Amazing Finches I Would Love to Keep As Pets

Have you ever known someone with finches as pets? If you follow me on Twitter, you might have noticed that I have a thing for birds. Indeed, I have several pet birds. I find birds fascinating, and they really mean a lot to me. Birds, especially finches, are difficult to keep as pets, as they require a fair amount of room and knowledge from an owner when it comes to diet. Also, they can have short lifespans, which is hard on an owner, especially since birds hide illness and can appear fine one day and on death’s door the next.

My pet birds are budgies and diamond doves, two very different kind of birds and both bring me a great amount of joy. Budgies have great personalities and are fun to watch interacting with one another and with their toys. Doves are sweet, and I love watching them build their nest and just be doves–which means I see a lot of courtship behaviour.

And, if I could, I would have some other species of birds–such as finches–as pets as well. Today I want to share with you which species I would love to have and tell you a little about them.

Owl Finches

These are lovely little birds and I love the their little owl like faces. I have never had a finches as pets, though my father had several when I was growing up. He never had an owl finch however, but I certainly would. Native to Australia, they are curious and playful and are not interested in being handled by humans. Which, when it comes to birds, is very natural. Even parrots, which can develop a close bond with humans, need lots of attention and training and patience in order to tolerate being handled. Birds are more of an observational pet, but they are wonderful nevertheless and owl finches can be highly entertaining to watch. Only male owl finches sing, so if you prefer a quieter pet, get two females. An active species, they need to kept at least as a pair in a largely large sized enclosure. Don’t let their small size fool you–most little birds are very active and need a heck of a lot more space than we might think.

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Cardon Bleu Finch

This is another little finch, very colourful and my father did have one of these when I was growing up. They are native to East Africa and can be harder to care for as they require more protein in their diet and you’ll have to feed them mealworms and other insects. They are also very social birds and would like to be kept in a group, though keeping two together is also acceptable. A peaceful and quiet species, they can be kept with other species, but personally I don’t like the idea of mixing species together. They are somewhat delicate so you do have to be careful to ensure they are kept somewhere dry and warm, and you’ll have to be fussy about their diet as well as they require quite a broad range of foods–insects, veggies and seeds. These little finches would need lots care as pets, but they are worth it.

Strawberry Finch

Native to South and South East Asia, this is a bright red bird with adorable white spots. At the least the male is. In breeding season. Still, I am armoured enough that I would adore to have this little bird. They have a beautiful song and are hardy once you have acclimated them to your home. I would ensure that the bird is captive bred and I would not mix this species with other finch species. They ought have ample room to fly in their cage, and again care has to be taken with their diet as they need veggies, insects and seed. Also, temperature needs to be kept correctly, especially in winter if you live in colder climates.This is a true song bird, and one I would keep happily.

Final Thoughts

Birds are pets for serious and devoted hobbyists and owners. Finches as pets are especially tricky to keep, and are really a hobby bird. They are not by any means low maintenance pets, and can be quite difficult to keep as pets. They need to be carefully cared for, and they need a lot of room to fly and play. It’s important to know what you are getting into when you decided to get a pet bird, and to research the species thoroughly. I would love to own any of these little birds.

Share your thoughts on these little birds in the comments below! Would you take them on as pets?