finch lost feathers on head, help?! :(

[sophiepritchard93]

Chica and Nino!

Hello! i'm new to the forum and also finches !
If I have done this right you will hopefully see the picture of my two zebra finches, I have had them for a few weeks now. I had them off a friend of a friend who no longer wanted them, I was told they were about a year and half old and also that the white is male and the brown female??

When they came I noticed she had no feathers around her ears, and I saw he was pecking there now and again. I have asked at a few pet stores and had a look online, some have said its part of the mating ritual or that it could be because of the change causing stress and he should stop soon.

bald Chica :(

However after just having a close look at her she is missing a lot of feathers all round her head, ((as i'm writing this hes chasing her around the cage!)) i've got the best picture I could as she doesn't stay still for very long but she did put her head down as I took it so you can also see the back feathers missing, i'm just hoping to find out why hes doing this and if there's anything I can do to stop it.

Thanks, will appreciate any advice

[Lisa]

You have a bad case of plucking going on here.

Unfortunately, the male is tormenting the female. Best thing to do would be separate them, and her feathers will grow back in time.

[sophiepritchard93]

thanks for the reply

Is there a reason hes doing this to her or is this just something they do? with them being together for over a year?

I have a small cage and a large one, they are currently in the large would I be better dividing the large cage to avoid any stress, or separate completely?

If I separate them until her feathers grow back, would they be ok put back together again?

sorry about all the questions!

[lyzzyjayne]

Oh my goodness! Bless her! You'll have to separate them ASAP. He is obsessed and won't stop.

[Lisa]

Zebras are notorious for this sort of behavior against other finches. It's not uncommon for them to get along fabulously with another finch and then one day just to turn on them such as what you're experiencing. Lyzzjayne is right - he won't stop. They are also capable of seriously hurting or even killing each other if bullying is ignored.

If you are able to separate them in the large cage via a divider, that would be great. This would allow her to heal completely and they still can communicate through the divider. At a later date (maybe months down the line after she is healed), you could TRY to reintroduce them but would have to keep an eye on them to be sure there's no aggression. Right now he's got a head up on her as her condition is not her best and he knows it. Once she's fully healed, they can start from an even playing field once again.