Society gettng tail chewed on, and the tail looks ratty

ac12 · Post by **ac12** » Thu May 07, 2009 6:14 pm

I have 3 society finches with 2 fledgling zebras.
One of the society has his tail looking ratty. It does not have the long white feathers that the other 2 society finches have. I think it has been chewed on by the zebras. I caught the zebras pulling on the tail of one of the other society finch.

Since the zebra chicks are getting annoying, I plan to separate the society finches in a couple days, when I have their cage built.

So, the question...
Does the society have to go thru a molt to replace the chewed up tail feathers? And how long should I expect his tail to look ratty?

lovemyfinch · Post by **lovemyfinch** » Thu May 07, 2009 6:20 pm

From everyne that I have studied on finches, societies are passive and zebras are pushy. So this seems to me to be a natural situation. Ragarding the molt I'll wait for someone more experienced to reply, but If my shaftail's neck feathers can grow back without a molt, then I am imagining possibly the tail feathers as well.

I'm sure though that everyone is going to tell you to separate the societies from the zeb's as soon as possible.

cartel · Post by **cartel** » Thu May 07, 2009 7:44 pm

I pretty sure you society would have to moult to replace tail feathers.Those juvie zebs really can be a terror some times

B CAMP · Post by **B CAMP** » Thu May 07, 2009 7:53 pm

I have several society in a cage and they pull each other tail feathers out a lot seems as though some never have them but they do grow back they use for nesting material

Finch Fry · Post by **Finch Fry** » Thu May 07, 2009 10:12 pm

Its common for a hen to get her tail feathers a little ratty and rugged looking while sitting on eggs. Most hens, after the breeding season, will look like that. They will require those feathers to be lost and regrown, typically the loss and regrowing of feathers takes 6 weeks.

ac12 · Post by **ac12** » Thu May 07, 2009 11:16 pm

FF
6 weeks, I can live with that, now that I know.
All 3 are males, they all sing.
They are being set up as backup fosters, so I guess I will have to expect their tail feathers to get ratty.

cartel
I know how much of a terror the juvs can get. I have my 1st clutch, and they are so bad that the boys and one of the girls were chasing their dad. But they got it back, cuz mom is the BOSS of the cage and chased them even harder. Got bad enough that I removed all 4 juvs and put them in another cage...until I get them to the bird store. I was going to keep them...until they started getting too aggressive to other than their siblings. I thought they got their aggressiveness from their mother.

LMF
I was hoping that since these were fledglings they would be more accomodating to the societies, since they are cagemates. But it seems not.
There are together to test if the societies are "clean." But I think I put them w the societies too late, and their immune system has probably kicked in.
Secondly, I was hoping that keeping them w the societies, they would learn how to foster. But if they are going to behave like this, I'm going to separate them. I already shot them w my water bottle several times.

BCamp
I remember seeing a society in the store cage that its rump was COMPLETELY plucked.

ac12 · Post by **ac12** » Fri May 08, 2009 3:50 pm

Well the zebra girl picked at the tail feathers of the society one time too many, despite being shot w my water bottle. So after shooting her again w my water bottle, I removed her and moved her into the cage w 4 older and "pushy" juveniles (about 4-1/2 months old).

As I figured, I had to shoot a few of the juveniles w my water bottle, as they started to picking on her, as the new guy in THEIR cage. She is also smaller than them, plus not coloring in yet (her beak is just starting to turn orange). I was going to send the 4 juveniles to the pet shop before I moved her and her brother into the cage. Oh well, they will have to get along until I take them to the pet shop.

I'm watching her brother, and if he picks at the societies, he is going to be moved as well. His singing will be interesting, I think he will sound like a society.

B CAMP · Post by **B CAMP** » Fri May 08, 2009 5:46 pm

What is shooting with water bottle about ,don't think that will help.Thats the way zebras act pushy

lovemyfinch · Post by **lovemyfinch** » Fri May 08, 2009 5:50 pm

I use a water bottle to spray mine for their overdue baths.

Today I used it on all my new birds (they don't seem to understand the principal of washing themselves). They sat sat there and enjoyed their baths.

summert85 · Post by **summert85** » Fri May 08, 2009 6:04 pm

I've also use the water bottle spray on my finches and they loved it. hehe so to speak. i think finches just enjoy a nice bath.

ac12 · Post by **ac12** » Fri May 08, 2009 10:50 pm

My finches enjoy when they go in the bath, not when the bath comes to them.

The water spray idea is based on Palvolv's principle.
Shoot them w water right when they do something you don't want them to do, pretty soon they will expect to get sprayed when they do that, so they don't. At least that is the principle.

I have her in a split cage.
When she was w the 4 juveniles, 2 of them chased her, hissing at her.
So I moved her to the other side of the divider.
Then what happens, she wants to go back to the side w the 4 juvs. So I open the divider and over she goes...only to get chased again.
So I move her back to the other side, and she goes to the divider again, wanting to go join the 4 juvs.

ac12 · Post by **ac12** » Mon Jun 01, 2009 3:31 am

FF
Thanks for the info.
His tail feathers are now almost like his cagemates.

I moved the M zebra chick out of the societies cage. But not because of him picking at the tail. After I put a few zebra eggs in the nest box (for the societies to foster), he took over the nest and was aggressively keeping the societies away. And he was only about a month from when he fledged.

Since I wanted the societies to foster the eggs, he had to go. So he joined his sister w the 4 older juvs. It was a rough start as they were the new (and smaller) kids in the cage, but after being chased for several days, they turned fistey and started chasing back. Now they seemed to have reached a truce with each other. Seeing his nesting behavior so young, I will be keeping him to test his fostering capability.

Finch Fry · Post by **Finch Fry** » Mon Jun 08, 2009 11:52 pm

completely forgot about this. Glad they are looking better now! My zebra hens tail feathers look horrible after each clutch. By the time the babies are weened and removed, i wait another month and she feathers up nicely again and thats typically my insert nest box and mate finches again code.

ac12 · Post by **ac12** » Tue Jun 09, 2009 1:43 am

Now that he is fostering, he is in the nest, and his tail is getting ratty again.

Funny, the tail of the other 2 society finches are not ratty, and they are in the nest as much as he is.