Help!!

[GeneralEJV]

Hello, I am here today because I am concerned with 1 of my zebra finches health. So yesterday, I got home to find blood on the nest, and I look at one of my finche's cheeks matted and a little hole there, I knew this was one of my other zebra finches, who has been pecking at her sons to get away from her eggs in another nest, Is he ok? How can I stop this?

[Brette]

Ouch! Pecked by mom. You can put a little bit of antibiotic ointment on the wound if you want to prevent infection. Most pharmacies carry it for about 4 or 5 dollars and Polysporin is the most common brand I think. Put the wounded bird in a separate cage so he can heal quietly for a few days, in a warm spot.

You should also think about getting big flight cage if you are going to continue to breed them and keep the babies. Or you can remove the nests if you don't want them to breed anymore. They are prolific and soon you will have more zebs than you know what to do with!

[GeneralEJV]

Its a pretty big cage, does a cage that fits a cocatiel big enough? Good news is: He is eating and still in his chirpy mood

[Sally]

Its a pretty big cage, does a cage that fits a cocatiel big enough? Good news is: He is eating and still in his chirpy mood

It depends. Cockatiel cages are usually taller than wide or deep, while finch cages ideally would be wider than tall. It also depends on how many total birds you have in the cage. Overcrowding leads to plucking, along with other problems.

Welcome to the forum! There's a lot of good reading at www.finchinfo.com, where you will find articles on proper housing. If you put your general location in your profile, it makes it easier to answer locale-specific questions later on. Here is a guide to how many finches can be kept in one cage:

http://www.finchinfo.com/housing/cage_s ... ulator.php

[cindy]

on a cockateil cage check the cage bar spacing, hookbills usually have a wider bar spacing some finches can get through.

In regards to the injury, most antibiotic ointments contain petroleum, try not to get this near the nares (nostrils), ear and eyes and on feathers, try to keep it concentrated just to the injury that was bleeding, sounds like the bird was plucked and the ear of the bird is exposed.


What works for me is supplying them with a second nest or roosting area the babies can go to instead of them returning to the parents' nest...Dad will go to the extra nest to feed them there. Hang the nest near or across from the parents' nest.

[GeneralEJV]

I think after these 2 birds I will take the nests out, so it will not be overcrowded.