Zebra Finch Over-Preening/Plucking Her Sister

[LesLu13]

Hello finch friends,

I am brand-new to the FinchForum, and I have 2 sister zebra finches about 4 years of age.

In the last month or two, I've noticed one finch has been "preening" my other finch (her sister and cage-mate) excessively, to the point she's got bald spots.

At least one of the sisters lays eggs -- they're always infertile as I don't own any other finches let alone any males -- but I'm pretty sure both girls lay eggs. I'm pretty sure the plucking is therefore for nesting purposes. Problem is, I can never tell when they lay eggs until I see the cracked, splattered messes all over the pull-out "shelf" at the very bottom of the cage, so I never know if/when to provide a nesting area. One time, I did provide them with a basket and torn-up tissue to use for nesting, but the same finch plucked her sister almost completely naked for the nest. I removed the basket and the tissue (I was a little nervous about them accidentally choking on it), and the sister's feathers grew in again.

I've read that the way my one finch pecks at her sister is a sign of affection between mates. She always went for the front of her neck/breast gently, and she never seemed to mind -- in fact, she seemed to enjoy the attention. Now, though, the suspect goes at her sister in a more aggressive manner, and the poor baby has a ring of baldness around her neck. The back of her head is bald as well.

I have separated the two into adjacent cages so they can see each other and know they're only living separately, not actually are separate, for now. I don't know where to go from here and I feel so bad that I didn't educate myself on this sooner to help my birds. I love them so much; I want to know how to fix the problem so they can be back together and happy (and civil towards each other) again

[lovezebs]

LesLu13

Hello, and welcome to the Forum.

Plucking themselves or others, is a problem that many people run into with caged birds.

There can be several reasons. Boredom, needing nesting materials, overzealous preening, lack of protein in the diet, and or aggression.

-Seeing as there is no nest, then we can rule out the need for nesting materials.

-If you see the plucker chewing on the feathers, then it could be a lack of protein in the diet. This can be fixed by adding some hard boiled egg to their diet once or twice a week.

-Aggression is a possibility, but I don't think that that's the issue in this case.

-Overzealous preening and boredom, often go hand in hand...

One way to help with this situation, is to offer them something else to do with their time. Place some artificial vines/plants in the cage for them to play with. Offer a swing, if they don't already have one. Making them a foraging box, which will keep them busy for hours, and keep them from concentrating on each other constantly.

Good luck.

[LesLu13]

Lovezebs,
Thank you for the welcome.

About the foraging box:

I've made a little $ store list: a brand-new tupperware container that'll be just for my girls, some artificial plants, and some small decorative stones.

As far as timothy hay, millet, etc., I have plenty seeing as how the family also includes 2 Tiels.

I just had one about the box contents: as far as twigs, small pine cones, and the like, could I just get them from outside? I do happen to live in a fairly wooded area, but I'm also concerned about accidentally introducing bugs, illnesses from contamination from wild birds/other animals, etc. into the cage which is the last thing they need.

Thanks so much!

[LesLu13]

So I've created 2 small foraging bowls so each finch can have her own -- for now -- until I feel the pluck-er will be civil towards the pluck-ee once again. In each, I have put:

Small decorative pebbles
Small marbles (made sure their surfaces were smooth, no chips)
Timothy hay
Seeds
1 small aquatic artificial plant
Small pieces of crushed cuttlebone that are still large enough for them not to choke on

Except for the edible materials, I rinsed (along with the bowls themselves) each item in warm water for 30 seconds and dried them thoroughly.

The pluck-er has a small tupperware container, while the pluck-ee has a small durable ceramic dish. Like I said, this is just going to be until I feel the 2 can live together safely again. Then I'll go ahead and assemble a larger, more elaborate one for the 2 to both use.

Now I just have to wait and see what happens!

[Fraza]

LesLu13 hi Just wondering as elana said that this could be Bordem, do you let them out for freee flight ?

[LesLu13]

Hello Fraza,

Unfortunately my little girls aren't hand-tamed, so no, I don't let them out because I really can't.

The day I brought them home -- they were an unexpected addition to the family so I knew nothing about them -- I accidentally busted open the carrying box that was used to transport them home instead of opening it slowly, so that was a trauma for them. They took off flying all over my room landing on anything and everything (meaning some things they probably shouldn't have landed on), and in our panic we caught them and put them into their cage in a way that was pretty scary for them (one was hand-caught mid-air, while the other was trapped in a mesh clothing hamper). Actually, when I got one of them out the other day to put her in a separate cage, it happened by her darting out and taking off all over my room before she conveniently landed in a pile of laundry, which I then gently scooped up and took over to the cage. She hopped in herself without hesitation.

I don't know if it's too late to hand-tame them, but I think it probably is since they're 4 now.

[LesLu13]

Hello Finch Friends.

About 45 minutes ago the "pluck-er" of my 2 finches passed away. They had been living together again for about 2ish weeks.

I'm not sure what happened, she dropped to the floor of her cage, leaned her head against the wall, then...went to sleep...I had a look and I don't think she was egg-bound.

My other little girl is quiet at the moment, I think she's realizing she just lost her sister. I'm going to be figuring out burial arrangements once I get myself together. Going to spend lots of time today with my other finch, letting her know how much I love her. I'm going to give her some time before I decide what actions are best for her welfare.

Thank you everyone for your support.

