What are the signs to tell if my society finches are happy or sad?

Thanks for reaching out about your finches. It is great that you have switched your birds over to pellets and that you are seeing such great results! For finches, I recommend keeping a bit of seeds in the diet - this amount is approximately 10%. This can help to provide some fat in the diet and this can lead to an increase in singing. You can also add greens or other vegetables into the diet as enrichment and supplemental nutrition. The depression portion is a bit concerning, as this should not be caused by diet unless the birds are not eating enough and are losing weight. If this concern continues after the birds have had a bit of seeds, I would recommend a veterinary visit. I hope this gives you a place to start, and thanks for using Boop by Petco.

Your birds feathers should be thick, glossy and smooth . There should be no bare patches on, under the wings, the back, abdomen tail or vent area. Bare patches can be a sign of feather plucking, poor nutrition and illness. Your bird should have an upright posture with a full-chest appearance. THe eyes should be clear and bright. The nostrils should be open all the way, no blockage and no signs of redness, discharge or sneezing. The beak should be smooth, there should be no growths or rough spots or peeling and it should close perfectly. The feet should have soft scales and not be white-gray. Younger birds have pink gray feet, older ones have white scales. The legs and the feathers around the vent area should be clean without poop stains. The droppings in the cage should not be watery. The urine in the droppings should always be clear, the urates should be white and there should be a brown greenish part of feces also. I hope this helps.

Ideally, the more space the better, and three birds should have a flight cage that is big enough for them to fly back and forth horizontally in (finches tend to like horizontal rather than vertical cages). You also want to make sure each bird has their own access to food, water, and bedding areas, with dividers such as perches or toys to break up the space and prevent fighting over territory. If you do introduce a new bird, make sure to keep him separated for a week first to prevent the spread of any illness, and to make sure he is healthy enough to be added to the flock before doing so.

It's possible, however it may be that your finches are nesting together to try and lay eggs/raise a family. They may also be cold depending on their location, and so are staying in the nest for more warmth. Making sure their cage is kept clean, they are not in a drafty or cold area, and that they have access to food and water can help. Checking the nest for any eggs can also alert you to if they are trying to raise a family. If you suspect they are ill, or they are showing symptoms such as completely listless behavior, not eating or drinking, diarrhea, vomiting, etc, then scheduling a vet visit to rule out any health issues is always best.

I'm sorry that you think that Sasha is not happy. I suggest you try to do some environmental enrichment for her to see if that helps. ( https://www.greatcompanions.com/product/environmental-enrichment-for-birds/ )

Without knowing the size of the cage, it is hard to give advice. If they have a large flight cage where they can easily move around and exercise, then that may be enough. Adding in some fun toys to explore, moving dishes and toys around or rotating them out, offering treats to chew on, etc can all help increase enrichment and make things more fun for your birds. If they're kept in very small cages, then looking for a playpen that can fit in the room or on top of the cage may be nice for your birds to climb on or play on. However, finches tend to explore more and may want to fly around, so it is best to make sure they are only let loose in rooms where they can easily be caught again and cannot fly into windows, doors, or other dangerous objects that can cause injury or death.

When zebra finches are all white it is sometimes hard to tell if they are male or female as they won't have the characteristic cheek markings, beak coloration or tail patterns. The two pictured look like they could possibly both be female, but it is hard to tell due to the distance from the camera and the lack of markings present (males will sometimes still have darker cheek areas, a stripe on the cheek, or a darker red beak). Males will also sing almost constantly that sounds quite different than regular chirping, and will also "tail waggle" when they are wanting to/attempting to mate with a female. If none of your birds are doing this, it is possible they are all female. Both males and females will show interest in nests and will go in them to sleep at night even if they aren't raising babies. If one is being left out, you can add in another nest or sleeping area to see if it helps.

Thank you for using Boop by Petco! The signs you describe are consistent with over grooming, likely from the other bird. This may be due to boredom or overly dominant nature of the cage mate. You can try to provide additional toys and perches in the cage, keep the light cycle in the room stable, and provide a nesting box. I hope this helps and am happy to answer any other questions you may have!

Restlessness, picking or pecking at body parts, and holding a limb (whether it be wing or leg) in an abnormal way can all be signs of pain or discomfort. Sitting in a food bowl may be a sign Alex just isn't feeling well enough to perch or doesn't feel like she can balance safely without falling. Having Alex examined by a veterinarian who specializes in birds is a good step toward figuring out what is causing her pain. Your vet may recommend radiographs to see whether there is something going on that would explain her unusual behavior. In the meantime I would keep all of Alex's food and water bowls on the bottom of her cage and lower her perches to almost the bottom of the cage so she doesn't hurt herself if she has trouble balancing or grasping the perch. It doesn't take much for these tiny finches to hurt themselves so creating a safe cage space until she can be examined is a good idea. I hope this is helpful. Good luck with Alex!

Sexing male and female Society Finches is extremely difficult. Mating behavior will give you a clue as to the sexes of your finches. Males sing, and when next to the female will often stretch their necks and fluff their feathers. Both sexes will make chirping sounds. the only way to find out the sex of a Bengalese Finch is to have a DNA test done (this is done in special labs with 1 drop of blood from the bird).