Over plucking or ingrown feather? Help!?

[ShannTmw]

I feel like such a newb because I post sooooooo often here! But I’ve been noticing my society either over plucking or just pecking at an irritated spot. There seems to be sores or cysts there and little bits of feather trying to grow. I have a pic of it.
He’s eating normal but seems small to me. Smallest of all my birds. He hasn’t been weighed yet. But he will be going to the vet, I just wanted an idea of what I was dealing with here. People here seems to know what their talking about!
He sings and trying to mount his companion all the time, they do this back and forth. There is a nest in their cage that they find amusing, could that be the stress and cause of plucking? I know my other male isn’t plucking him.
I know it can be so many things but does it look like ingrown feathers? When I first got him he was plucked by other zebra finches in the cage at the store, I thought that might cause ingrown feathers?

[ShannTmw]

A better pic here.

[Flight Feathers]

It's hard to tell by looking at the picture, and I have never had a problem like that so I have no idea! But hopefully someone else on this forum will be more knowledgeable! I hope your finch gets better though! If you're birds ever get sick, loose toes or parts of beak, get egg bound, have eye infections or ear infections and more... then let me know and I might be able to help as I've had all these problems, some multiple times.

[Icearstorm]

ShannTmw

I'm not sure about the plucking, but could that be the preen gland you're looking at? It looks a bit like a pimple at the base of the tail.

Some articles:
Diseases of the Uropygial Gland
Preening or Uropygial Gland in Birds
Uropygial Gland

[wildbird]

That's where the preen gland would be, and probably what he is pecking at. It may have become blocked. Do you provide a bath dish for them?

[ShannTmw]

Just above the tail feathers? Lower part of back ish? That’s where the bare spot is. I’ll try to get a better picture. He’s very squirmy and it’s hard to do lol.
He bathes all the time but seems to prefer only the yellow water bowl and not any other one so I have to always have that one in for him lmao.
It might have started around the time I changed brands of hay, added the nest or changed seed. I’m going to switch back seed today. He eats a lot of millet, I don’t know how much for two societies is normal but he seems to prefer that.
My city only has one avian vet and he’s on vacation right now so I have to wait a few days to have him looked at, just wanted some idea.
Clearly I have no idea what a preen gland is so when I saw this I got nervous. Would that be normal? Obv not the plucking.

[wildbird]

I'm pretty sure that is the preen gland you are seeing. It normally provides a secretion that birds use when they preen their feathers. It looks ok to me. There appears to be some pin feathers above it that might be causing a little irritation. It's normal for birds to like millet. Always provide other seeds too. Adding a nest might have something to do with it. It might promote breeding behavior. Be sure your vet is an avian vet with experience with finches. Some vets will see birds, but they are just learning, and don't really have experience with them. As long as he is eating good and otherwise normal, I don't think you have anything to worry about.

[cindy]

looks like plucking... you can clean the area with Hibiclens, an anticseptic cleaner (do not get it in the eyes accidently) it will keep staph, bacteria down.

if a preen gland that has become infected it will look larger than a small pimple, warm compresses can help relieve some of the issue.

you may need to observe the bird in with others, watch for chasing... for now though the bird can be moved to a hospital cage, a little heat from a heat lamp should help comfort the bird and clean the eara, when you clean the area if you can get a close up picture to be sure it is not a blocked preen gland.

[cindy]

I see this in Zebras in a colony more so than with societies, noticed you have a zebra pair, is this bird in with the zebra... if so the zebras can be territorial if you have nests up, they can get to aggressive for the calm societies, javas as well can be aggressive. With all three if some are hens and you have nest all three will/can hybridize with each other... best to remove the society from the zebra pair's cage if housed together with nests up.... the male zebra may be bullying the society.