⊙︿⊙ Help! Zebra finches feather plucking!

[LunaPlume]

Hi!

I have a pair of zebra finches, female and male.

The male has been feather plucking the female when he preens her, and the female doesn't seem to notice. She's developing a bald patch at the back of her head as a result.

I don't know how to stop this behaviour.

They don't seem to be stressed. Although the male does become territorial and a bit aggressive at times.

I placed some nesting material and they both seemed interested, but there's no nest in the cage because I don't want them to breed.

What should I do? ⊙︿⊙

Thank you

Regards
LunaPlume

[Sally]

Unfortunately, some Zebra finches are inclined to feather pluck, and once started, it is a hard habit to break. I'd take out the nesting material, as even though there isn't a nest present, the nesting materials can bring on breeding behavior (the territorial and aggressive behavior you are seeing in your male). Are there any artificial plants in the cage, giving the hen a place to hide from the male? You can also provide toys and/or foraging materials to try to distract him. He is probably plucking to get feathers for nesting material.

[LunaPlume]

Hi Sally!

Thank you for the insightful reply.

I'm thinking of maybe separating the hen by moving her to a different cage, just until her feathers grow back. Then I'll reintroduce her to the male again.

Do you think that'll work?

Thank you

Regards
LunaPlume

[StodOne]

How big is you cage?
Here is a good tool for figuring out how big of a cage you need for fiiches http://www.finchinfo.com/housing/cage_s ... ulator.php
if you cage is too small they are probably fighting because of that, for a pair you would probably need around 3 square feet of floor , height is not an important aspect as long as it is proportionaly sized as finches tend to fly horizontally more . , also even if they are small birds they need a lot of room to exercise , unlike parrots finches do not have strong leg muscles to move around without the need of flying .
But they are also highly territorial so if you do not give them enough room then they will fight over a certain perch/spot .

Are you sure they are male and a female?
Males are usually more colorful but still it depends on a mutation so if you have an all white zebra finches then you determine their sex by their beaks and legs ,
Males have a more darker red beak and also darker legs then the females , while female have a brighter orange beak and legs.
Also another way of telling males and females apart is their song , males sing and chirp while females only know to chirp .
If one has bars on his chest he is probably a male.

[LunaPlume]

Hi!

I'm sure they're both male and female. They're both normal zebra finches with the expected gender markings.

From going to the website you recommended, my cages are too small for two birds, but good for one. So the pair are separated for now until I can invest in a bigger cage for them.

It explains why before the male was really territorial on his perch when they were sharing a cage!

Thanks to everyone who replied!

Regards
LunaPlume

[Sally]

StodOne gave you excellent advice. I never thought about the cage size! I should have, as a too small cage is one of the big triggers for aggressive behavior. Glad someone else was on their toes!

[StodOne]

Sally Heh but you and a few others helped me and other people countless of times , theres always someone to fill in a gap heh ?