From the moment I saw a gouldian finch, I knew this was a direction I needed to go. My husband purchased 2 from a local pet store as a surprise for me for Christmas one year. One was a purple breasted red headed male, and his mate was a lavender breasted red headed bird as well. They were wonderful, both singing and dancing on the perch all day.

I was a novice at the time, and so was the pet store salesperson! What was supposed to be my first pair of gouldians was actually a “pair” of males. It was not long before I was looking for 2 females to go with my 2 males. Lots of research and a couple of years later, the many mutations of the gouldian finch were familiar to me.

There are hundreds of finch species in the world. Of that number I have had the pleasure of raising, caring for, and watching the habits of about 16 different exotic finches. Each species has its own personality, its own way of being. One of the most common of finches, the society, will always be my favorite because of the way they behave together. When going to roost for the night it is very common to find a nest full of 8 societies, in 2 rows, one on top the other!

I’m lucky to have a room that I could convert to a free flying aviary. This is where most of my finches reside. I do have a large walk in flight where I house gouldians and owls, and a few waxbills that need their nails trimmed frequently. I would not be able to catch them to do so in the free flying set up. For specific mutation breeding I use 30” cages, one pair per cage. Many think that since a finch is such a small bird, its housing needs are small, too. This could not be further from the truth! Any bird needs room to fly, even if it is short distance. Cages that are built tall instead of wide are no good for the well being of birds. Birds are not helicopters; they do not fly straight up. A cage that is longer than it is tall is the best to offer to your finches.

Diet for finches should include a good mix of seed, several millets, canary seeds, flax, niger, etc. However, a finch needs much more than that. All birds love veggies, and I give mine a mix of corn, peas, sweet potatoes, broccoli, carrots, tomatoes, etc. I also will give them a hard boiled egg with shell mixed in. This is such a complete source of protein, and so inexpensive. I do not find it necessary to purchase expensive additives, vitamins, minerals, or extra calcium when I give this diet. Seeds are a good source of fats, which will help the female’s oviduct stay smooth and flexible for egg laying. This is most time the biggest problem with egg binding. Not the lack of calcium, but rather the lack of essential fat in the diet.

The finches we have access to here in the USA have changed over the years. Birds that were once very plentiful are now scarce because of import regulations. I think it is important that the finch community continue to breed the species we have in the states and to keep this part of aviculture alive and well.