FINCHforum

I've been having problems with my very 1st bird ever since I got him. He is now plucking his belly feathers. I took him out to look and he had a ton of feathers missing. I took pictures. His belly was purple. What color should it be? Is it normal for a male to have a brood patch when he's not sitting on eggs? Thanks!!

BlondeBengalese

Is he alone? Or has a companion?

If he is your only bird, he may be plucking himself out of frustration. Birds pluck for many reasons: to get feathers to line a nest, to show dominance with another bird, because they have mites, or just because of stress. When they are alone, it is more likely to be from frustration than any other reason. Bengalese are very social finches, they don't really like to be alone.

Welcome to the forum, though it is not under the best of circumstances. There's lots of good reading at www.finchinfo.com, where you will find many articles on finch care, especially the Bengalese or Society finch. If you put your general location in your profile, it makes it easier to answer locale-specific questions later on.

I agree with Sally. Either he wants to breed and make a nest, if he's with a hen OR He is bored and frustrated all alone. Good Luck!

I got him, 2 Zebras and a Spice. The Spice was his buddy and I just separated them 4 days ago. That explains him plucking himself. But the Spice plucked the back of his neck raw. He's in the cage still with a pair of Zebras but I guess that's not the same. So is purple the normal color?