Linnie monster

[BirdyyBee]

I have four linnies in a cage. And they were fine, but now one blue one has started to pluck feathers of the other blue (both are a pair) and non stop plucking her. She is almost bald at back of her shoulder. Above wings. In really sad about this it all started this morning I got to them at 9.30 to put new food and water and saw all the feathers on floor and he was still plucking in front of me
please help me understand why is this happening I have taken the plucked one out and she is sitting on the outside of the cage now poor thing.

 

[Lady Jane]

How big is the cage? You may have to get another cage and put the one that is plucking in that cage until she gets over it. Why is it happening? Could be just too many in one cage.

 

[BirdyyBee]

Could be too many in the cage? I can buy another cage if thats the case they just looked so happy together I put them together last month they were in seperate cages before that. Two pairs I mean. Butthe plucking is in one pair so even if I seperate the pair they will pluck. Should I seperate just one? I dont want it to get depressed I can also leave one pair open as they are in the conservatory thats bird safe if space is the issue for plucking?

 

[BirdyyBee]

The cage is not too small but its taller than its wide if that makes sense? But have lenty of perches and food bowls and wAter bowls

 

[Lady Jane]

sounds like a Vision cage. Not the best but if that is all you have...………… I know the one you take out of the communal cage will not be happy about it. If she is plucking the other birds there is not much else you can do to stop the problem. Its kind of a trial to see what happens.

 

[Davi]

I would recommend removing the linnie inflicting the plucking for now also. You can still keep her/him near the main cage, but just not with direct access to the other one. You can then start reintroducing them slowly to make sure the plucking has stopped. OR you could try a bigger cage for all of them (and more of a flight cage, if possible). But plucking is always frustrating, as it's really hard to know where it's coming from and how to stop it. :-(

 

[Kalakins]

I was just about to post, and see others beat me to it! I was going to ask how big your cage was (measurements). Also what you have in it (# and types of toys/enrichment items, perches, boings, ladders, etc). Is it the taller white cage that you posted in your other thread? I wouldn't think tall is an issue (provided you don't have elderly/very young or clumsy/poor flyers), so long as the cage is wide enough. I was told by the breeder I'm in contact with, that linnies love to climb and walk where they go, and love it if they have at least one big long perch (along with other perches and other things to climb on) so that they can zip back and forth. As for if your cage is big enough, I'm not sure... but bet someone else could give advice on that. This is more a question for others, but would having a bigger cage possibly solve the problem, or is two separate cages a better solution? I can think of a fair sized cage (tall and wide) that's at a pretty good price point (provided you have amazon prime), but also don't want to have you running out and buying one big cage for all of them, if its not the solution.

Another question I had for you, was is the little nest swing you had in one of the pictures is still in the cage? The only experience I have to go on is with budgies, but I tried to make sure the conditions were never right for breeding when housing multiple birds. This meant no nest-like items in the cage, and limiting the number of hours of daylight, etc. I'm sure linnies have different breeding requirements, but perhaps someone else can offer input on this? It may be worth getting your birds DNA tested to see which are male and which are female. You might even be able to track down the original breeder by the leg band to find out, provided they originally did testing.

Anyways, I'm not the best person to really give advice, since I don't yet have linnies, but things like boredom, stress, or hormonal/breeding behaviours come to mind. Thoughts everyone?

By the way, did you ever get "puffy-linnie" (I'm sure they have names by now), in to see the vet?

 

[BirdyyBee]

sounds like a Vision cage. Not the best but if that is all you have...………… I know the one you take out of the communal cage will not be happy about it. If she is plucking the other birds there is not much else you can do to stop the problem. Its kind of a trial to see what happens.

Yes yes its that. Its only one bird plucking its mate rest are fine and absolutely normal. I have the one getting plucked sitting outside on top of the cage im feeling so sad for this one thats outside poor thing

 

[BirdyyBee]

I was just about to post, and see others beat me to it! I was going to ask how big your cage was (measurements). Also what you have in it (# and types of toys/enrichment items, perches, boings, ladders, etc). Is it the taller white cage that you posted in your other thread? I wouldn't think tall is an issue (provided you don't have elderly/very young or clumsy/poor flyers), so long as the cage is wide enough. I was told by the breeder I'm in contact with, that linnies love to climb and walk where they go, and love it if they have at least one big long perch (along with other perches and other things to climb on) so that they can zip back and forth. As for if your cage is big enough, I'm not sure... but bet someone else could give advice on that. This is more a question for others, but would having a bigger cage possibly solve the problem, or is two separate cages a better solution? I can think of a fair sized cage (tall and wide) that's at a pretty good price point (provided you have amazon prime), but also don't want to have you running out and buying one big cage for all of them, if its not the solution.

