Why won't my male canary feed the female while she's nesting?

Thanks for reaching out about your flock. It is probably a generalization when it is said all male canaries feed the female while brooding. Some learn it during breeding and other taught by observation of other males. Good luck.

the best nutrition for your baby canary named nestling food. nestling food include 1. soft seed(boil canarys normal seeds for 20 min) 2. egg 3. greens or fruits such as apple you can eye dropper to safest feeding

Males can help sit on the eggs, or may offer food/support to the female so that she can still be fed and active. This is very normal behavior, and as long as both are taking care of themselves and the eggs and do not seem stressed out, I would not be worried. If the male is harassing the female to the point that she seems stressed, or can't get food or water, then separating the two for a time may be best.

It's possible your male is stressing out your female to the point of not eating. If she isn't in the mood to mate she may not be ready to produce eggs yet, and continued harassment by your male could lead to more stress. It is best to separate the two for a day or so to see if she returns to normal behavior without the stress of your male around. If she continues to not eat or has other symptoms of illness it is best to seek veterinary care to make sure she is not egg-bound or otherwise sick.

Feather plucking is often associated with boredom, or other issues within their environment, but the cause of this problem is not always known and highly debated amongst avian experts. Making sure she is not bored is a good first step. One good way to keep your bird busy is by making them work for their food. Birds in the wild spend most of their time foraging for food. Instead of just putting food in their bowl, you can hide it, or put it in puzzle toys that require them to do some work to get the food out. I fed my parrot almost exclusively this way. Other enrichment options include putting a mirror in the cage and putting her in other environments. It's best to give your canary as much possible space that you can to let her fly and roam around. You may consider getting perches or other cages for different rooms, or outside. If you can afford to have a flight cage built, this would be even better. Below is a link to some more information about enrichment ideas: http://www.

Offer a fortified seed mix supplemented with cooked beans and vegetables (carrots, peas, etc). Fresh water should be available at all times. A mineral block and/or cuttlebone should also be placed in the cage. Keep the room at a steady temp and keep the cage away from strong drafts. You can mist him with warm water a few times weekly to promote preening and healthy plumage. Monitor for lethargy, decreased appetite and loose droppings. If necessary, have him physically examined by your veterinarian or an experienced avian veterinarian.

Feed a good quality pelleted diet (Harrison's, Roudybush, Lafeber, Pretty Bird or Exact) supplemented with a fortified seed mix and fresh greens and vegetables. Provide a cuttlebone or mineral block. Always have fresh water available. Provide an appropriately sized nesting box and suitable nesting material (straw, Aspen shaving, shredded newspaper, etc.).

Thanks for reaching out about Sweety. Boiled rice is not a healthy diet, although small amounts won't do harm. Calcium and protein is very important for birds in general, but more so when laying eggs. Green (and yellow, red, orange) vegetables, avian pellets and cooked beans as a protein source should be offered. Not sure if or when will lay eggs but continue to monitor. Good luck.

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.

Thanks for reaching out about Bounty. This sounds like a situation with new bird parents and not sure what they are doing. Males will often sit on the nest while the female forages for food. So this seems extreme behavior but not necessarily odd. Good luck.