Beat up finch

[Mora]

Hello! My daughter and I saw a beat up zebra finch at our local pet store tonight, and had to bring her home and try to help her out. And when I say beat up, I don't mean what I would call usual pecking order stuff. About one quarter of her body is bare of feathers, what feathers she has left are ratty looking and her tail feathers look broken to me, they hang straight down. She spent all the time we observed her trying frantically to avoid the other finches in the cage. The employees said they'd tried putting her in with the society finches but moved her back to the cage of zebra finches because they picked on her too
On the bright side she doesn't seem sick, just exhausted, and ate immediately when we put her in a cage by herself at my home. Checked her again in a couple hours and she was sitting on a perch quietly. Very alert, watched everything we did in the room but didn't panic or anything. We've turned the light out so she can get some rest.
She's in a quiet room. There's also my daughter's diamond dove in there across the room from her but she can see him. He's a very timid soul, but we have heard him coo once or twice since she's been there. Will seeing and hearing him stress her, or give her a sense of safe companionship?
What else can we do to help her heal? And once she has healed, should we get another zebra finch for her, or will the companionship of other species of birds in the house fulfill her need for companionship? (We also have a parakeet and a Ringneck dove, but we didn't put her where she could see them because they're much bigger than her and more rowdy than our little diamond dove - but she will hear them tomorrow.). Thanks in advance for your advice.

[Sally]

Bless you for rescuing this little Zebra hen. I always hate to do it, because it lets the pet shops think that they can sell anything in any condition, but sometimes you just can't walk away.

She will need some heat, since she is missing so many feathers. Something as simple as a gooseneck desk lamp with a 60w bulb aimed at one end of one perch in her cage will do. Since feathers are made up mostly of protein and calcium, she will need those items in her diet. You can give her egg food (as simple as a mashed hard-boiled egg shell and all) or you can buy a supplement like Feather Fast, that is formulated to help grow feathers. Calcium can be supplied with a mineral mix or oystershell grit. You can also buy liquid calcium, but I prefer not to add supplements to the water unless I have no other choice.

As far as the other birds, I don't think she will be bothered by any of them, since she has her own cage. As far as companionship once she is well, she would probably appreciate company, but make sure she is completely healed first. You could get another Zebra hen for her if you aren't interested in breeding.

Welcome to the forum! There's lots of good reading at www.finchinfo.com, where you will find many articles on behavior, general care of finches and especially the Zebra finch. If you put your general location in your profile, it makes it easier to answer locale-specific questions later on.

[MiaCarter]

Sally covered it nicely!

I'm so glad you rescued this little soul. Thank you! Poor girl.

In addition to a heat lamp, I would also offer some good healthy foods, particularly protein-rich foods as protein is required to make the keratin that forms feathers.

Hardboiled eggs are always a popular choice.
Mealworms (dried is fine; I crush them up into a powder)
She may also enjoy some fruits and veggies - kale, cucumber, carrots, etc.

I'd also ensure she has a cuttle bone. Many hens from a pet store environment are deficient in calcium. (And eggs have vitamin D3, which is required for her to absorb the calcium.)

It may take her a while to try new foods, but keep offering them. She'll try them.

I might also consider Morningbird's Feather Fast. It's a great supplement and it's actually really balanced too, so I give it to them during moulting and during times of stress/illness.

[lovezebs]

Mora

Poor baby. I'm so glad you found her and brought her home. I hope the Pet Shop didn't charge you anything for an injured little bird.

Sally and Mia, pretty much covered everything. Heat, good food, rest, and kindness.

It will take her a while to heal, recuperate, grow new feathers and learn to trust you and your daughter. I wouldn't be in a great hurry to add another bird into the equation, until she's completely back to normal.

Something she might enjoy, is a shallow dish of lukewarm water to take a bath in, and a warm , sunny corner to dry. Bathing, and the afterward fluffing, will help loosen the feathers that need to come out before new ones can grow in.

By the way, welcome to the Forum. I hope we'll hear more from you about little 'Lucky' bird. Maybe even get to see a before and after picture. If you have anymore questions, we'll do our best to answer them.

Good luck and warm regards.

~Elana~

[Mora]

Thank you so much for all the great advice everyone, we'll definitely be following it! Today she seems in good spirits, actually vocalizing and responding to my parakeet when he called - they had quite the little conversation. Good news, her tail feathers although battered are not broken like I thought yesterday - poor little thing must have just been drooping them out of exhaustion. She's a saucy little thing, cocking her head at me and not seeming to be afraid at all, even spreading and resettling her wings with me right there peering at her. Quite an enchanting personality is already emerging.. My daughter has named her Lesley.
I do intend to get a pic tomorrow so we can compare someday when she's completely healed and feathered.

[Sally]

It sounds to me like Lesley already knows she is in good hands, settling in nicely and showing a bit of personality. Sometimes rescues stay skittish and nervous about everything, others will adjust very quickly and seem to appreciate the good care.