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Pet Forum / Birds / Birds / April 2004size of food and water containers?
i'm going to get a pair of zebra finches. i already have a fairly large cage for them. the cage came with containers for food and water. now, the containers seem quite deep for such small birds. i'm worried that if the water gets too deep, the birds might drown. if i don't fill enough, on the other hand, the finches might not be able to reach the surface. also, what if a bird falls in and can't get out? should i get smaller containers, made specifically for small birds? thanks in advance for any suggestions. - bird-loving son of the yellow river If you're concerned the bird might fall in and not be able to get out, your dishes are way too big. Since the dishes are so large, I am concerned about the cage bar spacing for your cage. Please make sure that the bar width on the cage itself is safe for your birds. If there is any risk that they can get their necks through the cage bars, the cage is too big. Check on stainless steel bird feeders; a 4 ounce or smaller that hangs on the side of the cage may be best; they generally cost about 5 or 6 bucks each. Open containers need to be placed in an area where the water will stay clean (my parrotlet is a pro at poop target practice, so I have his perches and toys strategically placed). Be careful, though, about only putting one water container into your cage. Water quickly gets spilled, and many birds die from dehydration. You may want to shop around a little and learn what's available; cruise around various pet bird suppliers online. There are water dispensers that hang on the outside of the cage and the dispenser slips through the bars. These keep the water cleaner. There are also water bottles, but many birds don't like the water bottles. Shop around and make sure you've made the right selection before you bring your finches home. ~Kimberlee : i'm going to get a pair of zebra finches. i already have a fairly large cage : for them. the cage came with containers for food and water. [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] : : - bird-loving son of the yellow river > If you're concerned the bird might fall in and not be able to get out, your > dishes are way too big. Since the dishes are so large, I am concerned about > the cage bar spacing for your cage. Please make sure that the bar width on > the cage itself is safe for your birds. If there is any risk that they can > get their necks through the cage bars, the cage is too big. the bar spacing is less than 1/2 inch. i think that should be ok? > Check on stainless steel bird feeders; a 4 ounce or smaller that hangs on > the side of the cage may be best; they generally cost about 5 or 6 bucks > each. Open containers need to be placed in an area where the water will > stay clean (my parrotlet is a pro at poop target practice, so I have his > perches and toys strategically placed). heh. i didn't think about that. > Be careful, though, about only putting one water container into your cage. > Water quickly gets spilled, and many birds die from dehydration. ok. > You may want to shop around a little and learn what's available; cruise > around various pet bird suppliers online. There are water dispensers that > hang on the outside of the cage and the dispenser slips through the bars. > These keep the water cleaner. There are also water bottles, but many birds > don't like the water bottles. good idea. i'll check what's available. > Shop around and make sure you've made the right selection before you bring > your finches home. > ~Kimberlee i will. thanks for the advice! >now, the containers seem quite deep for such small birds. i'm worried that >if the water gets too deep, the birds might drown. if i don't fill enough, >on the other hand, the finches might not be able to reach the surface. also, >what if a bird falls in and can't get out? Zebra finches love to bathe, they WILL be in the water, it is best to allow for it. > i'm going to get a pair of zebra finches. i already have a fairly large cage > for them. the cage came with containers for food and water. [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > on the other hand, the finches might not be able to reach the surface. also, > what if a bird falls in and can't get out? I highly doubt that the birds "might drown" in that containers unless it is the size of a pail. Finches love to bathe, and I think that the bigger the water bowl is, the happier they will be. However, I think that you should replace the seed bowl if it is too deep. Seed bowls that are deep can cause the top seeds to be eaten, and the bottom seeds to be inaccessible because the seed hulls on the top cover them. If gone for a weekend, you birds could starve. Go for a seed dish that is shallow but has a big surface area. > should i get smaller containers, made specifically for small birds? seed containers yes, water, no. IMO > thanks in advance for any suggestions. > > - bird-loving son of the yellow river For my finches, I just use clay saucers (the types for plants) to feed my birds in. For the water, I use water tubes. If I give the birds water in a dish, they take a bath in it and it becomes disgusting after awhile. Unless you like changing your water a couple times of day, I would get some type of waterer that attaches to the side of the cage. Tammy www.GouldiansAndMore.com www.JustBirdStuff.com > > i'm going to get a pair of zebra finches. i already have a fairly large cage > > for them. the cage came with containers for food and water. [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > > > > - bird-loving son of the yellow river Surely if they want a bath they should be able to have one? > For my finches, I just use clay saucers (the types for plants) to feed > my birds in. For the water, I use water tubes. If I give the birds [quoted text clipped - 31 lines] >> > >> > - bird-loving son of the yellow river  SignatureWith Windows 3.11, we were on the edge of the cliff. With Windows 95, we made a big step forward. >Surely if they want a bath they should be able to have one? I give my finches a separate little bath "tub" that hangs on the outside of the cage at one of the feed cup doors. It's easy to put up and take down without sticking my hands in the cage. They get it every day if I have time. I use the "test tube" type water tubes for them, on the outside of the cage. They drink a lot of water so they have 2 large ones. They have 2 seed cups, one a small canary type and the other a large one that came with the cage. I put treats such as egg, corn, rice in a shallow treat cup, and hang romaine, cucumbers, millet, broccoli on a clip inside the cage. I tried putting a piece of strawberry in the cage once, but instead of checking it out as they do everything else, they flew to the top of the cage and were paralyzed with fear for a good 10 minutes, so I removed it. Cute little birds. :) Becky >> Surely if they want a bath they should be able to have one? > [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > else, they flew to the top of the cage and were paralyzed with fear > for a good 10 minutes, so I removed it. Cute little birds. :) ROFL the strawberry. That's weird. Maybe it's the colour? My amazon used to hate the red rope but loved the blue and green ones. Now he's used to it. He's also scred of tinlids and lightswitches. SignatureShould crematoriums give discounts for burn victims? > ROFL the strawberry. That's weird. Maybe it's the colour? My amazon used to hate the red rope but loved the blue and green ones. Now he's used to it. He's also scred of tinlids and lightswitches. > -- > He's scred???? You IDIOT hucker > Surely if they want a bath they should be able to have one? > [quoted text clipped - 33 lines] > >> > > >> > - bird-loving son of the yellow river If my canary's going to bathe, he always does it relatively early in the morning. So, just wait past, say, 9 o'clock and he's either done it or not going to. Of course I have the advantage of working from my house, so that makes a difference. Is it possible to use waterers for tiny birds? I guess if I put one in there, I'd still be changing the water dish a couple times a day anyway to keep it clean so not sure what the point would be ... |
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