Short/Ratty Tails?
Posted: Thu May 17, 2018 9:56 pm
Thanks for the add! I hope this is the appropriate place to post this, please let me know if not! I'm fairly new to finches and have had three females since October. I started with four (they did come from a pet store), but had an unexpected death of my male in January and now have three females. I'm so excited to learn how to improve my husbandry and give these little beauties the best life possible.
With that said, none of the females have full tails, and I'm not sure if this is something related to molting or something concerning? A quick overview of their setup: they're in a 30"x18"x36" cage (the height has recently been increased from 18", which I know isn't a huge concern since they're not climbing birds but they do seem to enjoy the extra height), are fed a mix of Zupreem and Harrison's High Potency pellets with fresh veggies regularly, have constant access to fresh water, and have a fairly constant ambient temperature of around 70-75 degrees Fahrenheit. They have two "finch nest" baskets at the top of the cage and none of them have any issues flying and spend the day exploring their cage and toys and chirping (I hope) happily. They're quite nervous birds, which I know is their nature, so I do my best to minimize stress in their lives as much as possible - the most traumatic thing I do is change their water and clean their cage weekly. They share a bedroom with my five pet rats, who are never allowed near the cage or interact with them in any way.
I've tried to do some research into why their tails might look like this, and have come up dry. I'm absolutely happy to take any constructive feedback on my setup or suggestions on how to improve. I have a top rated avian and exotics vet that can see them if necessary, but would love some opinions from experienced owners as well. Thank you!
With that said, none of the females have full tails, and I'm not sure if this is something related to molting or something concerning? A quick overview of their setup: they're in a 30"x18"x36" cage (the height has recently been increased from 18", which I know isn't a huge concern since they're not climbing birds but they do seem to enjoy the extra height), are fed a mix of Zupreem and Harrison's High Potency pellets with fresh veggies regularly, have constant access to fresh water, and have a fairly constant ambient temperature of around 70-75 degrees Fahrenheit. They have two "finch nest" baskets at the top of the cage and none of them have any issues flying and spend the day exploring their cage and toys and chirping (I hope) happily. They're quite nervous birds, which I know is their nature, so I do my best to minimize stress in their lives as much as possible - the most traumatic thing I do is change their water and clean their cage weekly. They share a bedroom with my five pet rats, who are never allowed near the cage or interact with them in any way.
I've tried to do some research into why their tails might look like this, and have come up dry. I'm absolutely happy to take any constructive feedback on my setup or suggestions on how to improve. I have a top rated avian and exotics vet that can see them if necessary, but would love some opinions from experienced owners as well. Thank you!