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Bengalese finches are as good in cages as they are in aviaries and are good breeders either way. They are generally very hardy and sturdy but should not be allowed to breed in unheated aviaries during cold weather. If the climate is too cold, Bengalese are best kept indoors. These birds can be cage bred and will live happily in a medium-sized mixed flight with non-aggressive birds. Because of their highly social nature, eight Bengalese finches at a time will try to cram into one nest to sleep at night (they are nest sleepers). Although that is normally okay, it can cause great troubles for breeding, first because most pairs will be too busy socialising to breed, and second because if any eggs or chicks are in the nest, the many birds cramming into it at night could squash them to death. It is for this reason that when breeding, only one pair should be housed per enclosure. They will nest in about anything, but a large hooded/oval bamboo nest or half open nest box is preferred. Provide coconut fibre, shreds of tissue, dried grasses and cut burlap for nesting materials. 3-10 eggs will be laid, diligently incubated by both parents, and will hatch after 16 days. The parents are tolerable of nest checks, but be sure not to disrupt the babies after 18 days of age so as not to scare them into a premature fledging. After the young fledge, they will molt into their adult plumage at about 90 days of age. They should be removed from their parents' cage as soon as they are eating on their own so that they will not disturb the pair as they start their second clutch.

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There are many things to consider when providing a place for your Bengalese finches to live. Strictly speaking, nests are not essential but if the birds are outside it's nice to be able to offer them a retreat and somewhere warmer and more sheltered. Bengalese like to spend nights in a nest. Recommendations for housing vary depending on whether your birds are seen as pets or you are trying to breed them. For pet birds, choose a place where your family spends time. You will want to enjoy your birds, so place them where you can see and hear them. Select a place that gets a lot of light. They need a daylight but keep them away from direct sunlight which could get very hot. Bengalese basically need the same temperature as we humans do. Also avoid placing them where it may rain heavily on them. Try not to change their environment too rapidly as the birds will need to acclimatise to their new situation. Generally, healthy acclimatised Bengalese finches will feel quite all right with temperatures between 5° and 30° C. However, when breeding, 15°  should be the minimum temperature. As aviary and cage birds Bengalese finches can thrive in a wide range of temperatures and under almost any conditions as long has they have fresh food, clean water and a large enough cage to facilitate exercise and social interaction.

A nest box like the one shown above is more than adequate for housing Bengalese finches. It measures 70cm across with each compartment 15cm wide and 15cm deep. This arrangement allows for quick and easy cleaning out. The finches themselves can enter and vacate the individual boxes very easily too!


If you have very small children, the cage needs to be out of reach and the same goes for pets that cannot control their temptation. Most other pets can be trained to leave the birds alone. You will need to simply be watchful of the situation and deal with it as the need arises. Do not place the cage where it will get a draft as in cool climates a draft can be cold and very uncomfortable. Remember, the birds are stuck in that cage; they can not go to a different room to find comfort. Air conditioning can also create an uncomfortable draft.
Bengalese are very hardy birds. A rule of thumb for siting aviaries is to ask yourself if you would like it where they are to be placed. If you wouldn't like to be where you put their cage, then they probably wouldn't like it either!

The birds may be kept in cages or aviaries, indoors or outdoors. Since Bengalese finches are very hardy, they are able to tolerate many different environments without problems. 
As a rule, Bengalese finches are aggressive nest builders. Bengalese finches nest in wicker nests or breeder boxes (about 15 cm square). Even half a coconut scooped out would suffice! It doesn't really matter what kind of nest they have; they don't even have to have one! They will use just about anything for nesting material - cotton balls pulled apart, feathers from an old pillow, grass and coconut matting or nesting material from pet shops are all suitable. You can start them off by lining the nests if you wish, but they really do a good job by themselves. Bengalese finches enjoy space in which to fly around and the opportunity for the birds to fly can be increased by having too few perches rather than too many. Don’t use perches with sandpaper on them as this can be too hard on their feet. A trick to help diminish fighting within the aviary is to use clothes pegs on the perches about 15 cm apart. This way any 'bird bullies' can only push others just so far away. It also gives the bullied birds a new location away from the tormentor. Safe wood to use for perches include: apple, aspen, birch, cactus wood, cherry, elm, maple, mountain ash, pear, pine, poplar and willow.

indoors or outdoors?

