Society Finches (Bangelese)

Question
QUESTION: Dear Megan

Good Day to you and Hope that you are fine. I have just brought a pair of Society Finches (Bangelese) which I put them alongwith a 10 pairs of Zebra Finches for just one day. The Zebra Finches was fighting with Society Finches sometimes so I placed them in an another cage having a pot inside. What are the best possible measure to keep this pair healthy and make them breed. What is the best age of Society Finches to breed and what sort of material the love to use while nesting. Also tell me that Society do cross mate with Zebra Finches or not? Your kind expertise in this regard is required.

Regards

JB

ANSWER: Unfortunately, there's no sure way to get Societies to breed, they don't exist in the wild and never have so they don't have any of the conditions other finches have. The best way to try and push them in the right direction is plenty of food, a wicker nest, fresh water everyday, and being in a low traffic area.
The nesting material my own Societies use can be bought at ladygouldian.com. The owner is also very knowledgeable about her products so if you are ever unsure, you can ask her.
Zebras and Societies CAN be bred together because they are part of the same family (the same way a Lion and a Tiger can). However, the babies they produce WILL be infertile.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Dear Megan

Thanks for your reply. May I know what is the best age society finches to breed and I observe last night that they went into the pot after dusk and they haven't came till late night. Also tell how do we differentiate between male & female among them? Please reply.

Regards

JB

Answer
You can start breed Societies after they are approximately one year old. They may not get the hang of raising young right away though.
Male and female Societies are not sexually dimorphic so it's very hard to tell them apart just by looks. The only real way to be sure is through a DNA test. However, in the presence of a female, the male will start singing