Finches For Dummies

Nikki Moustaki is an accomplished avian care and behavior expert. She works with clients to heal strained relationships between themselves and their feathered friends. She has published 47 books, including more than 30 covering the care and training of exotic birds.

Introduction 1

About This Book 1

Foolish Assumptions 2

Icons Used in This Book 2

Beyond the Book 3

Where to Go from Here 3

Part 1: Introducing Finches 5

Chapter 1: Finches: More Than Just Pretty, Chatty Birds 7

Where Finches Come From 8

The Life of a Wild Finch 8

The Many Species of Finches 9

Size differences 11

Temperament differences 13

The finch lifespan 13

Anatomy of a Finch 14

Chapter 2: Are Finches Your Perfect Companions? 17

Knowing What to Expect from Finches 18

Activity 18

Noise 18

Enjoyment 19

Mess 20

Knowing What Your Finches Expect from You 21

A good home 22

Routine 23

Deciding Whether a Finch Is Right for You 24

Will finches fit into your family? 24

Do you have any smokers in the house? 25

Is your home also home to children? 26

Do you have other pets? 27

How Many Finches Are Right for You? 28

Chapter 3: Selecting Species of Companion Finches 31

Choosing Finches: Exploring Your Options 31

Canary 32

Cordon-bleu finch 33

European goldfinch 33

Gouldian finch 34

Java finch 35

Owl finch 36

Society finch 37

Spice finch 38

Whydah 39

Zebra finch 40

Chapter 4: Finding and Selecting Finches 43

Choosing Finches: Exploring Your Options 44

The age of your new finches 44

Gender 45

Previously homed finches 45

Finding a Finch 46

Pet shops and bird shops 46

Swap meets and flea markets 48

The classifieds 48

Breeders and experts 49

Bird shows 49

Searching for a Healthy Finch 50

Eyes 50

Nose and nares 50

Feathers 51

Feet 51

Vent 51

Attitude 51

Housing Finches Together 52

Part 2: Caring For Your Finches 55

Chapter 5: Home Tweet Home: Preparing for Your Finches and Bringing Them Home 57

Your Finches’ New Home 58

Size matters: Cages, flight cages, aviaries, and habitats 58

Considering cage materials 59

Keeping cage safety in mind 60

Deciding where to put your bird’s cage 61

Accessorizing Your Finches’ Abode 63

Perches to stand on 64

Cups and bowls 66

Cage covers 67

Mineral blocks and cuttlebones 67

Toys 67

Baths 68

Lighting 69

Heating 70

Keeping Mess Away 70

Cage bloomers and seed guards 70

Cleaning supplies 71

HEPA filters 71

Setting up the Cage 72

Finch-Proofing Your Home 72

Traveling Safely from Store to Home 75

Chapter 6: Caring for Your Finches 77

Water: Extremely Essential 77

Knowing What Your Finch Should (and Shouldn’t) Eat 79

Seeds and pellets 79

Veggies and fruit 80

Snacks 82

Live insects 83

Table foods 84

Cooked foods 84

Fun Finch Food Recipes 85

Finch flapjacks 85

Finch fiber fusion 85

Finch fries 86

What not to feed your finch 86

Nutritional supplements: When food is not enough 87

Helping Your Finches Get the Exercise They Need 88

Getting a Good Night’s Sleep: Putting Your Finch to Bed 88

Grooming Your Finch 89

Toenail clipping 90

Bathing your bird 92

Giving your molting birds some TLC 92

Can’t We All Just Get Along? Living with Other Pets 94

Cleaning Your Finches’ Housing 94

Chapter 7: Come Here Often? Getting to Know Your Finches 97

Understanding Finch Behavior 97

What did you say?: Normal finch vocalization 98

You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours: Preening and allopreening 99

Stretching: Birdy yoga 99

Hungry anyone? Finch vomiting and regurgitation 99

Resting on one leg 100

Scratching 100

Sleeping and roosting behavior 100

Romeo, oh Romeo: When your finch goes a-courting 102

Finch Communication 102

Handling Your Finch Safely 102

Taming Your Finch 103

Part 3: Training and Breeding Your Finches 105

Chapter 8: Keeping Your Finches Healthy and Handling Emergencies 107

The Veterinarian: Your New BFF (Bird Friend Forever) 108

Regular examinations 108

Emergencies 109

What a Healthy Finch Looks Like 109

Eyes 109

Ears 110

Beak 110

Feet 111

Feathers 112

Respiratory system 112

Skeletal system 112

Digestive system 113

Signs of Sick Finches 113

Common Finch Ailments 116

Emergencies: Knowing When to Get Help Immediately 117

Poisoning 118

Animal bites 118

Overheating 119

Oil on the feathers 119

Frostbite 120

Unconsciousness 120

Egg binding 121

Foot injuries 121

Eye injuries 121

Seizures .121

Injury to the beak 122

Fractures 122

What to Do if Your Bird Is Lost 122

Assembling a First-Aid Kit 123

What to Do If Your Bird Dies 125

Chapter 9: Breeding Your Finches 127

Breeding Your Finches 127

Making sure you have a male and a female 128

Starting with healthy birds 129

Knowing when to breed 130

Getting the right equipment 130

Figuring out where to put the nest 130

Knowing what the parents need to eat 131

Prompting your finches to breed 131

Understanding the incubation period 132

Feeding and weaning chicks 134

Knowing What to Do When Something Goes Wrong 134

Egg binding 135

Infertile eggs 136

Inexperienced parent birds 136

Tossing the chicks 136

Failure to thrive 137

Finding foster parents for your babies 137

Handfeeding baby finches 138

Finding good homes

for your baby finches 139

Discouraging Breeding 140

Part 4: The Part of Tens .141

Chapter 10: Ten Great Finch Websites 143

Chapter 11: Ten Fun DIY Toys for Finches 145

Index 147