I've been asked several times what's involved in keeping numerous birds ... the amount of time, work, and expense involved. A typical day goes like this:
Robert and I are on a night shift schedule, so I check the birds when I get up in the evening. I look everyone over to make sure they're okay, then refill their food and water as needed, as well as any other important things I see (a fallen cuttlebone hung back up, etc.). This takes about 15-20 minutes. Then I turn the lights out in the bird room. It's almost instantly quiet as all the birds settle in for the night. :-)
Between 4:30am and 5am, I turn on the bird room lights. The birds wake up just before dawn, so I try to match nature's hours. Then I pull each food and water bowl, and replace them with a freshly-sterilized ones from the dishwasher. Each pair has its own bowls. I don't let them share, to prevent the potential spreading of germs. Then I take the dirty bowls and let them soak in the sink for a little while. After lightly hand-washing them, into the dishwasher they go. The whole top rack is full of bird cups. Next, I look over each cage, checking for any needed maintenance or cleaning. This takes about 30-45 minutes total, depending on what needs to be done, and how long I stop at each cage to talk to each pair. LOL! :-)
Wednesdays and Saturdays are cleaning days. I go through and wipe down the cages as needed, wash the seed trays, and replace all the paper liners. This adds about 30 minutes to my morning schedule.
So, in total, I spend around 45 minutes to an hour every day feeding, watering, and doing light maintenance, and about 1 to 1-1/2 hours on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Once I got a system going, it's really not as time-consuming as one might think. :-)
As far as expenses, the birds go through 5-6 pounds of food a week ($10-12). Cuttlebones cost about $1 each (depends on size), and they usually last a month. I don't generally supplement with vitamins since their food is nutritionally complete (I mix it myself), but I do have vitamins and medications onhand if needed. Bird medicines are EXPENSIVE ... anywhere from $10-$40 for a bottle. There are occasional purchases such as beak blocks, replacement food cups, nesting materials, etc. I'd guesstimate that I spend $15-$20 a week, on average. That doesn't, of course, include the cost of their cages or nest boxes. I've probably invested $600+ in cages and $100 in plastic nest boxes, but as long as they're taken care of, they can be used indefinitely.
The cost of the birds themselves varies depending on species and mutation, but a pet store quality "normal" zebra finch costs $18-$20. One with special mutations (which is my main interest) can run $25 to $75 and up, depending on the mutation. Most of the mutations are nearly impossible to find locally, so shipping or traveling costs can be a factor as well. Shaft-tail finches usually cost around $40 each at a bird fair, and owl finches are around $80 each at a fair. To the best of my knowledge, owls and shaft-tails aren't sold in any pet store in the whole Chattanooga area. Diamond doves, which are occasionally sold in pet stores, are around $30 each.
I always seem drawn to the most expensive hobbies! LOL!
