Male Zebra Finches learn their mating call by memorizing their father’s song and then adding their own new notes. Shy birds by nature, these beautiful birds are a great choice for beginning pet parents. Learn more about these fascinating birds, their behaviors, and how to care for them in the sections below.
Experience Level: Beginner
Expected Size: Finches grow up to 5 inches (13 cm) from head to end of tail.
Lifespan: Finches live for approximately 5 years.
Origin: Grass finches are native to Australia
Diet: Because a finch’s metabolism is very active, starvation can occur in as little as 24 hours. Food must be available at all times!
Behavior: Though shy with humans, same species and same-sized finches can be housed in pairs or in larger flocks in aviaries.
Vet Assured: Pets purchased at PetSmart are part of our exclusive Vet Assured program, designed by PetSmart veterinarians to help improve the health and well-being of our pets. Our vendors meet a high standard in caring for pets and screening them for common illnesses, including Zoonotic diseases. This program also includes specific standards for in-store pet care.
The PetSmart Promise: If your pet becomes ill during the initial 14-day period, or if you’re not satisfied for any reason, PetSmart will gladly replace the pet or refund the purchase price.
Safety tips for you and your pet:
1. ALL ANIMALS can potentially carry viral, bacterial, fungal, and parasitic diseases contagious to humans. 2. Thoroughly wash your hands with
warm, soapy water before and after contact with any pet or its habitat. 3. Adults should assist children with hand washing after contact with a pet or its enclosure. 4. Use caution when handling pets, and remember they may bite or scratch, especially when stressed.
Housing:
Recommended pieces include:
Enclosure Set-Up:
Housing:
Recommended pieces include:
Enclosure Set-Up:
Slugger (verified owner) –
I love my new birds. I wish they would get in the fawn color zebra finches
Anonymous (verified owner) –
My baby Finches are absolutely adorable. Their names are Finnegan and Fiona! They sing all day and bring such joy into my home.
Tmcp (verified owner) –
My male finch is doing well with my female zebra finch.
Sennie35 (verified owner) –
I received this bird about a week ago. I’m very satisfied with him.
Ozzyz (verified owner) –
I bought Ozzy my male finch 2 years ago. He is an awesome pet and enjoys singing (Sometimes) still an awesome and smart pet
Kodakizzle (verified owner) –
I bought Coco 9 1/2 years ago and she will be 10 in August (4 1/2 years past a zebra finch’s expected lifespan) . She’s still as healthy as ever and loves to be handled. After being alone for 9 years, we got her a male and they seem to get alone just fine.
kathymc (verified owner) –
Zebra finches make excellent little pets. This little one fit nicely into my existing flock. This bird is very healthy and active.
Percheronhorses (verified owner) –
these birds r awesome but I bought a female a year ago and 2 weeks later she was dead she was egg boned d don’t know what happened but other then that the r fun little birds to have my mother thinks they sound like and old bed spring haha but if u were me id would buy one of the birds!!!
hope this helped God bless
Maximil (verified owner) –
Very active and healthy bird. Already have female. She needed a companion and she is very happy and excited to have. Thanks. So far so good…
Anonymous (verified owner) –
She’s very talkative and absolutely a joy to watch and hear
Angelo37 (verified owner) –
I have to finches girl in the boy they have brought joy and happiness I look forward to them in the mornings
Dame02 (verified owner) –
Bought recently a pair of zebra finches and.theyre very cute and silly to have
Popcorn bear (verified owner) –
I got a male zebra Finch about a week ago and within four days he was perching on my arm while I did household chores. I let him out of his cage to fly around for a bit every day in a closed room and have had no problems getting him to come back! I am getting him a friend soon as he is alone right now, but so far, so good!
Allisonhh26x (verified owner) –
In response to a negative review, Zebra finches are s.e.x. dimorphic prior to 3 months. (dimorphic means the coloration between s.e.x.e.s. does not differ.) After 3 months, the males’ cheeks will be slightly more vibrant. Until then, you can not confidently s.e.x the birds.
Alicia621 (verified owner) –
Both of our Zebra Finches are healthy and happy in their new home!
