JEANNE'S SINGING CANARIES

BASIC CANARY TIPS
These are recommendations to ensure health & happiness for your canary.

Always make available the following:

Fresh water in drinker tubes or bottles
Birds will bathe in cups & use up their water supply

Canary seed mix (a.k.a. Roller mix)

Roudybush™ (in a separate cup)
Put through a blender to turn into powder consistency
or try the Nibbles size.  Other bird pellet type s may be substituted.

Cuttlebone - Clip to side of cage with soft side out for bird to peck 

Bath  - Minimum 1 once a week (I add a few drops of Listerine to kill possible parasites)

ON OCCASION
Various greens and vegetables - Always remove after 30 min. Some greens & vegetables canaries love: Spinach, Romaine lettuce, grated carrot, thawed peas & corn, slice of cucumber, apple or orange.  (Try multiple times to let your bird become familiar to new foods.)
DO NOT FEED AVOCADO!
 
OTHER TIPS
Keep cage location away from drafts or direct sun.  If you desire a visit in the sun for your bird, keep a shaded area of cage available.  (Open beak & spread wings is a sign your bird is too hot!)
 
A fluffed bird with no eating or continuous eating behavior is a sick bird.  See your veterinarian immediately.

MY PET CANARY HAS STOPPED SINGING

Is the bird in good health?

Is the bird moulting?

Has the bird's environment changed?

Have other birds been placed near the singer's cage?

Have children been playing around the bird recently,

Has a cat or dog been around the bird recently?

Sometimes people have changes in their lifestyle and through these sort of introductions forget about the impact they may have on disturbing the singer's surroundings.

Stimulation (a.k.a. competition) encourages the male canaries to sing. Modern, noisy appliances such as dish washers, vacuums, television, radio (violin music is a favorite), voices (conversations) may encourage your singer. Canaries also compete when they hear another canary or song bird singing.  I call it "recharging their battery". Another way to cover this is to buy a canary cassette with canaries singing (available at pet stores) to play every morning and afternoon.

If you are willing to take care of another caged canary, I recommend a 2nd singer in a separate cage. The continuous singing back and forth usually prevents any further "quiet" periods, and creates a pleasant "stereo" effect.