How to care for European Serin in captivity

1. Housing & Environment

Cage: Provide a spacious cage (at least 60x40x40 cm) or an aviary if keeping multiple birds.

Perches: Use natural wooden perches of different diameters to maintain foot health.

Temperature & Lighting: Keep the temperature between 18-24°C (64-75°F). Provide 12-14 hours of light daily.

Hygiene: Clean the cage regularly and provide fresh water daily.

2. Diet & Nutrition

Staple Food: High-quality finch seed mix (millet, canary seed, niger seed).

Fruits & Vegetables: Apple, pear, carrot, spinach, and lettuce (avoid avocado—it’s toxic).

Protein: Boiled egg, mealworms, or soft food during breeding.

Grit & Minerals: Provide cuttlebone or mineral blocks for calcium.

3. Social Needs & Behavior

Companionship: Serins are social birds; they do best in pairs or small groups.

Handling: They are not very tame but can get used to human presence.

4. Breeding

Pairing: Introduce a compatible male and female in early spring (March-May).

Nest: Provide a nesting basket or small wooden box with coconut fiber, soft grass, or moss.

Eggs & Incubation: The female lays 3-5 eggs, incubating them for 13-14 days.

Chick Care: Provide soft food (egg food, soaked seeds, insects) for parents to feed chicks. Fledglings leave the nest in 14-18 days but still depend on parents for a few more weeks.