Description
Book SynopsisTable of ContentsIntroduction 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