[Fraza]

LesLu13 oh no sad news I’m sorry for ur loss I would suggest another conapinion possibly a society also finches don’t have to be hand tame for free flight none of mine have ever been and I’ve let all out of cage as long as u leave them in cage for two weeks they will always come back to it

Once again so sorry for ur loss I can see on the photo,the prop file pic they are both amazing looking birds

[lovezebs]

LesLu13

Oh noooo! I am so sorry that this happened to your little girl and to you. Did she show any signs of being ill ? Fluffed up, not eating, drooppy wings, dirty bottom, sleeping more than usual???

It's so hard to know what happened, as these little guys never want to show any signs of illness when we are around, usually until it's too late to help them, sigh....

Keep a close eye on your other little girl, as she will be lonely and lost without her sister. Is it possible that they are older than what you thought?

Let us know if you have any further questions.

[LesLu13]

Thank you both for your condolences. I utilized a little plastic bowl I’d used for seeds and water for her casket and buried her near all the other creatures I’ve had over the years – fish, frogs, etc.

Fraza: I know the main 2 options when you lose a Zebra are to introduce a new companion or rehome. I will get to that in a moment. And thank you – they really are my pride and joy. Once again more on the pic of them in a moment –

Elana: I do believe they are 4 years + 2-4 months old; I was told they hatched in the summer of 2013.
As far as health concerns, Lesley had an abnormally-shaped chest. I don’t know if you can tell from the picture – she’s the darker of the two birds and closer to the camera – but her upper chest bulged out significantly (look above her right foot). I first noticed this when she was young. Given that she was young and neither sister EVER showed any signs of illness like the ones you mentioned, I just thought it was the way her chest was. Before her passing, she was active, eating/drinking, bathing, "meep"-ing, etc. but she was certainly quiet in the hours leading up to her passing (possibly fluffed up, but the room was still dark because it wasn’t yet the time I usually turn the light on for them so I couldn’t be sure). I monitored her chest and health throughout the years, and I wondered if it was a ruptured air sac because she seemed genuinely unaffected by it in spite of how hard they try to conceal their illnesses. But when it never went away I went back to my original thought it was just how she was born. Now that Lesley is gone, in retrospect, I wonder if it was a (VERY) slow-growing tumor, birth defect, etc. Had I known it was something wrong and not just “the way she was,” I would’ve taken her to the vet in the blink of an eye.

Anyway, about the surviving sister – I have decided, at least for now, that since she is 4 years old (it seems most agree that the avg lifespan is 4 years to upwards of 10) and has lived with me since she was a baby, I am going to hold on to her and spoil her absolutely rotten. I don’t think obtaining a companion finch is ideal because it would be, to use a harsh term, a vicious cycle of replacing deceased birds to keep the survivor happy, and I don’t know if I could handle losing another finch (in addition to the inevitable/eventual passing of Lulu) like that, over and over even if it wasn’t in rapid succession. Rehoming isn’t an option, as not only do I not know anyone in the area who owns zebra finches and could accommodate a finch whose mate died, but I’m very leery about letting others look after my animals, especially when I’m so close to them. Thus, as I’ve said, I’m going to love on my lone finch and see how she manages. Honestly – I hate saying this – considering her age I’m scared she is not far behind her sister, especially since she, being a creature who keeps a mate for life, has lost her mate and is particularly vulnerable right now to dying of a broken heart.

I want whatever is best for my Lulu and am trying to keep things as “normal” as possible for her – still keeping the foraging box, fresh food and water, the works. I want her to be happy until her own time comes, and I love her so much, just like I did/do her sister.

As far as free-flying, if Lulu gets by and, come what may, she sticks with me, I may try letting her free-fly in my room, supervised of course. She’s quite the little escape artist when it comes to trying to catch her so it’d certainly be interesting to give it a try!

Once again, thank you both for your condolences. I’m going to start a new thread regarding keeping a “widowed” Zebra by herself and maintaining her happiness as best I can, just so as not to clog up this thread. Also, I realize I may be coming across as a bit harsh -- I'm still trying to wrap my head around Lesley's passing...

[Fraza]

LesLu13 okay good luck anyway so sad when a close finch dies

[LesLu13]

Fraza Hello I've started a new post regarding what to do for my surviving finch, Lulu. http://www.finchforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=38149 Even though it's barely 2 days after Lesley's passing, I am starting to consider bringing another Z hen into the family, if nothing else for Lulu's sake. I know she's probably still in shock, but it's breaking my heart to see her so sad. She has been eating/drinking, but I can tell she is depressed.

Normally, I wouldn't consider getting a new pet so soon after the previous one's passing (ex. if it were a dog; I'd wait a while). But since Lulu is a social creature by nature and "needs" a mate to be truly at her happiest, I'm willing to bring a new member into the family, especially for her. No one can replace Lesley of course, but at least Lulu would be happy again and I'd have another little feather baby to love.

The thing is, I'm not sure where I could find a Z hen close/identical in age to Lulu in my area. I'd prefer to adopt one, just because I'm an advocate for rescuing animals. I'm going to keep thinking about it and see what I can find in terms of where I can obtain a Z in my area -- I'd appreciate any help you may have to offer. ;) In the meantime, though, I'm going to keep spoiling Lulu and making her as happy as I can. Once again, thanks for your support.

[Fraza]

LesLu13 yea maybe you can do a search online to find someone who owns an aviary and they will give u one of there older ones