My Zebra Finches don't mind that I moved their nest or touch their babies. I didn't touch their eggs though! It takes about 14 days to incubate eggs and I left the babies alone for their first week. Finches grow and mature very fast. In 21 days the chicks will leave the nest and I will give these babies away. I hadn't planned on having baby chicks. I had no idea Zebra Finches were so prolific!
I wanted to know exactly how many babies they had and what shape their were in and happily everyone is healthy. Finches lay from 4 to 8 eggs and can start laying another clutch as soon as the babies leave the nest.
I purchased 2 Zebra Finches to keep our one winged Mourning Dove company. I purchased a wicker cage because I read the finches love to snuggle in groups. I had no clue the 2 would start courting, mating, and nesting so soon. I read that when birds start nesting that means they are happy.
Baby Finches are very ugly. You can see their craws or crops are stuffed full with boiled chicken egg. I read that finches parents and babies need good protein, some veggies/fruit, and seeds to give their babies a proper diet. The finches ignore my chopped veggies and fruit and prefer eggs and seeds for their baby food. I also have a lot of grit, little rocks and crushed eggshells to help the adult birds digest their food. Birds use gravel to grind up their food since they don't have teeth.
You can see PG our crippled Mourning Dove and the orange cheeked Male Zebra Finch. Zebra Finches are non aggressive happy little birds that get along fine with bigger non aggressive birds like Mourning Doves. Most of the time it is important not to mix bird species and sizes but this situation worked out great. Lots of people keep their injured Mourning Dove with Zebra Finches. I was surprised that the mated pair didn't start attacking PG once they laid their eggs. I can happily say they all seem to be happy together.
Most pet stores have woven wicker nests. Cages outside the cage don't take up so much room but I have a large cage. Also nesting boxes are easier to clean.
