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Mégane

Hand-rear zebra finch

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Hi, 
 
I would like to hand-rear one future baby zebra finch to be able to interact with him when he will grow up.
But I am at work all the day long.
Is it possible to feed him the morning and the evening, and let the parents feeding him during the day ?
(If yes, I would buy a nest box with a little door behind in order to not disturb the parents when I take the little chick to feed him)
 
(Or should the chick stay in a separate cage and I must hand-rear him by myself until he grows up ?)
 
Best,
 
Mégane

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My personal answer to that question would be a definite "NO"  Mégane. The chicks need feeding every couple of hours, sometimes more often than that, and like you say, if you're out at work all day that's way too long for the chicks not to be fed. The best way is for the parents to do it themselves as at least that way they'll get the amount of food they need along with nutrients provided by their parents.

I understand you want a closer bond with your birds but Zebra Finches are not really the birds for that. That can be done better with budgies, lorikeets and Parrots but in general finches are very "skitist" and tend to be wary of humans and will fly away. I have on occasions had finches settle on my outstreched hand whilst in my avaries, I had a hand full of seed and it took along time for it to occur and even then they flew off after a couple of seconds. 

If you go onto "youtube" they're a few video's of people hand rearing baby zebbies but the time and effort required is intense and doesn't always end with babies reaching adulthood.

Just enjoy watching and listening to the parents feeding them and enjoy watching them grow, and learning how to copy what their parents do etc..

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