Basic Finch FAQs
By Connie Soto
What is a typical life span of a finch?
On
average a finch usually can live for ten or more years depending upon the
specific species.
Can a finch live alone like the canary?
The
finch is a very social bird and needs companionship unlike a canary.
Can any species of finch live together?
Not all finch species are compatible, it is
best to read about the type of finch that you want to purchase before shopping
for a finch. Even some finches of the
same species are not always compatible. The temperament of finches can vary
greatly between the different species.
Finches come in many different color
varieties and temperament leaving a person with many options.
What about drafts and finches?
Drafts
or sudden temperature changes are not beneficial to finches the same as
canaries.
Finch metabolism is quite active is there
any precautions to protect them?
It is very important to have seed and water
available for finches at all times. Finches are very active little birds and
cannot go without food or water for very long without ill effects, even several
hours can result in death.
Does finch eat only a seed diet?
Finches
eat primarily a seed diet but need a balance of fruit, veggies and soft food
for proper nutrient.
During the breeding season do finches
require a different diet?
The
diet should always be balanced for healthy finches who will typically consume
more soft food during the breeding season.
It always looks like seed is in the food dish
but is it really still full?
Finches
chuck the shell off of the bird seed leaving chucks in the food dish. If you
blow into the dish the chucks blow out and the seed stays behind. If you are
like me and do not want the chucks everywhere and you do not want to throw away
good seed, then the following suggestion might help. Each day empty the seed
into a container transferring it to a wild bird feeder, once a week start
fresh. A caution that I strongly adhere to is, do not do this if you have any
sick birds. The wild birds will benefit from the better quality of the seed
than the typical wild bird seed that is usually sold. You will always know that
your finches have enough seed each day instead of guessing.
Do finches require grit and cuttle bone?
Finches
like canaries require grit and cuttle bone to be freely available to them each
day.
Do finches sing?
Most
finches sing and their melodic songs are quite varied throughout the many different
species of finch.
My
personal favorite finch song is that of the Strawberry finch which has a flute
like melody and carries quite a tune for such a tiny bird.
The bill of the finch is more unique to
their species what is it called?
Finches
are referred to what is called hard bills.
How can a person tell the different between
a male finch and a female finch?
Sometimes
there is no way to distinguish the difference between the male and female finch
except by behavior. Often the male is the brighter and more colorful than a
female. A juvenile finch in most species is typically duller in color suggesting
youth.
In the wild finches naturally wear down
their toe nails what is done for caged finches?
Caged finches should have a variety of
perches to help keep toe nails trim. It is best to keep an eye on the nails and
trim them when they become too long. Take care not to cut them to short into
the quick which is filled with blood. A finch can lose too much blood from a
toe nail putting the bird in danger. This
will not be very difficult once you have practiced the procedure a few times. If
you are uncomfortable the first time your veterinary can show you how.
What about deep cages for finches?
Even though finches are social they also
require their own space. A cage needs to have enough room to have perches for
each bird giving them a minimum of 4 inches of perch room for each. Appropriate
flight room is the ability for a bird to be able to fly from perch to perch and
not hop from perch to perch. A deep cage does not gain any flight room for
birds as they do not utilize it where a horizontal cage area is much more
beneficial.