balding on back of neck

[Sue55]

Hello everyone!
My female zebra finch is bald on the back of her neck. She seems fine otherwise, eating drinking and the male is perfectly okay.
She did lay 2 eggs recently. Maybe the male was just a bit to randy with her?

She is eating,sleeping, drinking, laying on the eggs and flying around.

Sue

[Dave]

This could be from having feathers physically removed, like another bird is plucking them.

But I usually assume this is from a nutritional problem--lack of iodine. I don't have a lot of faith in this answer, though. Anyone else know?

[lovezebs]

Sue55

Hi Sue,

I would bet, that your male is plucking her.
Sometimes feathers are pulled to line a nest, sometimes through over enthusiastic preening, at times because the birds are simply bored, and sometimes because it's just a bad habit that one bird has got into.

If it is a case of looking for nesting materials, then offering them a variety of materials will usually stop the plucking.

If it's a case of boredom, then offering spray millet, some fake plants, vines, flowers, etc. and swings, a mirror, a ladder to swing on, and so on will relieve the boredom.

If it's simply a bad habit, then that's a tough one and you might need to house them seperately (which makes for unhappy birds).

The good thing is, that if this habit doesn't continue for too long, her feathers will grow back in usually several weeks time (if he stops pulling them out ).

[Sue55]

I am going to agree with you on the male plucking her. I have seen him do it. They have a nest which has a couple eggs in it. They sit on them all the time. I watched him go into the nest, lay down beside the female and start pecking at her. What a bully. I have another cage but should I remove him while they are with eggs?

Sue

[Sue55]

Sue55 I'm having trouble finding any vitamins or supplements of any kind for finches where I live. I can't even get food that doesn't say for finches and canaries. I will have to buy online or drive 3 hrs to the next best place?

Sue

[Babs _Owner]

Sue55


What country and region do you live? That way someone from that area could help direct you.

[Sue55]

Babs
I live in Manitoba Canada. Brandon is the biggest city close to me a half hour away. Winnipeg would be the next at 3 hrs away

Susan

[Babs _Owner]

Sue55

www.glamgouldians.com