Foxs (verified owner) –
Please buy it………………………………!
Petlover 22 (verified owner) –
We started out with 2 that happened to be male and female. Offspring mated and mated and mated. After 4 years, we now have 14 and it was awesome to see babies grow and mature. Very vocal and active birds. We love them!
Bobber (verified owner) –
These finches so entertaining and so busy and so fun to watch
MillerandSon (verified owner) –
I have 6 finches now 2 white. male and a female . 4 zebras 3 male and a female and I just love the new birds I got. i did half to separate my white apart from the zebra Thay did not get along that’s the way it goes
Zuri22 (verified owner) –
I bought her 2 weeks ago and she fits right in with the other bird.
Dr53 (verified owner) –
Bought the pair of loving birds they sing and brighten our house.
AzureMosquito (verified owner) –
I recently lost one of my bonded pair of zebra finches and was in need of finding him a new companion ASAP, as these birds should not be kept alone. I was happy to see that the Puyallup Petsmart had a number of very healthy looking animals and the cages were all very clean and neat. The new bird appears quite happy and healthy and is settling into his new home well and already inseparable from my other finch.
MJ371 (verified owner) –
I bought two zebra finch one of them. I believe the female died a few days ago. Not happy at all.
Chitown Cece (verified owner) –
I had 2 Zebra Finches when I was a little girl. They lived to be 9 years old…and then we were given some kittens. Up until then, they were great pets! By the way, the males have red cheeks and vibrant grey color. The females have a duller grey color and no red cheeks.
Anonymous (verified owner) –
[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] We bought a zebra Finch on March 31st it passed away April 10th
P3Pilot (verified owner) –
These finches (I bought a male and female) are delightful. They make lovely, pleasing little beeps and peeps, and they flutter around their cage making their nest. They are not afraid of humans, and I own several cats which enjoy looking at them in the cage. The cats don’t bother them either and don’t bang on the cage. The birds seem to totally ignore them. Overall the two little finches are a great addition to the household.
Rickey 2 (verified owner) –
He is such a happy bird and very friendly, when I put my hand in cage he doesn’t fly away.
Marie1019 (verified owner) –
Love my birds, they make me happy when they sing and play.
FinchGuy (verified owner) –
I purchased a pair of zebra finches who not only have taken to their extremely large home but also are sitting on 5 eggs !. They are awesome parents who are definitely spoiled.
Sandy SL (verified owner) –
I needed a couple of female finches to go with my two males. I’m waiting to introduce them but will pair them up soon.
happymommyoffour (verified owner) –
I purchased a male and female Zebra Finch, they are very interesting to watch for the whole family. From their chirps to building their nest.
Truelove (verified owner) –
Joy’s peace happiness to your home relaxing , will love.
mmorton2000 (verified owner) –
I recently got 4 zebra finches. They’re all females to avoid breeding. They’re so cute and sound exactly like a squeaky toy. The first picture is not the cage they’re in now. I would recommend a flight cage for them, as they love to fly. At least 30 x 18 x 18. They’ll have tons of room in that kind of cage. They’re pretty messy, so I wouldn’t suggest them if you don’t like messes/dirtiness. I would, however, suggest them if you love birds (who happen to sound like squeakers) and aren’t hard to care for at all. <3
Pastor John (verified owner) –
I bought 2 finches, male and female. They seem to love to be entertained. When ever I play the piano, they sit side by side just listening. Although I wanted a canary, the finches we’re an excellent choice as well. One day, I hope you have canaries. Thank you. I’m very happy with them. I named the male the Sicilian word “Figo”. It means Cool. The female I gave her a Portuguese name “Nevë”. It means Snow.
Abby8 D (verified owner) –
I bought my two girls last week and I am already in love. The females dont really sing, but they make really cute peeping noises. Literally the best thing to wake up to in the morning. Both my girls are very healthy so far, and I have loved watching them get more comfortable with their cage and their surroundings! You wont regret these fun little birds!
Madi12 (verified owner) –
I bought my finches 2 days ago there such active birds and love to fly and sing!
