Mia Carter What happened to the chicken?

[MiaCarter]

lovezebs - That's odd on her patchy face.

I've seen something similar, also in a gouldian, a couple years ago. I had a male who randomly got a bald patch on his cheek/ear area, extending onto his chin.
I have no idea what caused it, as it just appeared one day and there wasn't any visible irritation or anything like that. (And he couldn't have self-plucked due to the location.)

I supplemented. I treated for all sorts of parasites.
I'd brought him to the vet for a skin scraping, thinking perhaps it was some obscure parasite that wasn't covered by the meds I'd given.
All clean.

He stayed like that for several months, which had me nuts.
I was totally perplexed.

Then, when it came time to moult, the feathers filled in the bald patches and that was the end of the story.

It seems that Gouldians are less apt to re-grow lost feathers.
They tend to wait to regrow until it's moulting time.
I think this is why Gouldians get a reputation for being difficult with feathering and prone to balding. Whereas other species are more likely to grow in new feathers as needed, Gouldians seem to be more likely to stay bald until their next moult.

So that would be my guess for your pretty baby - that she simply lost some feathers from plucking or maybe from itching from a skin irritation or something similar.
My guess would be that she'll feather up properly on her next moult.

Definitely need to get out those baldy pics! They looked a fright for a solid week!

On the zebra pluckies...
Yeah, plucking can be perplexing and frustrating. I give them Timothy hay and feathers, including a natural feather duster (undyed) so they can "pluck" in case it's the plucking that's satisfying.

Are all the plucking victims the same color, by chance?
I have one hen who plucks dark colored birds. She leaves light colored birds alone. And she only does it when caged; not when she's out during free fly. So that led me to believe it was a stress-related thing with her housing.
So I'd try lots of hay and feathers. Or try eliminating the nests entirely.
And if all else fails, rearrange and see if the new dynamics help.

[debbie276]

Elana, looks like your girl is stuck in molt.

[delray]

MiaCarter Welcome back!!!! You were really missed. I'm sorry to hear about your dog, thats terrible. I am very relieved that you are ok! You left us hanging!!! Your new dog looks great!!

[Atbird]

MiaCarter

Welcome back, your new puppy is a cutie. Is she also a chihuahua or a min pin?

Sorry to hear about Gus. I feel the same way you do about euthanasia, but would've done the same in your situation.

[lovezebs]

MiaCarter

Good day!

No, my Zebra pluckies, are not all the same colour..... it just seems like all of a sudden people are plucking, drives me nuts!
They have a play box with Timothy hay, wild grass stalks with seeds, fake plants etc. It just seems to be the 'in' thing this Summer. Maybe it's because I hadn't allowed them to breed, so they're frustrated.

I have been pulling the pluckies into a different flight, where they grow their hair back in a few weeks. Then they go back Into the Zebra flight, and next thing I know, there is someone else with a balding head urrrgghhh!!!


As to my Patchy Gouldie, Debbie says she's stuck in molt. I really hope she gets unstuck soon. Poor thing, is just not a happy camper. Eats a good diet (like all the rest of the kids), but...... I never did name her, maybe Patches would be a good name, lol.

[Sally]

MiaCarter Welcome back! We were definitely worried about you, you have not had an easy year. So sorry to hear about the loss of Gus, it is never easy. Your Lizzy looks adorable, she should help ease the grief of losing Gus. Hope things are turning around for you now.

[wildbird]

Welcome back Mia Carter! So sorry to hear about Gus. Keeping busy with all your animals will help to heal.

[Zebrafincher]

Hi there sorry to hear about losing your beloved fur child. We can never "replace" our pets - they are too precious. But my experience has been when god shuts a door he often opens a window and there are so many creatures out there needing our love n care. Good luck with your two sweeties. Zebrafincher

[MiaCarter]

Atbird - Lizzie is a little Chihuahua. She was just over 1 lb when we got her. Impossibly tiny! In just a couple weeks, she's close to 3 lbs now. I think she's about done, as this was the size of her parents.

And thanks Sally , delray Zebrafincher and wildbird !
Yes, I'm trying to stay focused on everyone else! Part of the problem is our pug Piggy - who just turned 15 - is going downhill fast (not sick or anything, knock on wood, just getting old), so it's making it tough knowing I'll soon need to say goodbye to another beloved fur baby. It's hard when you have two losses close together. But I'm trying to focus on living and not dying, as that's no way to live life (waiting with dread for the bad events to arrive, and in the process, you're missing out on living!)

Plus, I work at home and don't have a whole lot of hobbies/activities that take me elsewhere, so I spend a lot more time with my creatures than most people - which is wonderful. Except it makes it tough when things are difficult, as I'm surrounded by that which is upsetting to me.

@lovezebs = that's just perplexing with the zeb pluckies!
It sounds like you've got all the little tricks I would have tried. So I might just rearrange. I've found that works nicely; the new dynamics give them something to focus on other than plucking.
Plus, sometimes once plucking starts, it's tough to resist the urge to continue. I've had some where just rearranging and separating for a while did the trick.

Agreed, stuck in moult does seem quite likely for your gouldian girl. I would have suggested that myself, but I missed that she'd recently gone through a moult. I was under the impression she'd randomly come up like that, but then I re-read and you mentioned she was one of this year's babies.

So she'll probably look lovely once she moults out again! Just a few more months, I bet! I know they're always more apt to get stuck in moult on that first one since it's more stressful than subsequent moults. Plus around that first moult you have a bunch of juveniles who are finding their place in the pecking order, which can cause tension and stress.

[lovezebs]

MiaCarter

Hi Mia.
Would you take a quick glance at a post 'Cracked Beak on a Society Finch' ?

Thanks

[MiaCarter]

lovezebs - you bet!