canaries questions for a newbie?

[♥ksotikouli♥™]

how long does the moulding period last in canaries? can i give my canary fruits or will they cause diarhea? how about eggs? r they good for them? what else can be excellent food for canaries and how long does it take normally for a male canary to sing for the first time in his new home? r they afraid of dogs? should i keep them far apart ?
one more thing: what exactly is a cuttle bone and where can i buy it?

 

[wacky]

Canaries take between 4-7 weeks to moult .but all comes down to their health and feeding.

The best food for a moulting bird is soaked sprouting seed.soak some of it's seed in warm water overnight ,drain ,rinse place somewhere warm till it sprouts "2-3 days" and rinse then feed a.s.a.p.right through the moulting period(it is a good tonic)

Also give your bird a small portion of broccoli,Dandelion Leaves and seeding heads if you can get them,seeding grasses are also ideal.
Never give them Lettuce.

Small quanties of fruit will do no harm

Normally a male Canary will start to sing at 12-14 weeks once through the moult, depending on how old it is it could start singing after 2-3 weeks(if it is an older bird)

Don't forget the Cuttle bone.

A young bird will soon get used to it's surrounds and all that are there,it will even sing to the dog once it gets used to it.


Cuttlebone can be obtained from most pet stores,it is the back bone of the squid like sea animal and is an excellent source of Calcium ,which all birds need,for egg production ,bone strengthening ,feather forming ,etc.

 

[mimobar332]

Canaries molt (change plumage) once a year - usually during the summer. A molt should take no longer than 6 to 8 weeks.

Fruit and vegetables are essential parts of the diet, and should comprise about ¼ of the diet. Wash all items well to remove chemical residues and cut them into manageable sized pieces. You may need to offer a wide variety to encourage a bird to eat them if he has not had them before. Even if your bird refuses something one day, try it again later. Spinach and dark-leaved vegetables are much more nutritious than light-leaved ones, like lettuce. Avocado is reportedly toxic to canaries.

Scrambled, hard boiled, and crushed eggs are good. ANd so are boiled crushed up egg shells, very good source for calcium, but make sure you cook it first!

Besides a pelleted or a seed mix diet, each day offer chopped dark green and yellow vegetables, and a small amount of fresh fruits. Millet seed sprays are relished by canaries. Protein supplements can include mature legumes, chopped hard cooked egg, or tofu. Remove fresh fruits and vegetables within 4 hours of offering to prevent spoilage. If the bird gets too much liquid from the fresh fruits and vegetables, the droppings could become runny and discolored. Stop the fresh fruits and vegetables for a day if this occurs to determine if this is the reason.

As soon as he is used to his new home, he should start singing. The males have very beautiful singing voices, most people who have any breed of canary say that the singing makes their day! My American canaries love to sing, I wish females did, though.

The canaries could have a heart attack. I suggest to keep the dog away from the canary and its cage, and make sure you don't startle it too fast. I've had a few finches and canaries died that way, my nieces and nephews didn't know how to be careful, and they had a heart attack.