Long-tailed Finch - Aviculture

Aviculture

The Long-tailed Finch adapts readily to captivity, although it requires an aviary rather than a cage to thrive, and damp conditions need to be avoided. Export of the species has been banned from Australia, and they have become rather expensive for a beginner in the UK. A caged pair are best kept on their own in the breeding season, because they become aggressive to other small finches. They breed readily in captivity, sometimes producing two broods a year, and live for around 5 to 8 years. In captivity, a pair of Heck's Grass Finches (P. a. hecki) might raise brood after brood continuously, which would jeopardise their health, if they not are not feed with an adequate diet all year round. Alternatively, the sexes can be separated for the winter.