My finch was bullied. How can I help her heal and regrow feathers?

Get her on a balanced diet. Use a commercial pelleted diet such as Harrison's or LaFebers if you can get them. Offer fresh, chopped fruit and vegetables as well. A larger cage will prevent further wing and tail damage. Bathe her in the shower or mist her several times weekly to promote preening and healthy plumage/skin. Sanitize all cage furniture. Discard and replace anything that cannot be sanitized.

Poor Precious! The first step to growing her feathers back is to figure out the underlying cause behind why she plucked them and to change it. Health issues such as parasites, malnutrition, infections, illness, etc can cause feather plucking and loss, so scheduling a vet visit first is a good first step to make sure any underlying health issues are treated and she is healthy enough to regrow her feathers. Boredom and stress can cause excessive feather plucking. Making sure she is in a clean (the bottom of that cage need a scrub!) and stress-free environment away from other pets or people that may harass her is best. Adding in enrichment such as toys she can chew on or play with, a play pen she can climb and stretch on, or spending time playing and interacting together can help with boredom. In some cases, the feather plucking becomes a habit and needs to be stopped with the use of an Elizabethan (cone) collar or flight-suit to protect the body from being plucked. Feather regrowth takes time, so even with these changes it may be several months before you see them start to grow back in. However, keeping up with enrichment and health issues can help ensure they have a chance to come back.

Feather plucking is often associated with boredom, or other issues within their environment, but the cause of this problem is not always known and highly debated amongst avian experts. Making sure she is not bored is a good first step. One good way to keep your bird busy is by making them work for their food. Birds in the wild spend most of their time foraging for food. Instead of just putting food in their bowl, you can hide it, or put it in puzzle toys that require them to do some work to get the food out. I fed my parrot almost exclusively this way. Other enrichment options include putting a mirror in the cage and putting her in other environments. It's best to give your canary as much possible space that you can to let her fly and roam around. You may consider getting perches or other cages for different rooms, or outside. If you can afford to have a flight cage built, this would be even better. Below is a link to some more information about enrichment ideas: http://www.parrotenrichment.com/ It's also good to make sure she is getting enough sleep. This is best achieved by keeping the bird in a dark room during sleep time. Birds should have 12 hours of sleep a night, so don't feel bad about putting her in a dark room for that amount of time. Diet is also very important. She should eat mostly a formulated pellet diet like zupreem. Make sure she is not eating a seed, or nut based diet as these are too fatty and can cause issues leading to feather loss. For more information about diet, read the article at the link below. https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/canaries-feeding Lastly, make sure she is bathing regularly. Dry feathers can itch, break and cause them to pluck. It's good to put a bird bath in the cage as much as possible (once a day would be best). I hope that helps and Tweedy gets better soon.

Feather plucking is often associated with boredom, or other issues within their environment, but the cause of this problem is not always known and highly debated amongst avian experts. Making sure he is not bored is a good first step. One good way to keep your bird busy is by making them work for their food. Birds in the wild spend most of their time foraging for food. Instead of just putting food in their bowl, you can hide it, or put it in puzzle toys that require them to do some work to get the food out. I fed my parrot almost exclusively this way. Other enrichment options include putting a mirror in the cage and putting him in other environments. It's best to give your parrot as much possible space that you can to let her fly and roam around. You may consider getting perches or other cages for different rooms, or outside. If you can afford to have a flight cage built, this would be even better. Below is a link to some more information about enrichment ideas: http://www.parrotenrichment.com/ It's also good to make sure he is getting enough sleep. This is best achieved by keeping the bird in a dark room during sleep time. Birds should have 12 hours of sleep a night, so don't feel bad about putting him in a dark room for that amount of time. Diet is also very important. He should eat mostly a formulated pellet diet like zupreem. Make sure he is not eating a seed, or nut based diet as these are too fatty and can cause issues leading to feather loss. For more information about diet, read the article at the link below. https://lafeber.com/pet-birds/species/pacific-parrotlet/ Lastly, make sure he is bathing regularly. Dry feathers can itch, break and cause them to pluck. It's good to put a bird bath in the cage as much as possible (once a day would be best). I hope that helps and he gets better soon.

Thanks for reaching out about Goldie. Black pigments (melanin) is often a response to previous trauma. Nutritional deficiencies can also lead to feather color changes. Exposure to light and ultraviolet wavelengths is needed for activation of vitamin D3 from the uropygial (preen) gland, but that usually does not reflect in color changes. Increasing exposure to vegetables and proteins (cooked beans) can provide nutrients for feather regrowth, and that might help. If the condition worsens, an examination with an avian veterinarian is needed. Good luck.

The other bird could indeed be preening her excessively. It is possible she could be starting a milt also. Monitor her for feather loss in other areas. Ideally, she should be examined by your veterinarian or an experienced avian vet to diagnose and treat any medical causes. If medical causes are ruled out, you will need to address behavioral causes such as stress or boredom. If the behavior persists and you confirm the other bird as the culprit, you may need to separate them temporarily. Don't worry, they can be caged next to one another. Feathers will grow back wrapped in a sheath. These are called pinfeathers. The sheath will be removed by preening and the feather will unfurl. You can bathe or mist them once or twice a week with warm water to promote preening and healthy plumage.

Offer a fortified seed mix supplemented with cooked beans and vegetables (carrots, peas, etc). Fresh water should be available at all times. A mineral block and/or cuttlebone should also be placed in the cage. Keep the room at a steady temp and keep the cage away from strong drafts. You can mist him with warm water a few times weekly to promote preening and healthy plumage. Monitor for lethargy, decreased appetite and loose droppings. If necessary, have him physically examined by your veterinarian or an experienced avian veterinarian.