While both male and female canaries make good pets, if you want a singer, you must have a male. Yellow is the classic canary shade, but these small members of the finch family are available in a wide variety of hues. With good care, your canary can share your life for quite awhile.
Canary Life Expectancy
While the average life expectancy of a domestic canary is between 9 and 10 years, individual birds might live up to 15 years. In the wild, canaries might live even longer, if they escape predators and have a good food supply.
Keeping Your Canary Healthy
To ensure your canary lives as long as possible, feed him a high-quality commercial canary seed and make sure your pet always has fresh, clean water available. Canaries benefit from eating small but regular amounts of fresh greens that haven't been treated with pesticides. Keep his cage clean and out of drafty areas. While he enjoys sunshine, don't place the cage in direct sunlight where he might overheat.
References
Photo Credits
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Writer Bio
Jane Meggitt has been a writer for more than 20 years. In addition to reporting for a major newspaper chain, she has been published in "Horse News," "Suburban Classic," "Hoof Beats," "Equine Journal" and other publications. She has a Bachelor of Arts in English from New York University and an Associate of Arts from the American Academy of Dramatics Arts, New York City.
