My male (CFW) and female (white) Zebra finches are about 4 months old. The female has already laid eggs about a few days ago (she laid 5), the worrying thing is her pink skin is showing on her tail (rump), with a small white spot, as if that is the root of the feather which has been pulled out. I only noticed this yesterday (literally her loss of feathers came on overnight).
She is very active, flying around, eating, drinking etc.
Since I bought her (about 1 month ago), she has always breathed quite heavily and quickly, with her tail moving up and down subtly as she breathes. I don't know if this has anything to do with it but I thought I'd just mention it.
She eats seeds and cuttlebone and she behaves like the male, and they get on really well together. I'm just worried about that fleshy looking pink spot.
Zebra finch losing tail feathers
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cindy
- Bird Brain
- Posts: 18754
- Joined: Wed Jul 22, 2009 8:33 pm
- Location: west central Florida
Re: Zebra finch losing tail feathers
A molting zebra should not loose all the tail feathers overnight... this is likely plucking by a cage mate, male that is pursuing her to breed.
The labored breathing can be from stress, egg binding.
You mentioned just a seed and cuttlebone diet... seed alone is not a sufficient diet...do you give any type of chopped veggies, pelleted diet or multivitamin, egg food. Cuttlebone is not a reliable source of calcium during egg laying/breeding you can supplement her with a liquid calcium in the water or a powdered supplement with D3 in soft foods/egg food veggie chops.
If egg bound she will require a heat lam on one side of the cage to go to as needed, she will require liquid calcium in the water and to the side of the beak. If the male is pursuing or chasing her you either have to remove him or her to another cage.
If she has always been like this, breathing heavily what do her droppings look like, is she thin, do you feel a sharp keel/breast bone like a sharp V or is it round and full?
Does she have white droppings stuck to her?
The labored breathing can be from stress, egg binding.
You mentioned just a seed and cuttlebone diet... seed alone is not a sufficient diet...do you give any type of chopped veggies, pelleted diet or multivitamin, egg food. Cuttlebone is not a reliable source of calcium during egg laying/breeding you can supplement her with a liquid calcium in the water or a powdered supplement with D3 in soft foods/egg food veggie chops.
If egg bound she will require a heat lam on one side of the cage to go to as needed, she will require liquid calcium in the water and to the side of the beak. If the male is pursuing or chasing her you either have to remove him or her to another cage.
If she has always been like this, breathing heavily what do her droppings look like, is she thin, do you feel a sharp keel/breast bone like a sharp V or is it round and full?
Does she have white droppings stuck to her?
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Sheather
- Proven
- Posts: 2299
- Joined: Thu Dec 12, 2013 7:49 pm
- Location: Northwest Indiana
Re: Zebra finch losing tail feathers
I've had young societies lose all their tail feathers at once during their first moults. The lump you see is the preening gland, which is normal and supposed to be present.
I've also inadvertently had societies breed and successfully rear chicks as young as 3 months of age, but it's not ideal.
I've also inadvertently had societies breed and successfully rear chicks as young as 3 months of age, but it's not ideal.
~Dylan
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