What to do about my finches?

[HareTrinity]

It's been a while since I've been on BirdBoard, and since then quite a few things have changed, some pets have passed away, some new ones have come into my life. I've also finished my first year at uni (I'm 21) which served to help me realise that my pets are STILL a MAJOR part of a my life.

However, my time with finches has continued to be a sad one. For a while I had a nuclear family of white Zebra finches (mother and father with their daughter and son; Parsnip, Onion, Sprout and Spinach).

Both of my Zebra finch females died around the same time with similar symptoms and I'm not sure why... They'd get lethargic spells, seeming close-to-death (lying on the bottom of the cage, not resisting being picked up), for hours at a time, over a period of months.

As they always got better I kept hoping it had passed. Please understand, I have had very few small animals visit the vet and not died within a week, and I suspect the stress of the trip plays a part in this more than purely the reasons I took them, and that there is very little vets can do for small animals, especially small birds.

After months of this on and off for both females (first Parsnip, then her daughter), they died, mother first, Sprout not long after.

For a while I worried the same would occur to my males but it has not. The father of the pair had a problem with one leg ring (leg swollen around it, last finch I had this with I took to the vets and he ended up with an amputated foot, which he never recovered from and died not long after). This time I managed to get the ring off myself, and although his foot's lost mobility and 2 toes, this was months ago and he's still active, vocal and bright, so I suppose it went fine.

So now I have a partially crippled male white Zebra finch and his son. They chirp happily, they've taken up nest-making as a hobby, they talk to my male budgie (who loves finches), and they lighten up the room.

And I am so worried that I don't have enough anything for them.

They do get green-foods, but not enough, and although I keep upgrading my bird cages, I do feel bad about not having a larger space for them.

I never made an outdoor aviary because I don't have very many birds and I worry about fumes (our area is urban, plus gets a fair few bonfires by gardeners, mostly without warning) and the cats (our 3 cats aren't allowed in my room so it's not an issue inside).

Also, it'd be really nice for my young male (the second chick after his sister to hatch and reach adulthood in my room, by which time the full-spectrum light was properly installed) to have chicks of his own sometime.

So ideally I'd have a local friend or relative with a fairly large aviary of small birds. Unfortunately, this is not the case.

So what can I do? I fear I don't have the time, space, or even experience to give these 2 finches what they deserve, but how can I find someone who does? Is it worth putting out an ad? How much should I charge (free-to-good-home pets generally end up abandoned), and what should I look for if I insist on seeing the new home first? Would I be at all likely to find someone who'd inform me of when they do pass away?

I know I'm not the worst bird owner out there, but it's more mammals (and snakes for some reason) that seem to like me, and I'm sure my finches could do better.

Any advice welcome.

[ROYJOY]

i remember these veggie named birds. sounds like life is getting tough. if you decide to rehome them, dont let them go for free. snake owners search the adds for free pets for snake food. the best way to get them a good home, is charge and adoption fee, they will go with someone who wants them enough to pay for them. charge just slightly less than the going price for a new bird.

[MicahEspudo]

I used to have two zebra finches... and then it turned into 6 (they had four kids).
My mom couldn't take the noise anymore, so we sold them on Craigslist.
We probably had over $100 worth of stuff with them (i.e. nice manzanita perches, a bunch of seeds and dead bugs (from omar's), toys, and a big cage).
We were going to give them away for free, but then I read about people using them as snake food. So we sold them for $30.

Many people replied. So we picked the best person that sounded the nicest over the phone :)

[BigBird]

Interesting your comments on the lethargic finch. I have a gouldian that has been like that for a few months now. See him down on the ground pick him up with no resistance, not covered in poop or looking sick, eating while down there, and breathing well, so go away thinking hope you will be ok, and next day he is back on the perches as normal finches do. Then a couple of weeks later he is back on the ground. Anyway he is nesting at the moment, (middle of flippin winter!) and is happy.

In regards to your zebras. They dont need a lot of room to be happy, though the bigger the better. You dont sound like you are doing anything wrong by them, but at the end of the day if you dont feel you have the time for them anymore then yep better off rehoming them. Zebra finches are only worth $3-$8 over here but if yo sell them as a package with cage you could get more for them to scare off the buyers you dont want.