Zebra Finches Question?

Question

We got a female finch yesterday. He's attempted to mate with her, but I don't know if they have. I saw them in their in closed nest, with him on top of her for three or four seconds, but I don't know. It was also late at night. Now their making a nest in their nest exactly like this...

http://img.thefind.com/images/YQAVytsNgCAMAMAuBA1-GOMeDsBLwIRCpAmTyAJO41bq991zz9eAAWoDqJ4bROa6IvbepfHOJQrSlowtloqNNTl9OiTf-BNUs1LLhHsiG0VImlgYnU0p4h_yqAFe?m=1&g=2

So now their grooming each other and cuddling. I want to know this:

1. How long will they have to know each other to start mating?

2. Do you think they were mating in the nest earlier when I saw them?

3. What is the percentage that they will have atleast one clutch in their lifetime?

4. How much could I sell them for in Southern California in Laguna Niguel area?

5. When do you think they'll start mating?

Anything Else!

Answer 1

You have asked questions that are unanswerable.

It depends on the individual birds.  I would not have put them together immediately, but waited a few days.  

Breeding birds and hoping to sell them is a lost cause.  Call a pet store and ask how much they would pay you for your weaned babies.  Not much - like $5 if you are lucky.  

Before you let them breed - by putting them together with a nest did it - you must boost their nutrition or the female can die laying eggs.  They need lots of calcium to lay eggs - a fresh cuttle bone must be available.  Lots of greens and soft carrots.  Do your homework to keep them alive.  

Answer 2

you should get a nest from a local bird store so they can lay the eggs and then you take the metal bars off the floor of the cage and put something soft on it so they know that they will mate and when you do that they know that there babys wont get hurt so they will mate like no tomorrow  

Answer 3

not long, yes, probably, big bucks, sure.

Answer 4

they have already started it doesn't take long for the birds and the bees as they say you can tell if she lifts her tail and he drops down behind her while on top they breed they can 3 clutches a year. as for prices if you have singers they sell for more then none singers  in nevada a few years ago they sold for between 55 and 125 dollars each

Answer 5

If it was 3 or 4 seconds, it was too short for any penetration in the female to take place, but, if she is letting him try and mate with him, this means that she is already comfortable with the fact that there is a dominent male in her territory.

Bear in mind that finches are very shy creatures, and its not very often that you actually see them mating, inless they dont have a nest and are exposed visually. If they are grooming and cuddling, its a good sign, and seeming that they are trying to build a nest inside the other nest it means that they are preparing for eggs! Birds wont build nests unless they are going to breed, or have already bred, and are going to lay eggs shortly.

To answer your fist question

1. Finches are very social birds, and generally very friendly. It isnt often that they fight, and dont have many territorial issues with one another, unless there is more than one dominent male or female in the same cage. So if the female and male are cuddling, this means that they are already very comfortable around each other, and will start breeding if it is the right season.

2. If the male was ontop of the female, then yes it is considered mating.

3. If there is a male and a female in the same cage in breeding season, they will become a breeding pair. And if the conditions are met properly for them to breed, they can lay anything between 2 - 3, maybe even 4 clutches a year with anything from 1 - 5 eggs. So its about a 80% chance that they will breed.

4. Im not sure about how much you could sell them for. Have a look at other breeders prices, and compare them to your own. Or go browse around at your local aviary and get a price on them, ots good to base your prices on this. (I also dont stay in the USA, i stay in South Africa so i dont know how much they cost in general in the USA)

5. They should start mating within a month or 2, maybe even sooner!

Hope this answeres all your questions, best of luck!! =]