Zebra Finch well being

[Puffy and Junior]

Hi there, I'm new to the forum. I have 2 male Zebra Finches that are related to each other. One is the dad and the other is the son. I've had the dad bird (Puffy) for 4 years now and the son (Junior) for 2 years.

Puffy is looking under the weather, he is still active, eats, chirps, sings, plays with Junior - nothing different - except for his appearance. He's pouffy and is missing a clump of feathers on his head. I've attached a few pictures to show this and that it doesn't look like mites.

What do you think is wrong with my Puffy?

[Icearstorm]

Puffy and Junior
This is the typical appearance for any sick bird; the general symptoms unfortunately aren't very useful for diagnosis. How do the droppings look? Runny, smelly, or off-colored droppings could help indicate specific digestive issues, such as Coccidiosis or roundworms. Are there any breathing issues, clicking, head-flicking, or change of voice? This could indicate air sac mites (uncommon in zebra finches), pneumonia (not a specific diagnosis), or trichomoniasis (rarely shows symptoms in adults). What age is he? Older birds may be more susceptible to disease, and may get the less common illnesses with higher frequency.
As for the patch of missing feathers, finches sometimes pick on sick ones, so separating them temporarily could reduce aggression as well as chances of transmission. A heat lamp or heat pad would probably help, as fluffed feathers mean the bird is trying to conserve heat. Just make sure the bird can move to a cool area to prevent overheating, and that the heat source won't start a fire. There is a chance that he will quickly get better and you won't figure out what caused it. I had this happen to my male Gouldian; he started fluffing up and sleeping throughout the day, just to go back to normal after two days with the heat lamp on.

[MisterGribs]

Do you ever see them chasing each other around? Puffy looks like he has been plucked a bit.

With zebras, the parents and grown offspring often don't get along. This is to encourage the babies to disperse to their own territory, nearly impossible in a cage.

It's also an unfortunate fact that male zebra finches can be really aggressive.

My advice is to watch them hard for signs of chasing or fighting, and if you have any nests in there, to remove them

Best of luck! You have beautiful birds#

[Puffy and Junior]

1. How do the droppings look? Runny, smelly, or off-colored droppings could help indicate specific digestive issues, such as Coccidiosis or roundworms. poop looks normal

2. Are there any breathing issues, clicking, head-flicking, or change of voice? No breathing issues, clicking, head flicking or voice changes.
3. What age is he? Older birds may be more susceptible to disease, and may get the less common illnesses with higher frequency. I bought Puffy from a pet store 4 years ago - so maybe 4.5 years old?

4. As for the patch of missing feathers, finches sometimes pick on sick ones, so separating them could reduce aggression as well as chances of transmission. Puffy and Junior are best friends

[Puffy and Junior]

Do you ever see them chasing each other around? Puffy looks like he has been plucked a bit. Yes, Junior chases Puffy, screams at him ... but just once in a while - most of the time, they are best friends.

With zebras, the parents and grown offspring often don't get along. This is to encourage the babies to disperse to their own territory, nearly impossible in a cage.

It's also an unfortunate fact that male zebra finches can be really aggressive. Puffy is super laid back, a really nice bird personality. But his son (Junior) can be a bully.

My advice is to watch them hard for signs of chasing or fighting, and if you have any nests in there, to remove them. Each bird has their own nest - they sleep in their own nest at night.

But, I may try removing Junior and put him in his own cage and give Puffy a vacation with a heat lamp.

[MisterGribs]

For some reason, having a nest in the cage can make them go into breeding mode, which makes them more rude to one another. I added some new finches to my own cage recently, and because I wanted to allow them to breed I gave them a nest. Everything was fine at first, everyone had their own nests, but they were still fighting non stop even though they got along great before. I had to separate the couples, lol.

I think a vacation is definitely a good idea! When Puffy is back to his old self, and his ripped out feathers have grown back, put Junior back in and watch them. If they still fight, take out both the nests and then see how they get along.

[Dave]

I don't know if this trick works with Zebra finches, but....

If you put nests in, put in too many nests. Twice as many as you need is OK. Plus, put them at the same height. In some species this really cuts down on squabbling.

[MisterGribs]

Dave This is a really great suggestion, too. I'll try it out myself eventually.