Another question I had for you, was is the little nest swing you had in one of the pictures is still in the cage? The only experience I have to go on is with budgies, but I tried to make sure the conditions were never right for breeding when housing multiple birds. This meant no nest-like items in the cage, and limiting the number of hours of daylight, etc. I'm sure linnies have different breeding requirements, but perhaps someone else can offer input on this? It may be worth getting your birds DNA tested to see which are male and which are female. You might even be able to track down the original breeder by the leg band to find out, provided they originally did testing.

Anyways, I'm not the best person to really give advice, since I don't yet have linnies, but things like boredom, stress, or hormonal/breeding behaviours come to mind. Thoughts everyone?

By the way, did you ever get "puffy-linnie" (I'm sure they have names by now), in to see the vet?

Oooooh could be that nest thing but they have broken it to pieces they used it to chew and yes they fought over it but it was sort of a pair pair quibble not within the pair itself if you know what I meanbut as for today the nest is gone all that remains is the hanging chain with beads and bells.
Only in the blue pair one is plucking the other. Three of them in the cage including the monster linnie are fine just one poor bird that got plucked is outside
Im not sure if he will be fine alone in a cage im not afraid to spend money on a cage but just dnt want to buy incase it gets wasted.
And the puffy one was just fat he still is a bit puffed up but its just the way he is I was so worried
He even takes food from my handnow, he is my favourite one

 

[BirdyyBee]

Will things get better if I put in two nest boxes? Is this the breeding season?

 

[Kalakins]

Oooooh could be that nest thing but they have broken it to pieces they used it to chew and yes they fought over it but it was sort of a pair pair quibble not within the pair itself if you know what I meanbut as for today the nest is gone all that remains is the hanging chain with beads and bells.
Only in the blue pair one is plucking the other. Three of them in the cage including the monster linnie are fine just one poor bird that got plucked is outside
Im not sure if he will be fine alone in a cage im not afraid to spend money on a cage but just dnt want to buy incase it gets wasted.
And the puffy one was just fat he still is a bit puffed up but its just the way he is I was so worried
He even takes food from my handnow, he is my favourite one

Will things get better if I put in two nest boxes? Is this the breeding season?

No, no... no nest boxes. The goal is to not have them breed. I always say leave the breeding to the breeders. A good breeder has the experience to know how to care for their birds to ensure proper health of both the parents and young. This means meeting proper dietary needs, vet care, testing for disease, and also the proper handling and management of both the parents and chicks.

The destroying of the nest could be a few things - a lot of birds like to forage and chew, so you need to make sure they have enough to keep them occupied. I know there are many forums posts, as well as youtube videos, and websites that can give you an idea about good cage setups, care, and enrichment for the birds.

As for the plucking behaviours, I'm going to go back to my original thoughts (and the points others have made) about either needing a bigger cage, two separate cages, and enough entertainment to keep them happy. Stress in birds can present in a lot of different ways - aggression, over-preening, excessive screeching, forceful mating advancements, etc. If they don't have enough space to get away from each other when needed, or other things to keep them occupied enough, it can cause problems.

I don't think anyone can give you a guarantee about what will work... it's probably going to be a little bit of trial and error. You may have to put each pair into separate cages with enough space and things to occupy them, or you may need to separate the males and females (which means finding out what they are). You might be able to get away with one really large cage with enough space and enrichment. Worst case scenario I imagine would be having to separate the plucker (if it continues to go after any bird despite the right conditions being met), and put it in a cage right next to other others. (Someone feel free to correct me if this is bad advice). Did you say they were in a different cage before? Do you still have it and is is big enough for two birds? Or maybe you can get a second cage for cheap off kijiji (make sure to get the right bar spacing and properly sanitize it) to try things out?

