Finch is a general term for hundreds of species of small birds, all of which eat seeds and many of which have bright colors and pleasing songs. Even familiar birds like canaries are actually one type of finch and common poultry birds like zebra finches belong to another family of finches.
Finches make great pets with the understanding that they are not like parrots: they do not become tame and will rarely come to your hand for food when they live in a cage. However, given the right environment, they make an amazing sight to sit and watch, buzzing with activity and fun. The first step is choosing the right cage for your finch and here are some tips.
finch size
Finches range in size from the tiny Golden-breasted Waxbill which is around 9 cm long to larger birds such as the Canary and Goldfinch at around 12-13 cm and even larger birds such as the Grosbeak, normally around 16 .5-18 cm long. However, as a general rule, finches are always smaller than birds of the parrot family, such as the parakeet and the cockatoo.
The other main differences are its beak and legs. Birds in the parrot family are often called hookbills because of the shape of their bills, which form a hook from their face and overlap the lower jaw. Finches have a beak that is designed for eating seeds and insects and has two halves that protrude from the face. The difference in the feet is that parrots have two toes forward and two backward, while finches have three forward and one backward.
cage sizes
All these elements mean that a suitable cage for a parrot is not always suitable for a finch. The first reason is usually the spacing between the bars – the ones made for larger parrots allow finches to fly right through! Therefore, cages that have spacing between bars of about 1 cm or half an inch are the best option to stop small escapees. The strength of the bars is not a big issue with finches, while parrots can chew through weak bars, finches cannot.
Whatever type of cage you are going to get for your finch, the best recommendation is to get the largest cage you can. Some clubs recommend, for example, that a pair of zebra finches be housed in a cage no smaller than 16x12x16 inches with at least two perches. This gives them room to fly as well as a place to land and preen. Many smaller finches sleep in a nest box even when they’re not breeding, so space is also needed to add one in the cage or outside if there’s a spare door.
Cage Features
There are some very elaborate cages available for finches, but remember, these features mean little to the birds. A pretty shape, ‘windows’ and so on will have no effect on the quality of life of the little residents. A square or rectangular cage will be ideal for them and they won’t mind a round one either.
The important thing is the content of the cage. Finches don’t play with toys much, so there’s little point in adding too many of them, they’ll just accumulate clutter. Ladders, rope perches suitable for small birds, and feeding toys are a good idea, but be careful that they are designed for the size of bird you have, as those made for parrots can often lead to accidents.
Finches love to bathe, so they will need access to a bathroom and a supply of fresh drinking water. Some cages may have an external toilet mounted on a door that can be removed at night; otherwise, a potty bowl may need to be placed in the bottom of the cage.
For the bottom of the cage, there are many different ideas of what to use. I personally use a horse bed called an Easibed in my cages, but this may not work for everyone, especially when the birds are in the house. The old standby is always newspaper and this still works: it picks up the clutter, it’s easy to get and change.
Have at least two of all items, such as food and water bowls and toilets, so you can have one in use and one in cleanup. Finches are indiscriminate about where they deposit their waste, so messiness is normal.