Meet my new canaries

[Catherine]

I have three new canaries. I lost the doves last year. One quail died and the last lone quail was very lonely. I have arranged for her to join two other quail with someone else. It is the best I can do for her. So I have traded the big cage with its wide bars for a nice new cage just right for smaller birds like canaries and finches.
 
It needs some assembly.
 
It has a lot of parts.
 
So far so good.
 
I had to put it back on the floor while I figure the roof. It is in parts that snap together, but it has to be done in the right order. Did I tell you that there are no instructions.
 
That's more like it.
 
A few perches and food dishes and nests and I think it is ready for the birds.
 
What do you think? They are not the yellow canaries. I will have to find out exactly what kind they are.   The male is the orange one. 
 
It is a pretty big cage for three little birds. I think it will be good.
 
They are looking around to see where they are.
 
It didn't take long to find the treats dish. This is some egg food.
 
  This is Olive. She has a greeny undertone.
 
This is the little male, Garnet. You can't see his colour to well. He is really pretty.
 
This is Ivory with Garnet. She has a much lighter face and is lighter in general..
 
They are all sleeping right now. They seem to have settled in and are using all parts of the cage. 
I have never had a canary. They always seem like such happy little birds. I can't wait to hear what little noises they make. They are very quiet right now.

There is always a bit of a back story. They are from a group of canary females that came into the reptile centre. The two little females I took were being bullied by the other females and most of their tail feathers are gone. They are not going to be dominate birds, but they are the ones who got their own home first. If they want to nest they can nest. If they just want to be carefree happy little birds that is fine with me.

[Tobi]

Oh, welcome Garnet, Olive, and Ivory!
Canaries are such nice little birds. You will be wakened up in the morning by sweet song.

Their house looks good though a bit hard to assemble? Made even more difficult by there being no instructions.

[Catherine]

They are settling in very well. I know I said it didn't matter if Garnet was a singer or not, but that was before I heard him sing. He was singing to the girls this afternoon and he has a beautiful voice. I shall enjoy hearing him whenever he chooses to sing.

Their home is a good size. For three little birds it has plenty of space. They can be together or they can spread out. I can have different foods and treats all over so no one can prevent the others from eating. 

They have soft little voices so it will be pleasant to hear them in the early morning.

The big cage that I had is now home to two cockatiels who are very happy to have more space. I visited the quail and she has other birds around her and she is much happier.

We are still getting to know each other. I gave  them a piece of apple when I gave the guinea pigs their apple snack. The do love apple. I shall be testing foods to see what they like.

I wonder if I should cover them at night?

[Tobi]

I don't know for sure if they would need to be covered or not. I have never kept birds like that. It might help to cut down draughts (if there are any) and always gives birds the "night-time" feeling, such as it's gone completely dark so they might roost better. But that's only if there is artificial light around them I think.

I wonder if they would like half a Coconut to peck on? That would be a good excuse to buy one, You could drink the milk, and then cut it in half with a saw or hit it hard with a hammer, and you could have half! Fresh Coconut is so tasty!

I know they like seeds and fruits. I wonder if they would like blueberries? I don't know about the frozen food in Toronto, but here we can buy a decent sized bag of frozen blueberries for about £2 from a supermarket. That bag does for at least 5 or 6 human sized portions. And if they thawed while carrying them home, at least they would keep for about 4-5 days covered in a dish in the fridge (not freezer.)

[Catherine]

I do like fresh coconut. It would be a treat for all of us and the empty shell could be used as a nest.

I can get fresh berries all year round. I buy them for the guinea pigs. I vary what I buy depending on the price. I get the cheaper ones, whatever is on sale. Usually I have blueberries, strawberries or blackberries. If they are too much or don't look good I get apples or cantaloupe. I understand the birds will eat oranges. I will try a small orange an see if they like it.

Tonight I gave them a bit of lettuce and they liked it. I could alternate between fruits and veggies. I  like to give them their treat when I get home the way I give the guinea pigs their afternoon fruit snack.

Where they are is dark at night and my lights are on timers so the have a steady day length. I don't know about drafts. They don't sleep huddled together so it must be warm enough for them.

I shall offer different foods and find out what they like. It is always fun to get to know a knew pet or three. They are lively and cheerful all the time so they will be welcome in the winter months.

[LPC]

Just seen this thread. Lovely photos! I'm sure that Garnet, Olive, and Ivory will be spoiled rotten, haha! They have fallen on their feet and will have a lovely life now, especially after being bullied before.

[Catherine]

They seem quite happy together. They are active and cheerful and I did hear a bit of a song again.

I think from being the bullied girls of a flock, Ivory and Olive have done very well. They have everything that I can think to give them and they have a fine young male like Garnet.

I understand that if I colour feed when they start to molt they will come into fuller colour. I might do that If it won't hurt them in any way. They can't be on the special food all the time, but for just a short time would be okay. I think they might end up being very pretty birds.
They are really cute now.

Tonight it was a piece of melon and they all liked it.