New here, but not to birds

[BabyBird1965]

My name is Kim and I currently have 3 birds.

Little peep, a tame canary. I purchased him out of the nest and hand fed him.
Juniper, English Budgie. Purchased him as a young adult and only semi tame.
Then my baby linnie. S/he has not been named yet and I'm currently hand feeding him/her.

[Chantilly]

Welcome to the forum, Very nice!

[Pajarita]

Welcome to the forum! I am a bit confused, somebody actually sold you a canary out of the nest?! Was it because the mother had died and the breeder had no nurses?

[BabyBird1965]

No, it's because I wanted to hand feed a canary. A hand fed canary, just like a parrot/parakeet, makes an awesome pet.

[Pajarita]

Ahhhh, I see. Well, all I can tell you is that the breeder who sold you this baby canary should not be breeding them because, obviously, this person doesn't have anywhere near enough knowledge to do it or care enough to learn. I know I sound terribly harsh but you have to understand that, although I love all birds, canaries will always be my biggest passion. I got my first Hartz roller as a present for my 13th birthday and have never been without them in the house ever since.... I think that I would never feel a house to be my home without the song of canaries in it. I bred them myself for many years and had stopped but will start again next year as I have finally been able to locate and acquire Discontinuous Timbrados (aka Floreados) of good blood lines (I lost the ones I got from Spain back in 2001 to a virus that gives them cancer in 2009). As a matter of fact, I am buying new cages this Saturday so I can go pick up two hens and another male next week and I am now waiting on my 'welcome' package from the Floreados y Compuestas, the very first Discontinuous Timbrados breeders association in USA, to which I have become the newest member.

Canaries don't imprint to people, my dear, so handfeeding them doesn't work the same way it does with parrots - plus, they always make good pets because they have been domesticated for hundreds of years (it's like saying that you have to raise a puppy with a bottle for it to be a good pet). Besides, handfeeding them correctly implies feeding every few minutes, something so difficult for people to do correctly that is only done in emergency situations and if the breeder really loves them (and not all breeders do, you know) because these canaries are usually never bred (they simply don't make good parents because canaries learn parenting skills from their own parents while in the nest) and some don't even develop a good song (nobody knows why). I have one, Luciano, a Classic Timbrado, that I handfed myself because the mother was not feeding it (I lost the other two babies she had) and, although he sings very nicely, his song is not as good as his father's. And that's why every good canary breeder has a good nurse or two (nurses are older hens that are not only experienced but also have proven to be good mothers - I didn't have any at the time and I blame myself for what happened) . They also never sell a baby until after the juvenile molt and NEVER EVER EVER off the nest. It's anathema to us, canary lovers. I am not blaming you or scolding you, mind you! Obviously you were not aware of any of this because I am sure that if you had, you would not have done it. Most people don't really know much about canaries even though they have been kept as pets since the 1400's... Which is a shame because they are amazing birds! I am explaining it to you so you would know.

[BabyBird1965]

Thank you for the explanation. I wouldn't even call her a 'breeder', she has canaries and they have babies, period. And the fact that he is alive and well says something about my ability if not my knowledge. I love my Little Peep and love that he visits with me and grooms me and I do plan on always having a pet canary.

[Pajarita]

Yes, there are lots of such people... they get a pair of canaries and think that putting them in the same cage and giving them a nest is all that it's required. Unfortunately, it never ends well for the poor birds. I am glad you love your Little Peep - it's hard not to love them, isn't it? they are so beautiful and graceful! Now, I don't know if you know how to care for him so if I am saying something you already know, just ignore it. Canaries are NOT tropical or even semi-tropical birds so they need to be kept at a strict solar schedule with full exposure to dawn and dusk or their endocrine system goes out of whack real badly. Never put the cage in the kitchen and never keep them in round cages, always horizontal ones at least 30 inches wide. No round dowels, either, natural tree branches, instead, and only three, two put across at the ends and a little one put catty corner up on top (this is the one he will use for sleeping at night). And no pellets for him, OK? Canaries are natural seed eaters and do better on a good quality canary seed mix with some extra hemp during the spring and summer. Different greens (but not spinach, collard greens or parsley) and fruits every day (also, cooked sweet potato, grated carrots, grape tomato, cucumber and corn on the cob), a cuttlebone and some good multi-vitamin/mineral supplement in its water once or twice a week is all he needs (make sure the vitamins are the kind that are a powder that dilutes in water and not the liquid ones).

Do you know if he is of any particular breed? I love them all, even what we call kitchen canaries I would love to see a picture of him, too!

[BabyBird1965]

I've had canaries, as well as other finches, before and absolutely LOVE having them. All I know about him is that she said he's bronze.

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[JessiMuse]

Welcome.

Your canary is beautiful, but his nails look a little overgrown to me. I hope you go through a regular nail trimming with him. I had a canary that we had to go through a nail trimming, as well. Even when he had a rough perch that's made for filing bird nails, they always ended up getting really long. I have no idea how.

I can give you a link to a guide for nail trimming in birds, if you'd like.

[BabyBird1965]

Thanks, I know how to trim and his were just done a couple of weeks ago, after these pics were taken. Linnies also need regular trims.