For finches, you want to look for a cage with 3/8- to 1/2-inch bar spacing. You don't need a heavy-duty cage designed for small parrots, because the finches will not do any damage and your view of the birds will be obscured by the heavier-gauge wire.

The bigger the cage the better, to give the birds plenty of space to flit about. The best type of cage for finches is a "flight cage", where the longest dimension is the horizontal, not the vertical --- this gives the birds long flight runs. Finches spend most of their time high up in the cage, and they like to fly back and forth, not up and down, so a tall cage doesn't give them nearly as much flying room as a wide cage does. Multiple doors are a plus, since they make it easier to catch a bird of necessary, or to attach perches etc.

I set up a nesting corner at one end of the cage with a few bamboo nest boxes where the birds all sleep together at night (I have a very large flight cage with a dozen finches --- Silverbills, Societies, Spice, and Orange-cheeked Waxbills --- and one Canary, so I typically have 4-5 nests grouped together... for a pair of birds, you'll only need one.)

Scatter a variety of swings and perches (including one sanded perch to help trim nails) around the cage. I hang silk flowers and greenery (from a craft store like Michael's) to give them some separate areas and private nooks.

I use two large plastic plant saucers on the floor of the cage - one for seed and the other for drinking/bathing. I clean the water dish a couple of times a day, and every time I replace it, it's bath time all over again.

I feed a finch or finch/canary seed mix, plus a millet spray and a large piece of dark green like romaine lettuce or chard daily. Several times a week I'll feed some mashed up hard-boiled egg or commercial canary egg food mixed with water with some dry bird vitamins sprinkled on top. They also like a treat of an apple slice.

Gravel goes into a separate dish.

Oh, and one more VERY IMPORTANT ITEM! Get a bird net (with tightly-woven soft nylon fabric - not a aquarium/fish net, which has large holes that a bird's toenails will get caught in). One day you may find yourself chasing an escapee, and the net will make recapture a snap.

Good luck! What kind of finches are you thinking of getting?

I have had parakeets over the years, and have had a pigeon for the past 11 years. The most important advice I would offer, beyond that of clean drinking and bathing water and high quality food, would be to allow your birds at least a few hours out of the cage each day in a safe room. I let my bird out of her cage in the morning, and she goes back in for the night when I feed her in the evening. Exercise is important for a caged bird.

Good luck with your finches. They are nice birds!

spedigrees, I've had parakeets, cockatiels, and a small parrot. I definitely agree with you there - they all got a lot of "out of cage time". But I've never let my finches fly free... 1) I'm not sure they would ever go back to the cage on their own (they have a different mindset than the hookbills), 2) my house has an open plan and high ceilings, and I wouldn't be able to keep track of them if they were all flying free, and 3) I have a relatively large number of finches in one cage, and I doubt that I would ever have ALL of them either IN or OUT... I'd constantly be doing a headcount :o)

ilovepoco, thank you for the great advice! We have ordered a 26" long flight cage. We are thinking about spice or nutmeg finches, but we did see some nice canaries this morning, and I am so tempted.... I can see this could become an obsession!

We had been thinking we would give the birds some flight time every day, but I'm concerned after hearing the caution they might not go easily back into the cage. We have a couple of older cats which we will keep out of the bird's space, but if the finches get loose in our old cape and don't want to go home on their own, it could be quite a trial...

This post was edited by mabeldingeldine on Sat, Apr 12, 14 at 20:49

Of all the finches I've had, the Silverbills are my favorite and the ones I've gotten the most pleasure from. They are not much to look at (brown/gray/buff), but the males have the sweetest little song and they do a cute courtship dance by hopping up and down while serenading the females.

One thing I forgot to mention that is a lot of fun is to offer your birds grass clippings (pesticide-free, obviously)... I just put a small handful on the bottom of the cage. They will hugely enjoy carrying pieces about and stuffing them into the nest. (The male Silverbills sometimes carry a stalk by the tip when they are doing their dance for the females.) I buy a small bag of timothy hay (rabbit food), and it lasts forever.