Canary Singing Tips

1. Singing Canaries need basic needs met, including:

• Fresh water
• Healthy Canary food or more importantly, complete pellets such as Harrison's Fine Canary Food
• Roomy Cage
• Place cage in a high, well lit, draft free location
• Health care and grooming; This does NOT include wing trimming. 
• Singly kept bird 
• Appropriate amount of light commensurate with the season
• Keep in mind that canaries need to experrience seasonal light changes; shorter winter days and longer summer days.

2. Create pleasurable experiences that promote canary singing, such as:

• special delicious and nutritious bird treats
• Flight time out of the canary cage
• Gentle, calm daily interaction
• Playing canary singing CD's

3. While Canary Singing is a form of communication with a potential mate, male canaries appreciate interacting with you, too. Try:

• speaking with soft words
• using slow body movements when near your canary cage

4.  Newly acquired canaries need to become familiar and feel safe in their new cage before they start singing.  While a few canaries may sing immediately, it is not unusual for it to take two weeks for a canary to adjust to a new home and canary cage.

5.  Canary singing is a mating call.  Male canaries should be at least 6 months but less than 3 years old if they are to sing. He should be the only bird in his roomy cage that is placed high in a well-lit, draft-free room.

It is not unusual to acquire a female or hen canary.  Of course, you can't expect consistent female canary singing. Some young canary hens initially engage in singing but stop after their first baby molt.  Other canary hens sing sporadically throughout the year, but they don't have the daily or lengthy singing sessions that male canaries provide.  If your canary shows nest building behavior in the spring or lays an egg - it is a hen canary and you won't have success with singing.

Male canaries sing to attract a mate.  If they've got a mate, they don't need to sing!  She's already there.  While acquiring a hen may result in a short burst of canary singing, the male will soon stop canary sining.  Same thing with a mirror.  Your male canary won't need to sing canary songs if he thinks he has a mate, as he won't know that his reflection is not a real mate.   The worst thing you can do to discourage canary singing is to get another male canary. This only causes angst for your male canary.  Neither male will feel like canary singing to attact a mate when they feel that they must protect their territory.

While every canary has silent periods, during molts or hot summer months, age is also another reason that a canary stops singing. Molting, though, is an important factor in reducing a desire for canary singing.

MOLTING REDUCES CANARY SINGING

Finally, stress will result in molting and stop you canary from singing.  Many people get their canary during the winter months after the young bird has been kept in a large breeding facility - possibly an outdoor aviary.  Moving to a new home with an owner who is inexperienced in creating an environment that produces canary singing results in a lot of stress.  Stress induces molting and when feathers start falling out you won't have a singing canary. Once a molt has begun, the only thing you can do is wait about 2 months until it is over.

It is important to feed your canary extra protein during molts. Supplement Canary Seed Food with high protein egg food like Volkman Gourmet Eggfood.

Age affects canary singing.  A young canary or an older canary may need to be stimulated into canary singing with a canary singing CD.   Canary singing slows or stops between 5-10 years of age. even though you male canary may live for several years.

Male canaries won't sing if they are in pain.  Canary singing is affected by accidents within the cage, such as flying into cage bars or getting a toenaile caught.  Long toenails result in painful canary perching.   Any pain or discomfort will affect canary singing.