Mary Allen
As a bird lover and friend of the little exotic birds at home, it is important to you that your canary is always well. The male canary in particular often cheers with its bright song and its gift for imitation. Your canary doesn’t sing anymore? Whistling sounds, hoarse laughter, or a shrill scream are part of the existence of the little bird and once it falls silent, we immediately worry. In order to understand what exactly the reasons for silence can be, we will discuss the most common reasons here and give you tips to help your canary get back to singing.
The Usual Song is Missing During the Moult
Every owner of this sensitive animal knows his canary inside out. You quickly get used to the everyday songs and melodies. If the usual song is missing, there is no need to worry.
During the moult, the canary often falls silent – even in the wild. Changing the plumage is energy consuming and especially in the wild a happy singing would attract predators in a time of weakness. So why should the canary sing right then? Even. He doesn’t sing in the moult. It is therefore important to observe whether your canary is currently moulting while it is quietly silent. This is usually the time from late autumn to spring. If so, it is natural behavior, and no need to worry.
Canary no Longer Sings – Even After Moulting
The vocal cords of your canary are sensitive and it can happen that they change so much due to moulting or an illness that only a weak beeping can be heard instead of the sonorous singing. However, if your bird presents itself healthy from its plumage to the rest of its appearance, it can be a natural process. While singing is an important way of drawing attention in nature during mating season, caged birds can also decide they don’t want to sing anymore. As sad as it sounds, it is a natural behavior that you as a bird owner have to accept.
The Mating Calls of the Canary
A wild canary does not sing year-round either. Singing is especially important during the mating season and attracts potential mates. The winter months can therefore become months of silence for your canary. But normally the voice should sound again in the spring.
Signs of Illness
If you watch your canary carefully, you will see if he wants to sing and if he can’t. Or does it seem like he’s not even trying to sing a beautiful song? If your bird is willing to sing, but the vocal cords are croaking, there may be an illness that should be examined by the vet. Please take enough time to observe. Only if you observe the unusual behavior more often, it can be a pathological expression. However, if you’ve just got the bird or you’ve changed the cage, it may just be a period of acclimatization. Are you unsure Then, as a precaution, seek advice from a veterinarian?
Help Back to Singing
Your canary is a social animal. He likes to sing with others – also with the vacuum cleaner. Loud, monotonous noises can actually make your birds sing along, just like a great, classic song on the radio. You can try a variety of sounds and maybe one of them speaks to your canary. A CD with canaries singing is also ideal. The voices of the conspecifics are particularly appealing to your bird and can make its voice sound again.
The Nutritional Kick for the Moult
As we’ve heard before, moulting is a stressful time for your bird. A diet rich in minerals is particularly important. There is special food for “moulting aid” for this purpose. If your canary tolerates it, you can occasionally add cucumber slices to its normal food. This provides extra nutrients for plumage formation and will do your canary good in this phase.
A New Love is Like a New Canary Life
As with humans, a partner can rekindle courage and drive. A female can induce a second spring in your male bird and the opportunity for appropriate communication can give him voice back. Of course, a male is also suitable, but then please in separate cages, otherwise communication can also end in physical violence. The same applies to two females, by the way. Although the two women are less aggressive, it cannot be ruled out that there will be violent differences of opinion there as well.
Conclusion on the Canary’s Break From Singing
Just one more time for clarification: the male canaries are usually much louder and often sing more vigorously than a hen. So if you own a female, it is perfectly normal for her to sing little or no singing.
As you can see, there are many reasons why your canary is taking a break from singing. Most of these are natural and there is nothing to worry about. If your bird does not sing again despite its excellent health and all attempts at animation, then this is part of its individual character. There are birds that love to bathe and birds that can’t stand water. One canary can move freely outside the cage, while another prefers its given space. The canary can be very headstrong and has a great personality, just like you.