What Do I Feed Zebra Finches During Breeding?

Zebra finches are one of America's most popular pet birds because of their beauty and relative ease to keep. As a result, breeding finches is a high-demand trade that can often result in underfed and unsafe breeding conditions. To ensure the safety and success of breeding zebra finches, taking the extra time to prepare a special diet to meet the breeding cycle needs is essential.

  1. High-Quality Bird Seed

    • Feed your zebra finch one cup of high-quality birdseed every two days to ensure that all grains and necessary proteins are in a healthy supply in the birds system. These grains and proteins are necessary because the finch's body cannot function without them, and they must be consumed from external food supplies. Breeding requires a large buildup and storage of energy so the female can compensate for the production of an egg.

    Assorted Fruits

    • Feed your zebra finch a large selection of assorted fruits to ensure all amino acids are present in the bird's system. Beyond providing amino acids and vitamins for egg production, assorted fruit serves as an intellectual stimulant for your finch as it samples the various fruit flavors. This process can actually relive the huge psychological toll of breeding, which can be compared with the trials of human pregnancy.

    Crushed Nuts

    • Feeding your finch one tsp of assorted crushed nuts daily will give your finch intellectual stimulation and will help boost fiber, which is required to create the bird shell. By providing this extra fiber beyond the birdseed, the female finch's body will have a much less taxing eggshell formation on her body's fiber and nutrient levels.

    Rice

    • Feed your finch three tsp of cooked rice daily to supply the female with a high fat content for her breeding cycle. Giving your female finch an extra layer of fat is essential because the fat gives her extra energy that may be needed during the taxing breeding process. By having this extra fat layer, your female finch will be out of harm's way when it comes to ATP energy levels.