Can finches live with parakeets? It’s a question that has been asked before and it’s one we will answer for you in this article. We will give you the lowdown on whether or not these two pets can live together in harmony!
Finches and parakeets are both very popular pets for bird owners, but they have very different needs. Can finches live with parakeets?
To answer that question you first need to know the basics of how each species lives and what kind of conditions they need to thrive in.
Let’s look at the finch family first!
Finches
Finches are small songbirds that are found all over the world. There are thousands of different species of finches, which can be divided into six groups:
1) Canaries
2) Canopy Finches
3) Cave Canaries
4) East African Canaries
5) Societies, or Society Finch species. These are the most popular finch pets. They come in a multitude of different colors.
6) Zebra Finch
Finches mostly come from the Canaries Islands and South America. They eat seeds, nuts, and berries. Canaries are known for their beautiful singing voices, but the finch species aren’t famous for singing.
Finches are usually kept as pets in cages or aviaries. Their diet needs to be supplemented with food designed specifically for birds, especially if you keep your bird as a pet at home instead of letting him fly free around an aviary.
Finches live in small groups in the wild, flocking together in jungles, trees and grasslands. They like to eat seeds, fruit and insects.
They are medium-sized birds with strong beaks which they use to crack open the husks of seed and shell their food.
Canaries, which are also finches, are renowned for their beautiful singing and come in a variety of brilliant colors and patterns.
Finches eat and drink from small dishes placed on the ground or hung from a tree branch. It’s important to change feeders and water regularly as they often swallow their seed whole, meaning it can quickly go mouldy and spoil.
Canaries are the most popular finch pet, but there are thousands of different species and they vary greatly in size and appearance. Some birds eat mostly seeds, while others prefer fruit or insects.
Parakeets
Parakeets are the worlds favorite pet bird, and one of the most common. There are many different species, but they all live in large flocks in the wild.
Parakeets mostly eat seeds, fruit and berries, which are supplemented with a specially-formulated diet for pet birds. Parakeets can live in both aviaries and cages or indoors as pets, but they need plenty of space to fly and play.
Parakeets prefer to eat on the ground in their cages or aviaries, so it’s important that you place a seed dish in a good position.
Parakeets can be socialized into talking and learning a variety of different tricks. But they have a fairly high-pitched voice compared to other bird species.
Parakeets are flock animals; they like to spend time with both other birds and their owners, and don’t do well if left on their own for long periods of time. Canaries come in a wide range of colors, patterns and species.
Can finches live with parakeets together in the same cage?
They can live together in the same cage, but they need to be raised with each other from a young age.
Many people think that finches and parakeets will get along in a cage because they are two different kinds of birds that have similar sizes, but it is important to remember that finches and parakeets originate from very different habitats.
For this reason, as well as the fact that both species require specialized diets, housing them together would not work well for either one.
What might work better is finding an appropriately sized birdcage where you could house both finches and parakeets together – so long as there’s plenty of room to allow each species to escape confrontation with the other when they want peace and quiet.
How to introduce your finch and parakeet.
- First, try to ensure their cages are at least six feet away from each other.
- Once they have seen each other and you feel safe; place the cage doors about three feet apart.
- It is preferred that the finch be on one side of the door while the parakeet stays on the other–this way they can get used to each other’s presence with less chance of a fight breaking out between them.
- Now take some small pieces of fruit or uncooked bird seed and toss it in a few inches near either door way!
- The birds will soon notice and come close to investigate what these tasty tidbits are all about!
- Once they realize there is no danger; food–they’ll start grabbing an nibbling.
- This way they will get to know one another and associate the other’s presence with something good.
- Just keep giving them small tidbits until an hour or two later when you can place a treat dispenser there.
- You may also want to try feeding your finch from the parakeet cage so that she/he gets accustomed to visiting the new cage.
- Keep an eye on them for signs of stress and listen closely to each bird for any unusual or alarming sounds like fluttering wings, hissing or squawking etc.
- If you notice anything like this, separate the cages again immediately until they have had some time to calm down a bit.
Maintaining A Healthy Environment
Tips for maintaining a healthy environment for both types of birds include;
- making sure the cage is always clean and sanitized,
- providing a well-balanced diet full of lots of fresh fruits, vegetables and seed or small parakeet pellets for your pet birds to choose from.
- keeping enough food in their shared cage so they do not fight over it.
- Not forgetting their water bowls should be emptied, cleaned and refilled every day as they can get dirty pretty quickly if not looked after properly.
The benefits and disadvantages of having both types of birds as pets
The main benefit of having both types of birds is that you can create a wonderful and interesting pet bird display in your home.
Making sure your pets have plenty of toys to play with has been shown to improve their health and make them live longer as well. Canaries are also very social animals; they like nothing more than spending time interacting closely with their human companion.
Canaries will learn to mimic your speech and some can even be taught to sing! Canaries are also known for being prolific songbirds, and will sometimes sing their songs in the evenings or early morning.
Many people believe that Canaries are one of the best pet birds to teach tricks to, as they seem to be very intelligent creatures. Canaries have also been proven to help reduce stress and anxiety in humans.
Of course there are many disadvantages that come with having Canaries; Canaries are very high-maintenance birds and have very specialized dietary needs that must be met daily. Canaries also typically live 10 years with proper care, so it is important to know that Canaries are not the right pet for everyone!
Parakeets are a tiny species of bird that will live for many years if looked after correctly – although they are not as long-lived as Canaries, they have many other positive qualities that Canaries lack.
Parakeets can be kept in pairs or larger groups without any problems; this allows your pets to interact with one another and become more sociable.
Which is better, a finch or a parakeet?
In terms of maintenance cost, Canaries are higher maintenance animals. Canaries and Parakeets have different dietary needs.
Canaries need fresh food on a daily basis, whereas parakeets will eat pelleted food both dry and wet – for the Canaries this may mean you will need to prepare their meals every day, however, the more work Canary’s require doesn’t necessarily mean Canaries are better pets!
Canaries have other much higher demands placed on them than Parakeets. Canaries require a lot more attention and time spent with them throughout the day.
Canaries will not be happy if they are left in a cage for hours at a time while their owner goes to work or school, while Parakeets on the other hand will be perfectly happy to sit in a cage all day.
Can Finches And Parakeets Breed?
No. Finches and parakeets cannot breed. They are not from the same family. Canaries and Canaried Finches are finches, whereas Parakeets are parrots.
Parakeets cannot breed with Canaries because they have different body types, beaks, feet etc.
So, they can live together and will get along but they cannot reproduce viable eggs.
