Raising finches as pets is stimulating and delightful. How do I know this? I raise and breed finches myself. For over ten years now I have the hands-on experience and a whole lot of studying finch deportment; I directly know the absolute joy of raising finches. It goes without saying that the delight you get overpowers the work it takes to tend to and feed these petite birds.
Any time I am in a pet shop selling birds I always see a group of people gathered around the exhibit of finches. These active, vocal petite birds simply charm people with their activity and their singing. Not only that but finches of any variety are easy on the eyes. Many breeds of finches are bold and colorful like the Gouldian finch while others are muted and stately like the Zebra or Spice finches but there is no variety that doesn't in some way catch your eye.
Finches do not sit still. Finches never seem to run out of energy as they chase each other around their habitat all day long.
You'll discover that finches eat a lot. Each bird will ingest around a third of its body weight in food every day. They thrive on seeds but require supplements to their diets in captivity. Finches are omnivores, eating plants and animal protein. They love green leafy vegetables, cut-up fruits, and a variety of worms and insect larva.
Their aviary should be large enough for them to fly around, longer than it is wide and without frills. Finches will take no interest in toys, ladders, mirrors or bells; those things make parakeets happy but finches simply see nothing there. By the way, don't expect your finch to be tame, sitting on your finger and eating seeds from your hand. Let them out of their enclosure and you'll work hard to recapture the bird.
If you are new to finches, thinking about getting a pair of birds for your home, I recommend you begin with Zebra Finches. They are generally the easiest finches to care for, are almost never aggressive and are easy to breed at home. They also tend to be the least expensive as well.
As pets, finches entertain themselves with song and movement all day long. While they are entertaining themselves they are also entertaining you. I can sit for hours watching these little creatures live together in peace and harmony, singing to each other, grooming themselves and their mates, splashing around in the birdbath and generally enjoying themselves.
The thing to remember is that raising finches comes with a responsibility for the lives of your birds. It is an awesome responsibility but one that is easily carried out when you have the tools to care for these wonderful little birds.
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