Why do my zebra finches tear up paper and stuff it into the water container?

Question

They started a couple of months ago and now it seems to have become a strange habit. They tear off strips of sand sheet and put it into the water with some of it hanging over the edge of the bowl. The water container is a tube so there's a steady drip of water.

I wondered if this is normal behaviour. Are they trying to tell me something or have they devised a shower.

Answer 1

it's instinct to try to build nests....or - they are using the sand as grit to help them digest their food.

Answer 2

* Nest building they want to breed

Answer 3

The birds want to breed . Provide a small dish and some hay/moss/straw in small pices and do not disturb them  

Answer 4

Your birds are in breeding condition,what you need to do now is buy a  Finch nesting basket,this you can get from most pet shops and hang it in their cage(if you have a pair)

Then put in a little hay or  shredded paper .

If you intend to breed them ,make sure that they have plenty Cuttle-bone.

Just let them get on with it  

Answer 5

do you add grit to the cage because they need it to digest their food. they are probably dropping it in the water by mistake, trying to carry it.

Answer 6

My zebra finches did that too, soon after there were eggs in their food containers.

Unfortunately, the 2 sets of parents (sharing the same cage) weren't feeding them, so I had to hand feed the babies with soaked bread using a blunt end of a toothpick.

Had continued to leave them where they had hatched;  the parents didn't harm them, just not very good with feeding their babies.

All the babies survived into adulthood.