BBG90 (verified owner) –
I bought my male zebra finch from PetSmart and a female from another store. The male is pretty and both him and the female are very small. The male is loud and sings all day. They both sing, but the female is quieter. They are both playful and energetic. They are fun and good to watch. They are easy to take care of. Although I wanted a quiet pet, these birds are good pets.
Xongile (verified owner) –
The Zebra finches I purchased are healthy and active. I love their quiet chirping and the males little song.
Brushstrokes (verified owner) –
Petsmart was a lifesaver- my male is so happy now. It was so hard to locate a female Zebra Finch
K8morrison (verified owner) –
Needed a hen to go along with a male zebra finch since his partner passed away. She is healthy, energetic and lively. A perfect partner for him….Atticus Finch. Her name of course, is Scout. Too bad PetSmart didn’t have a finch house for them to nest….I’ll get one as soon as they are restocked. Fun little creatures!
GabeTanks12 (verified owner) –
if they trust you you can hold them awesome pets but you have to be patient.
Trishlace (verified owner) –
I bought a pair of these wonderful little active birds and we enjoy them so much. They never seem to sit still, they are always hoping from perch to perch and they love to swing. We have several other finches as well but we could not house them together because the Zebra’s are very aggressive and territorial so beware if you are planning to have more than one type of finch you will need separate cages. These birds are very busy and they need a large long flight cage and nests are a must as they sleep in them at night. Their chirp sounds like a dogs squeaky toy to me but the male’s song is very beautiful. These birds will bring loads of enjoyment for your family!
Flower77 (verified owner) –
I bought 1 Zebra Finch and 2 Social Finches. My Zebra seems to be left out, I only purchased The other two because they only had 1 Zebra and didn’t want her to be lonely…then couldn’t leave the other Social at the store by it’s self so we have 3. Wondering if I need to get another Zebra so she’s not alone?
Rholmansc (verified owner) –
Such sweet additions to my home. Named them Alfred Finchcock and Marian Crane Finchhen.
SmokinDeist (verified owner) –
My mom had to get rid of her Zebra Finch so we gave him a new home. However we felt that he’d be happier with a friend so we purchased what may have been the last Zebra Finch that was in Salem at the time. It was love at first sight for these two and I’m happy that we picked up a friend for our other finch.
M Roy (verified owner) –
Bought two one regular zebra & the other pied zebra finch males, both are extremely active & melodious with unique singing qualities, have started recognising our voices.
Lorawwx (verified owner) –
Purchased a female zebra finch two weeks ago. She seems healthy and happy eating well. Very smooth process and transaction.
Marena (verified owner) –
I bought a male finch from there for my friend. He got very lonely though. I bought a female a week later, They both were happy. I gave them a few months to settle down and they laid a clutch. I was so happy. They ate the eggs though. :l
fins2lr (verified owner) –
They sound like squeaky toys and bring lots of pleasure! I open the cage when I’m around and they love to do laps around the dining room!
Erick0707 (verified owner) –
[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] be careful buying these birds they are cute but they reproduce very fast and all year round I buy 3 at petsmart two females and a male and now I have 20 so be careful if you don’t want a lot of noise and many birds.
not applicable xyz (verified owner) –
I bought them last week of Dec 2023. Now they are part of out family.
conorcarmichael (verified owner) –
hey my family member used to have one and that bird loved every one it always wanted to come out and play and sleep with you and i really miss the bird. I was thinking of getting one my self one day.
Brid brain (verified owner) –
It’s cute and it copy’s me it’s fun to hold and play with
Usplatinum (verified owner) –
Very active and healthy male finch that went down to business finding himself a female the very next day’
Spots2478 (verified owner) –
Overall, I’m extremely Satisfy with my purchase. The male zebra finch that I bought has being doing well with my other finches. Gentle and beautiful bird
Babymariana (verified owner) –
loved my new pet she so cute my baby girl loves to see and my family likes her a lot
EliDaSouLs 1st bird (verified owner) –
It didn’t stay where I put it, so it fell too many times and died.
dom54 (verified owner) –
i bought it a month a go and now i want to get a female one