially of soft foods and ripening or soaked
seeds) also becomes obvious. Throughout this process, successful
parents generally perform in a steady, consistent manner. Observe your
breeding birds carefully. Then you can compare future performances,
knowing quickly which nesting attempts are apt to succeed and which may
require intervention.
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