Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, April 24, 1994 TAG: 9404220170
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Karen Davis
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Just don't put them in the same cage, said Ed Kinser of Roanoke County, because ``typically, two males will not get along in the same cage.''
Kinser keeps about 75 to 100 canaries, mostly American Singers. The American Singer variety is produced by crossbreeding canaries that have two different songs, Kinser said.
Canary varieties generally have either a chopper song, sung with mouth open, or a roller song, sung with mouth closed. The American Singer blends both songs, producing a sound that is throaty and guttural. They come in more colors besides yellow, too. Some are green, white, gray, green and yellow spotted or gray and white spotted.
The wild canaries that once came from the Canary Islands off the West African coast were a drab greenish brown. First treasured by the early Spaniards because they could sing, the birds have been bred in captivity for about 500 years, Kinser said.
If you plan to buy a canary for a pet, expect to pay a breeder between $30 and $50, or even more at a pet shop.
``The bigger the cage the better,'' said Kinser. ``The bird should have room to fly from perch to perch for exercise, as opposed to just hopping.'' And don't put sandpaper covers on the perches, because they're abrasive to the feet.
Offer fresh food and water daily. Canary seed diets are available through most pet suppliers. The birds like a mix containing canary grass, rape seed and niger (thistle) seed. Many commercial feed companies offer at least two pet bird formulas: one for the normal adult, and one for birds with special needs, such as when they're molting or breeding.
Keep in mind, however, that no seed diet provides complete nutrition. You must supplement with bits of apple, orange and dark, leafy greens. Kinser raises comfrey, a green, leafy plant used as tea, for his birds because it contains lots of vitamins. Wash all fruits and vegetables thoroughly before feeding.
Spoiled food can make a bird quite sick, so remove uneaten portions from the cage before they rot. Never feed chocolate or avocado, as these are toxic to birds.
Because canaries crack the seed covers before they eat, they do not need grit to grind up seed in their diet. However, they do need cuttlebone for calcium and minerals, especially if the birds are breeding, Kinser said. Cuttlebone, available through pet stores, is the internal skeleton of a cuttlefish.
Canaries molt every fall. For about six weeks to two months, they may look a bit bedraggled, but they shouldn't get entirely naked.
If you decide to try breeding a pair, hang an open basket on the side of the cage. They don't care for enclosed birdhouses. Line the open nest with felt and fill it with hemp fiber or shredded tissue paper.
The female lays from three to five eggs that take about 14 days to hatch. When his birds are raising young, Kinser feeds them a hard-boiled egg and cereal mixture twice a day. The parents eat this concoction, then regurgitate it for their babies.
A breeding pair can raise two or three broods per season. Babies hatch in spring and summer, and by fall, the young males begin to sing. That's how you sort the boys from the girls, because females typically do not sing.
Canaries love to bathe, so attach a clip-on bird bath to the cage door, or place a bowl of water inside every few days.
Kinser said some canaries tolerate handling, but they generally are not trainable. ``They prefer to be left alone in their cage.''
Locate your pet bird away from drafts. A healthy bird can tolerate temperatures that are comfortable to a human, but avoid sudden temperature changes.
Kinser recommends covering the bird cage every night with a towel or sheet, not to block out drafts, but to regulate exposure to indoor lighting.
``Birds are responsive to changes in the length of the day,'' Kinser said. Lengthening days cause them to come into breeding condition in the spring; shorter days tell them it's time to molt in the fall. But erratic periods of indoor lighting can confuse their annual cycles.
The healthiest situation is when indoor light cycles match outdoor light cycles. However, households with lots of routine, where the lights go on and off at about the same times every night, are okay. But if you stay up late on occasion, or if you leave indoor lights on all night, cover the bird cage at a regular time every evening.
Avoid exposing any pet bird to air pollutants, such as cigarette smoke, insecticides and toxic fumes from over-heated Teflon-coated cooking utensils.
Because sick birds instinctively try to act and appear normal as long as possible, so as not to attract the unwanted attention of predators, an avian illness is usually quite advanced by the time symptoms become obvious. A bird that appears to die suddenly may well have been ill for some time without the owner ever noticing the subtle changes in appearance or behavior.
Kinser said a sick canary will have a ``puffed up look'' and may breathe heavily. Until a sick bird can be seen by a veterinarian, offer extra heat by placing a heating pad along the side or floor of the cage. Or shine a desk lamp over one corner of the cage.
``If the bird needs the extra heat, it will move toward it,'' Kinser said.
Karen L. Davis is a Roanoke free-lance writer and pet owner. Her column runs twice a month. Send general-interest questions to The Pet Podium, in care of the Features Department, Roanoke Times & World-News, P.O. Box 2491, Roanoke, Va. 24010-2491.|
by CNB