Pet Canary Care Guide

• Canary - An Introduction to the Variations
• Breeding Canaries

Canary - An Introduction to the Variations

Canaries are delightful pet birds pets that don't require as much attention from their owners as other pet bird species. Often kept in pairs, Canaries are usually thought of as being sweet yellow songbirds, although there are many other variations in color. Canaries are divided into groups by color, type and song, depending upon which trait is the most dominant. Color canaries colors include new color and red factors. Some red factors are fed a food additive called canthaxanthin which helps keep the red vibrant. Type canaries are bred to have a certain "look." Common ones include the Gloster, with its Beatles-style haircut, the elongated Belgian fancy, and the frilly look of the appropriately named frills, which include Parisians, Padovans and the Gibber Italicus. Song canaries include rollers, waterslagers and American singers. Some song canaries sing as part of a group, while others sing individually.

3 Canary Hens

The American Singer

Breeding Canaries

Canaries are more demanding than budgies in their feeding and husbandry requirements during the breeding season. With a bit of time and care, breeding this species can be very rewarding. The whole process from egg laying to the time chicks become fully independent takes around two months.

It is usually recommended to breed canaries in cages rather than in an aviary. In order to minimize disturbance to the breeding pair, the cage should not be positioned facing any other birds. Ideally, breeding cages should have a removable mesh partition down the middle. This partition allows the male to feed the female during courtship and keeps the couples separate until they are ready to mate.

Sexing Male canaries are distinguished from females by the intensity and volume of their singing. Both the volume and intensity increase as they reach peak breeding condition. Females do not produce the same melodious song as males. Timing In the northern hemisphere, canaries reach their breeding condition in mid-March. It is good to introduce nesting boxes and other materials at this particular time, Nesting Canaries nest in open topped pans which can be made of metal, plastic or earthenware. The nesting pans should be lined with a soft material such as felt. In order for the female to weave the nest, additional nesting materials must also be provided. Suitable materials are shredded tissue paper, cat hair, hay, moss, cotton wool or rags. The strands of the nesting material must be short so that the bird's feet do not become entangled. Egg Laying On the average, canaries lay 4 or 5 eggs, although numbers can range from 2 to 6. The eggs are laid one a day, or every other day, and always early in the morning. Canary eggs are pale blue with tiny brown specks. If canary eggs were allowed to hatch out in the order they were laid, the chicks within the nest would be at different stages of Development. In order to avoid this situation, the eggs are generally removed from the nest during the laying period and only replaced when the clutch is complete. Each egg is removed from the nest at around noon on the day that it is laid and replaced with a dummy egg that can be purchased in pet shops. Once the eggs are removed, they can be kept on cotton wool at room temperature for up to two weeks. Once the hen has stopped laying, the eggs can be replaced in the nest and the dummy eggs removed. At this point, incubation begins and lasts 13 - 14 days. Diet Females can be fed soft food for a few weeks prior to breeding and throughout the breeding season. A number of commercial rearing or conditioning soft foods are available, although many breeders prefer to make up their own mixtures from a variety of ingredients. Cuttlefish bone and grit are important calcium sources and should be freely available during the breeding period.


Care of the Young

Canaries are born naked and blind. In the nest, they are totally dependant upon their parents for food. They leave the nest around 16 days of age and begin to feed themselves.Soft rearing food can be introduced to the young on the second day after hatching.Occasionally, the male canary will attack the young; therefore, the parents should be watched during the rearing period. Chicks can be removed from the parents when they are fully able to feed themselves. This occurs when chicks are approximately 25-30 days old.