CARING FOR CANARIES

Nothing pleases the ear more than the song of a canary. The variety of notes, the arrangement and the sheer exuberance shown by a singing male canary, make them sweet companion pets. Their small size, lesser need for social interaction make for an ideal pet. Since only male canaries sing, there is no way to sex a canary by just looking at it.

Canaries are bred for type, color and song. Type canaries are so called because they are judged by their size and appearance or contour. Examples include borders, lizards, Glosters and Yorkshires. Colorbred canaries, such as red factors, are named because they are fed a coloring agent during their molt to intensify their coloring. Finally, song canaries consist of rollers and American Singers and are bred exclusively for their song. These breeds are considered the best singing canaries, even though all male canaries sing.

Generally, these show breeds are more expensive than common canaries; however, common canaries usually are exceptionally free singers and breeders. More readily available than the show breeds, common canaries most likely will be the ones you will carry and sell. Most novices still think only of the yellow canary; however, canaries come in a variety of colors. White, orange, brown, dark green, blue (which are really grey), fawn and combinations of the above colors are prevalent among canaries.

Canaries are seasonal breeders, normally breeding from March through July. Therefore, the best times to purchase birds is summer and fall because breeders often are overstocked with young birds and willing to sell some at a good price.

Canary Care

General care of canaries is pretty straightforward. The best diet for these birds is a commercial seed mixture consisting of canary, rape, niger and flaxseed. Generally, canaries do not like millet, so avoid giving the birds seed mixtures containing millet.

Canaries also need a conditioning food for optimum health. Provide this in a dish separate from the basic seed mix. Offer fresh greens daily, along with fresh fruits and vegetables. A cuttlebone always should be present in the birds' cages.

Ensure the birds have fresh water, too. Canaries can be trained to drink out of water bottles or, if preferred, standard glass or plastic water tubes. During the summer, a birdbath should be offered every day and several times a week in winter since canaries are avid bathers.

Normally, canaries are not allowed out of their cages for free flight time, so provide as large a cage as possible to provide the necessary exercise. In-store canaries can be kept in smaller cages, but we emphasize to potential customers that these conditions are only temporary.

Canaries need to be kept in a cage large enough for limited flight space. An ideal sized cage measures 18 inches square. The smallest acceptable cage would be 16 x 16 inches.

Perches need to be of different diameters to rest the birds, feet. These birds don't often play with toys but spend their time jumping around and singing. You may provide a swing and rope toy for entertainment.

Canaries sing best when housed individually and some males will sing almost continuously when kept this way.

It is important to remember that canaries molt once a year normally in the summer. The process is triggered by the warm weather and lengthening days. At this time, males stop singing and do not resume until every feather is replaced.

Occasionally some males are reluctant to start singing again. In these cases, canary training tapes are good options and will encourage those birds to resume their singing. The tapes also can be used to teach canaries to sing. When canaries molt out of season, it normally is due to artificial light and heat, so keep the birds in as cool a room as possible and cover their cage(s) at sunset, particularly in the winter.

Canaries are ideal birds for both beginners and experienced bird owners. They are easy to care for and very hardy. Their beauty and song are a welcome addition to any family.

CANARY BASICS

• Provide as large a cage as possible, never smaller than 14 x 16 inches. Cage width is more important than height because canaries need to fly back and forth in their cages for optimum health.
• Perches must have different diameters to enable the birds to rest their feet and to help prevent foot problems.
• Feed canaries a well-balanced, commercial seed diet consisting of canary, rape, flax and niger seed. Offer conditioning food in a separate dish. Fresh greens, fruits and vegetables round out the diet along with a cuttlebone.
• Provide fresh water daily. Offer bath water every day during warm weather and twice a week in winter.
• Keep canaries in a cool room and cover their cage when the sun goes down. This prevents out-of season molting.
• Canaries normally molt in the hot months of summer. At this time, the males will stop singing and will not resume until the molt is completed.
• Training tapes often stimulate reluctant males to resume singing once the molt is completed.
• Canaries seem to enjoy singing along with music on the stereo. Each one is an individual, so experiment with different types of music to see which kind really gets a canary going.

Reprinted by Pretty Birds from Pet Business News by Richard Mizera

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