Last Updated on by Catherine Tobsing
Black-headed weaver (AKA weavers, weaverbirds, weaver finches, and bishops) male nest building ~ above
Jeanne G. writes:
I have a canary and am thinking about getting a Weaver finch.
Feathered factoid: Finches are part of the canary family.
At the pets store, they were in the same cage: canaries and one Weaver finch that the owner said sings beautifully.
My young canary is just starting to sing.
I have a large cage.
I am wondering if I could keep the 2 birds together and if they would sing when together.
Or
is it better to have them separate and in separate rooms?
Any thoughts would be appreciated!
Also, any resources on canary care—perch site/ing; types of toys appreciated by them would be welcome.
PS: as an afterthought, I, also, have a 27-year-old Amboina King parrot that I got at a young age from a breeder.
I always love to learn so if you can direct me to any good resources on them–that would be appreciated!
Thanks in advance,
Dear Jeanne
I feel they can be kept together, but the cage needs to be pretty roomy with landing perches at either end.
The canary can live in a relatively small cage (18″ minimum), the weaver needs twice the cage’s length or the tail will get trashed in no time.
Weavers use their tails in their dancing to entice a mate. The back-and-forth motion of the weaver might be annoying to the canary, but there is no way of knowing of course.
And they might fight. Both are males who are naturally a little aggressive.
The canaries seem gentle, but they have pointy beaks that can do a lot of damage to another bird.
In the pet shop, the birds may be together, but in that situation, there are many things that tend to distract them from each other.
I would do more research.
Let me know how it goes, we love pictures.
Jeanne G. replied
Thank you!
You brought up things I hadn’t thought of like male agression, cage needs etc.
I love that you guys offer such wonderful support!
I will keep you posted though I am thinking separate cages would be in order!
Dear Jeanne
I was going through our exchange and I realized you mentioned a “Weaver” finch.
In my head, I was thinking of a Whydah Finch which would have a long tail.
So my mention of a long tail was not correct if you meant a Weaver.
But the same rules apply when putting two pointy-beaked male birds together in the same cage.
The large cage you have for your canary is wonderful. If you decide to set up another for the Weaver Finch, I am sure it would be appreciated.
As far as any changes to your cage, I would add perches on each end, so your bird can fly back and forth and have a place to land comfortably, rather than having to grip the bars.
These little hook-on perches are easy to use.
Yes, please let us know if you get the new finch and the setup.
Also, I apologize for missing the question on your Amboina King parrot.
I really don’t know much about them, I did find information about King parrots on Wikipedia
Jeanne G. replied
Thank You!
Maybe I would have gotten her a companion had I realized the need, but she has pretty much bonded to me anyway!
As for the Weaver Finch—that makes sense.
I hadn’t particularly noticed a big tail, but the 2 male potential aggressiveness is not something that was on my radar!
I am so glad I asked as it would have been a big surprise to find them fighting!
Now, I ponder if I want the responsibility of another caged bird.
Also, I looked up the song of a Weaver and it was quite shrill–another surprise.
I will add end-to-end perches as you suggest.
Again, so appreciate your support!
Thanks!
Jeanne G.
Regrettably, the only canary post we offer is here.
Note to self ~ see above
MitchR
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