Zebra Finches are local to the Australian tropics, living in dry areas. They're a hardy variety of grass finch and were regularly found in grassy or brush lands, open areas, pastures and fields.

In natural settings, their primary food was grass seed. They gained acclaim as cage pets due to the ease in caring for them and their contented dispositions.

As a pet, the finchesfood should really be composed of basically seeds, supplemented with other foods such as fruits, like apples or pears, and plants, such as spinach, alfalfa or lettuce.

Other foods such as mashed up hard boiled eggs, bread or corn bread make good additions to their diet. Most natural foods can be eaten by your finches. You can play around with different foods to see what your bird likes and doesn't like but be certain you steer clear of foods like peppers and cabbage as they may cause problems with your finches digestive tract.

Do not feed your bird too much of the fresh food, only as much of the fresh food as they can eat in 24 hours. Remove uneaten food before it has a chance to rot. Check frequently to see that their food bowl is clean and to keep their food bowl filled with seeds.

Often the bowl may still look full of seed, but is really just crammed with the empty shells of eaten seeds, so it's really important to empty the shells and fill bowl after noticing it needs attention.

These birds are hardy, and a regular supply of food is essential for their survival.

They're great pets and their friendship with you and the others birds in the cage is pleasurable to watch and experience. If you have never been around this active, delightful bird you may want to switch to finches because they can make a good social companion, are fun to observe and are easy to care for as a pet.