FINCHforum

I inherited a "scraggly" looking zebra.
The back of the neck and top of the upper back appear to be missing feathers. I did not notice this until he stretched his head up, then I could see the skin, which I can't see on my other zebra.
I don't know if he got stuck in a molt or this was due to poor diet or what.

I have him with my other finches, so he has access to the same diet my other finches have, but he seems to be primarily eating seeds. Its only a few days, so I hope he will follow the others and try other stuff.

Available food:
- Primarily seeds, trying to get them to migrate to pellets since they leave over half the seeds uneaten.
- Some hardboiled egg every day. They don't seem to go for it but because the chicks are begining their molt, I'm keeping it up even if they don't eat it.
- Lettuce
- yams, but can't get them to eat it, mom & dad used to really eat it (before chicks)
- egg shells, the chicks seem to devour it. Sometimes they just go after it like millet spray, or like they are really short on calcium in their bodies.
- millet spray, once a week

I bought a zebra that had feathers missing from a bird store. Within a week or two all the feathers had grown back - sometimes it is simply a lack of natural sunlight.
Yours should be fine soon

He's probably been picked on or still very young. The feathers will grow back.

Being a newbie, I don't know what to worry about and what to NOT worry about. So I worry about everything.

Thanks guys.
I'll just sit tight.

Gary

Yup same here, I brought a Crested hen zebra from the pet store a couple months ago. I knew that She was probably picked on a lot because of the missing feathers. But I brought her anyways knowing that she'll feather back. SO don't worry the little one will grow the feathers back too. I also used the feather fast stuff I purchased at the pet store. That stuff is amazing.

Thanks
I have Feather Fast on order, it should be here in a day or so.
He is also eating egg, at least today he is. And he looks fairly enthusiastic the way he is eating the egg, so maybe his body is telling him it needs the protein to regrow the feathers.
Fingers crossed

He is looking better. He has bulked up (so he is retaining what he eats) so he looks similar in size to the other birds. Hard to tell with the thickness of the feathers, but he does not look smaller than the others like he used to.

When he moves about, his movements look normal. Not like he is worn out or weak.

His feathers still look scruffy, but I guess that will have to wait till his plucked feathers grow back and his scruffy ones molt.

But, one thing has me still concerned. He seems to sleep or try to sleep a lot. He does not fly around w the other birds. Does it take a while for a new bird to assimilate into the flock?

If he is sleeping alot he is not well. I would suggest you get some NV powder and give it to him. If you do not have that I have heard others will give them gatorade. It replaces the electrolytes.

Anytime a bird sleeps alot, that is not a good sign.

No NV powder.
I'll try the Gatorade.

I would also put a light there. He will go and sit in it if he feels the need. He wont right away but after a few minutes of eyeing it he will see it is warmth. No doubt the stress of a new home and such is causing his woes. You are doing great things for his diet.

got a 60w bulb in a reflector a few inches above and aimed at the top perch

I went to the pet store but they did not have a 50w ceramic IR screw in heater. I'll have to order one. I wanted to get one of these so I could run it at night w/o the light keeping them up.

You can get a red heat bulb in the reptile dept at most stores that sell pet supply's i use those and they don't seem to bother the birds at all i use a 60 watt in one of those lamps with the metal shade,I just set mine on the top at one end. If you get the ceramic heat you need one with special bulb socket because they get much hotter

I'm also using a red heatlamp 24/7 for a few days/nights til my blue hen was feeling completely better. The light emitted does not bother any of them day or night.

Yup he was under the lamp.

I pulled him from the main cage and put him into a "hospital" cage, with a lamp, so I can control what I feed to him (vs no control in the main cage because of the food for the other birds). He did not like getting moved, I'll give him a day or so to get used to being alone in the hospital cage. Although he can hear and see the birds in the other cage.

I see new feathers on his neck.

I had him separated and on Thrive cuz he was acting kinda sleepy.
But now that he seems to be more lively, in a day or so I will be moving him back into the main cage, and with the molting juveniles he will get Feather Fast.