Possible mites; Pictures included

[Travillion]

Just hoping someone can ID the problem.
My male just seems to have 2 bald patches that don't look irritated at all. My female is losing feather around her beak, and it looks slightly different from the males. Both finches have not changed habit at all. No laboured breathing or over preening. I have hold both up to my ear and I hear no clicking either. They are still eating, seed diet and vegetable/fruit with finch calcium carbonate supplement. I have however noticed that their beaks have begun to overgrow, which has never been an issue before. They have been moved to the smaller quarantine cage with a 60W bulb for warmth.

Pictures:
Male



Female

[MiaCarter]

Hmm....that's curious.
From the photo alone, I honestly can't tell you with certainty whether this is mites. It's possible it's early stage beak mites, as you often see some irritation in the skin around the beak before the actual beak starts to show the symptoms. So it's possible, especially for the female since the affected area is right up beside the beak. That's more characteristic of what you see (irritation in the skin right up against the beak. Though it's certainly possible to see irritation in other areas of the head or even neck.)

It's hard to tell in the photos, but how does the actual skin look? Is it smooth and healthy?
Or irritated? Or with scaling or lots of accumulated dead skin? That could suggest the presence of mites.

Is there lots of itching, especially in the bald areas?

If everything looks healthy overall and the skin looks good, I'd just take a wait and see approach for now.
Or you might take a more aggressive approach and treat them sooner rather than later. That may be smart if you have other birds who could be infested. Just keep in mind it can take several months before an infestation shows actual symptoms. It's a fairly slow process. Perhaps 6-9 months or even a bit longer? So just keep that in mind.

I would also examine their feet and legs, looking for scaling, a large accumulation of dry skin and the appearance of tiny little growths called "tassles."
The same mites that cause scaly beak mites can travel to the leg and cause an infestation there.

These mites are different from air sac mites, so no worries of problems in that regard. (Though it's certainly possible to have more than 1 kind of mite. But you don't report any symptoms of ASM, so I wouldn't be especially concerned over that.)

There are some other things that could cause this.
For the female in particular, a lack of protein and other essential vitamins/minerals can cause thin spots beginning around the time they moult.
Friction/rubbing can cause feather loss like you see on the female. It's most often the result of certain feeders or drinkers.

Plucking or over-preening from a mate could also cause the type of feather loss that you see on the male. (Not so much on the girl; that would be a very odd place for another bird to pluck her.)

GORGEOUS boy, by the way!
I have developed an affinity for the orange heads.

[MiaCarter]

Oh, on the beaks starting to overgrow....

Did they have a cuttle bone in the past but not now? If you remove the cuttle bone, that can cause their beaks to overgrow a bit.

Also, hard foods like seeds help to keep their beaks trimmed up. So if they're eating nearly all soft foods, that could account for the problem.

I found a clever trick: get a lava/pumice stone (they're usually in the drug store in the foot care section as they're typically used for pedicures.)

Then, put tiny bits of their favorite food on the lava stone. That will help trim up their beaks and their toes if they stand on it.

Just be sure to clean the lava stone well. I rinse it well and scrub with a little brush. Then soak it in a 50-50 mix of bleach and water, followed by clean water. That gets any bacteria inside the little "pores."

[Travillion]

Amazing information Mia! Thank you.
I'll try to answer your response as best I can.
The males skin where his feathers have vanished looks very healthy, like a freshly plucked bird. I don't see why the female would be plucking him though, so on that front I am still confused.
The females skin where the feathers have dwindled looks a little more irritated, slightly red. She does not scratch at it though, so maybe that is just the coloration of her skin around her beak? If it is due to lack of protein and vitamins, what action would you suggest?

They had a cuttlebone, and still have one in their quarantine cage as well, though they do not seem to be using it. Their favourite food is their seed diet, and only casually graze on their vegetables and fruits. Yet regardless of this information, their beaks still appear overgrown to my eyes. I'll certainly consider the pumice stone trick and hope that works. If they do not take to it though, is there a safe way of filing down finch beaks?

And thank you for your comment on the male. He is very handsome, and I really don't want his feather-loss to progress, as I am sure you can imagine!

[MiaCarter]

Travillion -- I would make sure they're getting plenty of protein. Egg is always my first pick. They usually love egg.

I would supplement them too. A really good supplement is Morningbird's Feather Fast. It has everything they need for healthy feathers.
Plus, it's a very balanced supplement overall so you can use it when they're molting or during other times of the year too.

You generally want to sprinkle the supplement on soft foods (eggfood, veggies, etc) rather than seeds. The powder doesn't stick to the seeds well (and even if it did stick, they remove the hull of the seeds.)

You can use cuticle nippers to clip their beaks.
Their beak is the consistency of fingernails.

So while you're getting your pumice stone, you can get cuticle nippers too!
I'd watch some videos on beak trimming. Like your nails, they can bleed if you cut too short. So I'm always conservative with beak trimming. And I have styptic powder (corn starch also works) in case of blood.

I might alter the position of the cuttle bone. I'd put it near one of their favorite perches. It's strange; I've found they'll totally ignore a cuttle bone if it's not in a good location. And sometimes they'll just randomly ignore it. It's like they get bored of having it in the same spot. So move it to a new location. That should do the trick.

If the male was plucked, it could occur for any number of reasons. Some are just over-enthusiastic preeners (probably the most likely scenario). Others are frustrated/bored. Others are looking for nesting material. It really varies.

The female's feather loss pattern is actually not all that uncommon. Lots of gouldians develop this and it's usually a matter of malnutrition.
It can actually progress to more dramatic baldness.
So I'd definitely supplement and re-evaluate their diet to ensure there's lots of protein and other good vitamins and minerals.

I'd take photographs every few days for comparison purposes.
If it's just benign plucking, the feathers will re-grow in fairly short order.
And if it's a malnutrition thing, the supplements will help, also in fairly short order.
If it's mites, you're not going to see any improvement. It will get worse with time.

I noticed you do have other birds, so you might consider purchasing some S76 or another anti-parasite medication when you get the Morningbird Feather Fast.
It wouldn't hurt to treat them, especially if they've never been treated before and/or if they've been exposed to other birds who may have been carriers.
It's easier to treat now, before the condition becomes more advanced. They'll recover and normalize much faster.

But some don't like to treat unnecessarily, which I totally understand. So if that's your preference, you could do a wait and see approach.