FINCHforum

Hey guys,

My two newest additions, my male zebra finches, appear to be what I can only call shedding. I have noticed a tendency to lose the occasional feather in my societies, but it seems not a day goes by that I'm not cleaning feathers out of the food dish/water/bath of the zebras. I wouldn't call it excessive, especially being that they haven't developed any bald spots. Nor, does it appear, that it's from chasing and plucking one another. They get along splendidly.

However, the fact remains that the two seem to shed a good bit. Could this be a lack of certain nutrition?

My only other note is that they do seem to be itchier birds than the societies. I often catch them scratching with their feet or rubbing their heads against their perches. Which leads me to wonder if it could be some kind of mite?

I am no expert on bird health, being such a new owner, so any help would be appreciated! The internet is full of warnings about mites, malnutrition, etc, but it's hard for me to determine which is most likely. Any help is appreciated!

Thanks,
Celeris

Celeris

Hello...

It sounds to me like your boys are molting, which is very normal.
Most birds will molt once a year, and grow their new feathers for the year.

I'd offer a good quality finch seed mix, a variety of greens, mashed hard boiled egg, and a daily bath (which consists of a Tupperware container with about half an inch to three quarters of an inch of lukewarm water).

Thanks for the help! I knew molting was necessary for fledglings to get in their adult "coat," but wasn't certain if it was also something adults did. Glad to know that it just seems to be that time of year for them. I'm just now getting into feeding them food other than seed, but I can say the first greens I offered to them, they gobbled right up. I will continue to pursue that avenue, then!

Appreciate it!