Lack of intimacy causes loss of feathers??

Question

okay.. ever since i took my birds home 5 [or 6?] months ago, they had always been in the same cage. i thought that since they were still very young, that i wouldnt have to worry about them mating.

i had planned to get a bigger cage, one with a separater, later when i had the money. i couldnt afford it at the time i got my babies.

well.. i was wrong. they started mating when they turned 7 months old. i wasnt too worried about her laying any eggs because my female is still so young. what i was really worried about was if they would start to bond because of their newfound "intimacy".

but they didnt show any of the signs of being bonded.

they didnt throw up in front of each other.. they didnt really groom each other.. they didnt always stay around each other...

infact, they always fought [except when they wanted to be intimate].

well, i finally got that cage with the separater. they've been in it for about 3 weeks now.. but now they're starting to lose their feathers!

Answer 1

fighting is very common among birds for no good reason, it is another way of expressing love, power and authority.

However if they are mating means there is a bond, if possible remove seperator and see their reaction, however thing dont seem so simple as your male is turning bald.

1. try to put them togather as separation might cause emotional disturbance affecting health.

2. they might have developed calcium deficiency which is one of the cause to pluck and lose feathers.

3. there might be some bacterial of viral infection which is very common in this season despite of most hygenic care.

4. It could (remotely) be possible that they have worms, check their stool regularly.

there are good calcium and vitamin suppliments available in market. secondly even for bacteria or viruses there are bathing scrubs in liquid form that kill viruses. ideally consult a vat that would be best for them. and if there is virul infection keep them in separate cages and clean house also with some medecine advised by vat, as thr fungi or viruses can spread very significantly.

Answer 2

Even though they weren't bonded mates, that doesn't mean they didn't appreciate one another's company in general, and being in "solitary confinement" may be getting to them. Try putting them back together again and see if they improve.

Answer 3

they could be plucking hteir own feathers to bulid  a nest because they mated