An alternative is the 'traditional' pitched-roof bird house house (shown above) that you might put on an outside wall to accommodate wild birds. Make sure of course, that the hole is large enough for the Bengalese finches to enter and exit quickly and easily. It would also be a good idea to ensure that either the back of the nesting box or part of the roof is easily removed in order to clean it out when the need arises

Bengalese finches may be housed in either an indoors or outdoors aviary or cage. If you've just a pair or two or birds then you might want to keep them indoors. It has been said that Bengalese appear to be happier in cages than open flights.
Be aware that indoor cages can be very messy and you'll probably find food and water all over your domestic decorations! Buy or build the biggest cage you can which will offer the birds the most space in which to exercise and then you'll gain the most pleasure in being able to watch them behaving as naturally as is possible. Indoors, the cage should have a plastic or metal base tray for ease of cleaning and this should be covered with sand sheets or bird sand to absorb the birds' waste. The bars will need to be narrow enough to stop the birds from escaping or pushing their heads through and getting stuck. A good cage design allows the base tray to be slid out from underneath which prevents the birds from escaping while cleaning. Old newspaper works well as a floor covering - it's cheap, collects the droppings and is easily removable. The aviary should be vermin free and can be planted with grasses and small trees. A lot of time is spent on the ground foraging. Finches can be allowed to take a bath by placing a shallow dish of lukewarm water in the bottom of the cage or you could buy a bath that clips onto the door of the cage. Remember to keep the cage away from draughts and strong sunlight. A healthy Bengalese finch will have a life span of two to ten years. Look after them and there's no reason to suggest that they won't survive this length of time. Indoor aviaries are quite popular and provide a vast area for your birds in which to live. Most any style/shape of cage is OK. However, it's important to consider just how easy it is to clean, how well it contains the mess of flying seeds, and how easy it is to catch a bird. Always make life easier for yourself when choosing a cage for your birds!

A grey Bengalese finch in an outdoors aviary For both indoor and outdoor aviaries, toys are a welcome treat. Your birds are in effect living in a one-roomed house so give them something to do. Finches don’t play with toys as much as parakeets and parrots, but are still curious and like to put their beaks into things. Use a sturdy string of beads hanging the from the roof of the cage or a plastic ball on the floor. Try different items and use your imagination! They may ignore what you give to them, but there again they may well enjoy playing with what you offer!

Outdoor aviaries can be constructed in a garden to house the birds but these should have a winter-proof area for the colder months of the year. However, the Bengalese finch is hardy and will stand the coldest weather. Most fanciers provide some sort of heat to keep the aviary just above freezing. Light must be provided if one wishes to breed early to compensate for the long hours of darkness. As for the indoor cage, the outside aviary should have a shallow dish of water on the floor for bathing and splashing which they do so very frequently and communally. This may be used for supplemental drinking water until they master the art of drinking from their clean, closed source of drinking water if this is the way you wish to provide it for them.

Bengalese finches, because of their strong nesting instinct, sometimes get 'carried away' with nest building. Often they will build a nest with provided materials. Then they will lay eggs. Shortly after laying eggs they will decide to reline the nest. If you notice that they are in this busy mode, take out all possible nesting material (paper towels, cotton balls, newspapers) as they will take this material up to their nest, reline the nest and bury any existing eggs, lay new eggs on top and the eggs at the bottom will be of no use. The birds will go on and reline the nest continuously as long as they have a continual supply of fresh nesting material. In this manner a lot of eggs get laid, but no babies are born.