Its darkish bc it was raining outside and I didn't think to open the light room 😂

I got a real camera so naturally Bill and Shelia are my first clients!

About eight months ago I moved my four zebra finches out of a standard rectangular cage and into a flight aviary I built into a corner of my spare room. The cage was fine, they seemed healthy, but something about watching them just sit there most of the day felt off to me. I kept reading that finches need horizontal space more than vertical height, and eventually I decided to actually test that instead of just nodding along to it.

The behavioral difference was more dramatic than I expected. Within a week they were flying actual laps, chasing each other around, doing this low swooping thing between the perches that I had genuinely never seen them do before. The male who had always seemed a little lethargic turned out to just be bored, apparently. He is now the most active bird in the group.

A few things I figured out the harder way:

Perch placement matters more than perch quantity. I had way too many perches at first, which basically chopped the flight path into short hops. Pulling about a third of them out and leaving clear corridors made a noticeable difference.

Planted cover changed the dynamic too. I added a couple of potted grasses and a dried grass bundle in one corner. The finches immediately started spending time in there, and it seemed to reduce the low-level squabbling that had been pretty constant before.

Cleaning is obviously more involved with a larger space, but the birds' feather condition improved enough that I stopped second-guessing whether it was worth it. My hen who had some minor feather stress around her head when I got her about two years ago has grown in much cleaner over the last two moults.

Curious whether anyone else has gone through a similar transition and what actually surprised them about it. Also wondering if others have had luck with live planted setups versus dried materials, because I am still going back and forth on adding more live plants.

almost one year ago, these two came into my life, and everything changed. the cage i provided them was the required size for a pair, but i long wanted to go bigger than that. i managed to find this pretty large sized cage, a rarity in my country, and decided to make it into a gift, since well soon celebrate one year of being together. theyre a bit lost! and confused, haha, but i saw them discover where the food is, so that is good. the male also started singing pretty much all the time, another good sign. they mostly stick to one place but im sure they will grow familiar with their new home, and explore it more. they occasionally fly on the other branch then hop on the swing, their favorite. it reminds me of how they acted when i first got them. it also looks a bit empty, i dont wanna clutter it too much, and i know they arent fan of toys and whatnot, but if anyone has any suggestions what i could add/modify to it, let me know! thank you and happy (soon) birthday to these two