Providing your zebras with a well rounded diet which includes a good finch food, fresh vegetables, an egg rearing food, mineral grit and cuttlebone will ensure their good health and better their chances for successful breeding. Immature hens risk egg-binding if too young to breed. You should wait until they are at least 8-10 months old before attempting to breed them. The birds will not be sexually mature until at least 2 months of age. I move my chicks into a separate cage from the parents once they are seen to be independent. The males take the longest since they have more color to develop. It will take about 2 months total for the birds to come into full color. I usually house my siblings together until they begin to fill in and then I separate boys from girls in separate aviaries. This is the appropriate time to remove the youngsters to another cage. Once they are independent the parents will disown them and treat them like any other bird sharing their cage. You will notice their begging for food from their parents will decrease as time goes by. in the beginning.Īt about 4 weeks the chicks should be shelling seeds by themselves. Finches are born knowing how to fly but, the chicks are not very skilled at making it onto perches etc. This means they will leave the nest for the first time. Each breeding pair has their own style of rearing.īetween 18-21 days after the babies have hatched they will usually fledge. You will see them gagging up food either before they enter the nest or once inside. The chicks usually begin hatching 12 days after the 3rd egg is laid. My hens usually begin sitting regularly once the third egg is laid. They will mate and if you are lucky you can watch the whole courtship process take place. Once the birds have picked a nest they will begin building the interior of it with the nesting material you have provided. They will take most anything for nesting material including bermuda grass, nesting hair, toilet paper, burlap strips ,etc. My experience is that they will accept both a closed style rattan nest and open nesting boxes. They are hardy birds and fairly easy to care for. Zebras are peaceful birds and can be housed with a variety of other finch species. However most have the black tear drop markings and their beaks are orange in color. You are able to sex zebra finches visually which makes acquiring them as a beginner a good bet.įemale zebra finches are absent of any chest barring, flanking, and cheeks. Putting it simply males sing and females do not. But, a sure indicator of a male zebra finch is his song. And some of the rarer color mutations may have different coloring all together. This is the standard coloring for most of the zebras although whites are absent of the flanking, cheeks, and breast barring. Most male zebra finches sport a black breast bar, brown flanking along their sides, their infamous orange cheek patches, black tear drop markings and beaks red in color. I have found nothing more rewarding than watching my finches go through their courtship ritual and eventual breeding and raising of babies. The possible color varieties are almost endless. Many do not know that zebra finches come in a large variety of colors. Their reputation for being prolific breeders, being easy to care for, and being downright sociable makes owning them most rewarding. Zebras Finches are probably by far the most popular kept finch here in the States.
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