If you don’t have a canary yet and you want to make sure you get one that sings, you can always wait for proof. You can get canaries from breeders who will know which of their birds love to sing. Similarly, visit pet stores until you hear a bird sing for yourself! Female canaries also sing, though their song is much simpler and less expressive than that of a male canary.
Most often, your canary will sing the songs it believes are most likely to attract a mate. Once a canary is sexually mature at around 6 months of age, they will likely begin to stick to traditional canary songs. [3] X Research source
Depending on where you live, natural light can likely be utilized most of the time. You can have lights turn on before sunrise and stay on until the room is naturally lit, or cover a cage early in the evening if there is too much natural light. Use a timer to help control the amount of light your canary gets. For instance, set a timer to turn lights on near your canary’s cage and run for 12 hours. Each week, increase the amount of time you leave the lights on by 30 minutes, either by having the lights turn on earlier or run longer. Stop increasing the amount of light at 14 hours. Canaries will begin to molt as the “days” reach 15 hours, concluding their breeding season.
Include Vitamin A in your canary’s diet to help bring out the color of their feathers. Carrots and sweet potato are great options to provide this nutrient to your bird. Provide two separate food bowls. Place seeds and pellets in one bowl and fresh fruits and veggies in the other. Do not be fooled by fortified seeds. Though additional nutrients have been added to the exterior of seed, your canary may leave this fortified hull behind, eating only the contents inside. Avoid feeding your canary anything sugary or fried, as well as avocado. Take any food out of the cage that is not eaten within 24 hours.
Hang strips of leather or sturdy string for your bird to play with. Mount perches made of various different materials at different locations in the cage. Include at least three different types, as perches of different thicknesses help prevent foot injuries.
Make sure the space between the bars of the cage are less than 3/8 inch. Place the cage in your living room, or whichever room is most often occupied during the day. Do not place the cage in the kitchen. Position the cage with one side against a wall, and in a place that receives only a bit of direct sunlight, if any. Consider covering the cage at night to help your canary rest.
Aim the spray above the bird so that mist descends onto the bird like rain. Do not spray a canary directly with a stream of water. If you bird does not clean itself, take it to the vet. Ensure that there are no drafts that reach your bird’s cage. Drafts can cause a bird to become dangerously cold while they are wet.
