Help needed from BYC finch people - just rescued a juvenile finch - TN

[Jenski]

Hello! The crazy chicken lady has now been given a rescued juvenile finch to heal and foster - - I am on the web now doing some finch research, but I would really love to have some first-hand advice from our BYC folks who are experienced with finches.

I know very little about finches . . . I am a bantam chicken person, and I have a working knowledge of cockatiels, so here goes:

This bird is a juvenile rescued from the aviary of a retirement home (not a wild bird). S/he is a white finch with a bright orange beak. S/he has what I imagine is his/her first set of feathers, but they don't look like adult feathers yet. I have been told she is part of a clutch of two chicks, and unlike the other chick she has not shown any inclination/ability to fly or flutter around the aviary. S/he is also the only one who never sang or cheeped. Last week her clutch mate decided to cut her loose, and began attacking her. She was moved to a small cage within the aviary in the hope she could regain some strength and return. Upon her return today, she was attacked by all the other birds, and quickly removed and brought to me.

She is missing some feathers along the top of her neck, and has a few scratch marks on her skin. I have not yet put any of my bird ointments on her since she was not bleeding and I do not want to stress her too much. She was nesting in her food dish, so I made her a quickie nest of a small bowl and some Timothy hay. She seems alert but quiet, and is eating well. I refilled her water dish.

Again, I don't know finches, but I do know chicks, so I placed one of my ceramic brooder bulbs about 12" from the cage and the temp is measuring around 77 F. There is a towel draped over the back side of the cage to reduce drafts and capture the heat from the lamp. I also placed a small table lamp on that desk because I know some other birds can get night frights and harm themselves in pitch black cages.


Thanks for reading this far . . . and if you have, any further advice for now? Are there special supplements I should give him/her? Are any common things harmful to finches that are not harmful to other birds? What about temperature for a lone juvenile of 6-8 weeks? Are finches very flighty? S/he is in a quiet, private room, but should I worry about noise/stress beyond that? Any recommendations on regular feed? I will have to get out to the store tomorrow morning for more feed, I think.

Thanks so much to all of you for your help. I'll keep you posted on how s/he does!

 

[Nambroth]

She sounds like a white Zebra Finch... does she look like this? www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww41eiii.htm

Zebra finches are very communal; they generally enjoy being in a flock situation of more than one. So she may be slower to adapt to new situations than if she had a bunch of (reassuring) flockmates.
If her scratches seem topical and she has no open wounds, it might be better to not add the ointment. They are wee little birds and unless they are tame and used to people, handling may cause undue stress.
Finches are more flighty than some larger birds, but with time they can get used to us and enjoy our company on some level.

They just need time to realize that you aren't there to eat them! Mine are not interactive, but recognize me as "the food lady" and will sing when it's time to re-fill their food bowl.

While all birds have respiratory systems that are more sensitive than our own, passerine birds (in general) such as finches tend to be much more sensitive. Avoid anything with fumes or scented products near her, and (with all birds indoors) it's a good idea not to use Teflon cookware in the same airspace.
Once she has all her feathers back and is less stressed, normal room temperatures that are comfortable for you will be comfortable for her, too.

Generally, finches thrive on a fresh (key word is fresh! if the seeds won't sprout, they may be stale) finch seed blend, with fresh shredded dark leafy greens (avoid spinach and iceburg lettuce) offered. I offer mine tiny mealworms about once a week, and a calcium supplement if the female decides to lay any eggs. Sometimes I offer other fresh, safe foods, sparingly. Avoid foods high in fat, salt, or sugar.

As for other vitamins and supplements, a good diet (plus calcium if necessary) will provide what she needs, unless she has a deficiency or other health problems.

If she is doing well and you decide to keep her, consider getting her a few girl friends to keep her company.

Only get a male if you want them to breed-- and breed they will!!-- but please don't take breeding lightly. Unless you have homes lined up for any chicks, it is not like our chickens that we can cull or find homes for somewhat easily, and there are a LOT of zebra finches in the world needing homes already.

I hope this helps some! I am not an expert in zebras as I keep other finches but perhaps someone else that has more experience can help you further. Best wishes with your new friend!

 

[peepsnbunnies]

Sounds like you have a Zebra Finch. They come in several colors including white. Does it look like it has any injury that would keep it from flying and perching? There are babies in my finch cage and they are less than 8 weeks old and they fly and perch, even though the parents do still feed them. I consider finches flighty, they are not birds that will sit on you. They alway fly around when I am feeding and watering. But they are not frantic or panicked, just fluttering around. I don't know of any supplements to give at this point. Maybe a little Vionate in the water, you can get it at the pet store.The temp you have is probly good since it is already feathered. I feed mine Nederlands finch seed and millet, maybe some chopped up hardboiled egg.

You can tell sex by the beak. Babies have pink beaks that gradually turn to orange. Boys are very bright, dark orange and girls are orange too, but a little lighter and kind of yellowish.

There are some good websites too, just google zebra finch.

Good Luck with your baby

 

[onthespot]

is it still begging to be fed? If so, you can maybe buy a society finch or two to put with it. They are famous (and kept) for fostering other finch babies.

 

[Jenski]

Good morning, and thanks so much for all the great advice and insight! I knew I could count on our BYC'ers to help out.

The little finch is doing great this morning, and eating from the seed dish like crazy. By the time I went to bed last night, s/he had figured out the heat lamp and moved to sit on that side of the cage - - so I moved it a little closer. She slept through the night (I checked several times) and seems calm (for a finch?) and alert.

When I get back from the store and give him/her a food refill, I will take a closer look at her (let's just say her, LOL) body condition - - and see how she's getting around in the cage. So far I've seen her perch and hop around a bit, but no fluttering or flying.

I happen to have some boiled eggs from my hens in the fridge, so I'll also try mashing some up later this morning.


Thanks again, and please feel free to add anything you can think of here.