Welcome to Hand Reared Cage and Hand Reared Exotic Birds Lisburn County Antrim.
Finches
Finches are small, quaint little birds that come in many different varieties and plenty of colors and marking styles. They can range from very delicate to fairly hardy, rare and expensive to common and inexpensive, and very demanding to just needing the essentials. You should put some serious thought into the type of finch you want before you buy it, which means you really need to look into the species you think sounds the best to you before you make the commitment to it. All finches require several very basic but somewhat time-consuming things: fresh food and water daily, a cuttle bone daily, fresh boiled egg with chopped veggies at least a few times per week, ample lighting (preferably direct via an open window on a warm day) daily, a large enough cage to comfortably accommodate them, a clean cage (usually needs to be cleaned about once per week), clean perches and food/water dishes, periodic nail clipping, bathing opportunities several times per week, and a secure, quiet, and peaceful environment to be kept in to assure that they do not become stressed. Finches are NOT the kinds of birds you can take out and play with, and you really shouldn't ever try to make one hand tame because it causes a GREAT deal of stress to the birds (which can weaken and kill them). If you want a bird you can handle, consider buying a parrot instead. Finches are best for visual enjoyment, and they make pretty cute chirping sounds too! Most finches songs are not as lovely as a canary's, but a few species (such as the green singing finch and strawberry finch) have wonderful songs. Another thing you may consider doing with your finches after you've had them for a while (if you CAN) is breeding them. Some finches are easy to breed, others are more difficult and require more than just a nest box, eggfood, and nesting material to make babies. The one thing I've found that all finches seem to have in common is that they're pretty messy! They like to throw seed hulls around and splash a lot in their water baths (and they shed feathers), so be prepared to clean up messes by their cage(s)!
There are a few things you need to consider in determining if a finch is the right pet for you:
Do you have enough spare time in a day to feed/water your birds, and to clean their cage when necessary?
Are you able to accommodate a cage at least 30" long somewhere in your house apartment etc. where it can receive ample lighting and be kept away from noise, traffic, and drafts?
Are you able to keep any predatory pets that might want to make a meal out of your birds (such as cats and bird dogs) away from your finches?
Can you accommodate at least 2 finches in your life? (Finches must be kept at least 2 to a cage in order to feel secure.)
Do you know someone you can contact in case of a bird emergency (such as an avian vet or knowledgeable finchkeeper breeder)?
How much money are you willing to spend on a pair of finches?
Will you ever want to breed your pair, or do you never want to have to deal with the possibilities of babies in the nest?
To begin with, finches should always be kept in either pairs or 6 or more to a cage. Any more than 2 and less than 6 may result in bickering and perhaps in the dominant bird(s) murdering the submissive ones. It does happen, so beware. (A pair will usually bond and 6 or more will lose track of who is submissive and therefore usually won't be able to single out any one bird.) The cage you put these birds into must be large enough for them all to live in comfortably, so use these factors in determining how many birds you wish to purchase.