Keeping Weavers Birds
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Because of their spectacular nest-building activities, weavers are among the most interesting small birds to keep in captivity. They are extremely spirited birds that will spend their lifetimes collecting materials to create their unique nests. Each species builds its own individual style of nest, and some can be absolutely incredible. Watching them build their nests, intricate as they are, can be a truly relaxing experience. Not surprisingly, it is vital to keep these birds well supplied with nest-building material; if you fail to do so, they will automatically destroy each others’ nests to fuel their own building activities. Although preferred nesting material varies slightly between species, most will avidly make use of long strands of semi-dried grass.
Although fairly small – about 12.5cm(5in) – weavers still require housing in a large, well-planted aviary; unlike other small seedeaters, they will only thrive in an outdoor environment and should not be housed indoors. Fortunately, weavers are hardy birds and so it is relatively easy to care for them during cold weather. You will need to lock them in at night once the winter approaches in temperate climates, but they are still among the toughest and also most active of all the finch-type birds.
Feeding weavers is very straightforward, for they will thrive on a basic finch seed mixture, plus a small amount of fruit and greenfood. It is also a good idea to offer baby mealworms or baby crickets as regular treats.
Weavers have a reputation for being rather aggressive, especially during the breeding season. In fact, some species are best housed on their own, one species to an aviary. If you mix unsuited species, the birds will destroy each others’ nests and this will obviously lead to fighting. Weavers are most compatible with birds of a similar size.
Breeding weavers can be difficult and unsuccessful, and so they are not bred in captivity on a very large scale. Often you will find that after building one nest, they will not breed but simply begin to build another nest, and so on. Therefore, it is very important to give weavers some privacy; if they are continually disturbed, they will not breed at all.
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Tags: Aviary, Building Material, Captivity, Cold Weather, Crickets, Finch Birds, Grass, Large Scale, Lead, Lifetimes, Mealworms, Nest Building, Outdoor Environment, Reputation, Seed Mixture, Small Birds, Strands, Temperate Climates, Type Birds, Winter Approaches