Molting Problem

[Raleighwheels]

I bought a male society finch around July of 2009. Probably around late August he started to go through a molt. He lost almost all of his wing feathers and most of his tail feathers. My girlfriend and I just assumed that it was a normal molt and that there was no need to worry about it, but it is February 2nd and he still doesn't have all of his feathers. I bought one of those full spectrum lights and we leave it on for at least 12 hours everyday. In early December I bought a product called Feather Fast, which is suppose to help grow a bird's feather back quickly, but only a few wing feathers have come in. The society finch is caged with another society and two zebra finches. My girlfriend and I watch the other birds very closely and we have never witnessed any aggression directed towards this bird. In fact, they all preen this bird and snuggle next to him. Aside from not being able to fly, the finch gets around the cage pretty good. He hangs on the cage side and makes his way around using his beak and feet. I am really worried that there is something wrong and I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions?

[Domenic]

Full-spectrum lighting is really only meant to mimic the appearance of the sun but doesn't have the same benefits. There are plenty of discussions on the topic in this forum if you click Search and type Lighting, I'm sure you'll find it. That said, real full spectrum light helps birds to produce Vitamin D, which is beneficial in the absorption of calcium. Since Vitamin D can't be made naturally in indoor birds, many people have taken to supplying it in eggfood with Cod Liver Oil.

[HoangQuan]

That was strange, I never see society finch go through a heavy molt, mine never do.

[Raleighwheels]

I don't know if adding a picture will help anyone figure out what is going on. I forgot to mention that he is and has always been feed a good diet that includes eggfood.

[HoangQuan]

I think something is going wrong, but definitely not molting. Look at his tail and all the feathers..they're in real bad condition. Do you have anywhere in the room that sunlight can go in? Try moving the bird cage there. Usually, when I see birds having feathers like this, I will assume that they lack of bathing and been keeping indoor with no sunlight for so long.
And, mites can cause this, too. So do you see him preening himself much?

[Raleighwheels]

I think something is going wrong, but definitely not molting. Look at his tail and all the feathers..they're in real bad condition. Do you have anywhere in the room that sunlight can go in? Try moving the bird cage there. Usually, when I see birds having feathers like this, I will assume that they lack of bathing and been keeping indoor with no sunlight for so long.
And, mites can cause this, too. So do you see him preening himself much?

He does preen himself, but not that much. We have placed a full spectrum light in the room to mimic sunlight, and he is being feed eggfood and a cuttlebone for the calcium. I also give him a bath every so often. I assumed that it was mites or lice, but the cage has one of those cage protector mite things and the problem is only with him. None of the other birds have had many problems. The other society finch went through a minor molt recently, but had no troubles.

[cindy]

This is a good site for trouble shooting problems...he may need a little Vitamin A.

http://www.avianweb.com/featherdisorders.html


The little things that you hang on the cage for mites can make the bird ill. There is a section on the FIC about toxins:

http://www.finchinfo.com/general/toxic_ ... angers.php

[HoangQuan]

Raleighwheels, If you want to prevent mite and lice, there a simple way me and my friend in vietnam still use: using the leaves of the Lemon grass(Cymbopogon Citratus). Crushing the leaves and put in warm water and fill the finches' bathtube with that water. If you can grow some lemon grass in your back yard, collect the dried leaves of that plant and hang it in the corner of the cage, that will keep insect staying away from the birds.
This is the photo of lemon grass I found on google:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3430/338 ... 678154.jpg

[cindy]

I think some of the grocery stores sell Lemon grass in the produce section. I've seen it in little bags in the herb section.

[B CAMP]

Try walmart ,lowes,home depot and other plant places it sold as ornamental grass it should be marked as lemon grass as there are other grasses

[Sally]

Check with nurseries, too, they often sell lemon grass in the herb section, in 4" pots. Big box stores may not have it, but the good nurseries will usually have it.

[Raleighwheels]

So do you guys think that taking the bird protector thing off the cage will help solve his feather problem? I am also working on adjusting his diet to include more vit. A.

[Sally]

I don't know if taking the mite protector off will help his feather problem, but I would certainly throw that thing away. I wish they would stop selling those things, as people buy them with the full intent of doing something good for their birds, not realizing that they are not good.

I would try putting this guy in a separate cage, next to the other cage so he still has some company. Pour the protein to him, eggfood is very high in protein, and that is what birds need to grow feathers. Separating him will also tell you if the others are plucking when you are not looking.

[Raleighwheels]

I guess this is sort of an update on my society finch's problem...

I have been pumping up his vitamin A as well as protein to see if that helps his feathers come in. I also bought this bird bath stuff from PetSmart today. It is a spray bottle, and it says that it helps with excessive molts and it has preen oil stuff in it. While my girlfriend and I were cleaning the finch cage today, she noticed that some of his preen glands have a dark greenish color. I was unable to see them, but she is more of a bird expert than I am. She believes that his glands may be clogged or perhaps infected. If this is so, then it would explain why none of the other birds have molting problems due to a lack of nutrients in their diet. I was wondering if anyone else thinks that this is correct and what treatments should he undergo to get him back to his fully feathered self?

[franny]

... She believes that his glands may be clogged or perhaps infected. If this is so, then it would explain why none of the other birds have molting problems due to a lack of nutrients in their diet. I was wondering if anyone else thinks that this is correct and what treatments should he undergo to get him back to his fully feathered self?

This link explains about the preen glands, and possible causes. It is almost always a lack of Vitamin A that causes the problem. It sounds like impaction is very rare, but a warm compress and massage would maybe help, if that's what it is. Not sure how the bird would like you massaging his preen gland... but might be worth a try! In the meantime it sounds like you are doing the right things. With improved Vitamin A, and some help with the preening spray, he may improve. Good luck.

http://www.exoticpetvet.net/avian/uropygial.html