And I know it is hard, especially having four of them, but it's going to be worth having them checked by an avian vet (especially mr puffy). They would probably be able to give you better suggestions on how to help them.

Best of luck, I really hope you can find a solution. They are beautiful little birds

 

[BirdyyBee]

No, no... no nest boxes. The goal is to not have them breed. I always say leave the breeding to the breeders. A good breeder has the experience to know how to care for their birds to ensure proper health of both the parents and young. This means meeting proper dietary needs, vet care, testing for disease, and also the proper handling and management of both the parents and chicks.

The destroying of the nest could be a few things - a lot of birds like to forage and chew, so you need to make sure they have enough to keep them occupied. I know there are many forums posts, as well as youtube videos, and websites that can give you an idea about good cage setups, care, and enrichment for the birds.

As for the plucking behaviours, I'm going to go back to my original thoughts (and the points others have made) about either needing a bigger cage, two separate cages, and enough entertainment to keep them happy. Stress in birds can present in a lot of different ways - aggression, over-preening, excessive screeching, forceful mating advancements, etc. If they don't have enough space to get away from each other when needed, or other things to keep them occupied enough, it can cause problems.

I don't think anyone can give you a guarantee about what will work... it's probably going to be a little bit of trial and error. You may have to put each pair into separate cages with enough space and things to occupy them, or you may need to separate the males and females (which means finding out what they are). You might be able to get away with one really large cage with enough space and enrichment. Worst case scenario I imagine would be having to separate the plucker (if it continues to go after any bird despite the right conditions being met), and put it in a cage right next to other others. (Someone feel free to correct me if this is bad advice). Did you say they were in a different cage before? Do you still have it and is is big enough for two birds? Or maybe you can get a second cage for cheap off kijiji (make sure to get the right bar spacing and properly sanitize it) to try things out?

And I know it is hard, especially having four of them, but it's going to be worth having them checked by an avian vet (especially mr puffy). They would probably be able to give you better suggestions on how to help them.

Best of luck, I really hope you can find a solution. They are beautiful little birds

Thankyou so much this is so helpful bless you. I will change their cage set up and make it more engaging for them I think theyre super bored even though there are lots of toys I now feel maybe they need more hopping/ climbing they all just perch on the highest perch all day with food pots at either ends and just groom each other (before the plucking started) theyre definitely bored. I will open the cage for free fly for 3 hours tomorrow and see if it helps. Even though they just dont like to fly maybe they will like to come out of cage and sit on it, will try. Gave carrots apples grapes ets (hung on toys) to keep their beaks busy but will add forage tomorrow and im now looking for another cage to seperate the pairs. Hoping for the best, I just freak out at every little thing (plucking is a big thing poor bird now looks like a vulture/turkey) I hope the feathers come back soon.
Ive been told to apply aloe vera to the bird who got plucked do you have any knowledge of that?is it beneficial? This was the last question,promise.

 

[Kalakins]

Thankyou so much this is so helpful bless you. I will change their cage set up and make it more engaging for them I think theyre super bored even though there are lots of toys I now feel maybe they need more hopping/ climbing they all just perch on the highest perch all day with food pots at either ends and just groom each other (before the plucking started) theyre definitely bored. I will open the cage for free fly for 3 hours tomorrow and see if it helps. Even though they just dont like to fly maybe they will like to come out of cage and sit on it, will try. Gave carrots apples grapes ets (hung on toys) to keep their beaks busy but will add forage tomorrow and im now looking for another cage to seperate the pairs. Hoping for the best, I just freak out at every little thing (plucking is a big thing poor bird now looks like a vulture/turkey) I hope the feathers come back soon.
Ive been told to apply aloe vera to the bird who got plucked do you have any knowledge of that?is it beneficial? This was the last question,promise.

How are things going Bridy? Have you managed to change a few things up? Just make sure if you are letting them out of the cage, that you've bird proofed the room they are in. And be extra careful because I've come across a few stories about linnies and how they like to burrow under blankets and cushions (etc). You want to avoid any accidents.

Unfortunately I have no idea about the aloe vera. Maybe someone else here can chime in.

 

[BirdyyBee]

How are things going Bridy? Have you managed to change a few things up? Just make sure if you are letting them out of the cage, that you've bird proofed the room they are in. And be extra careful because I've come across a few stories about linnies and how they like to burrow under blankets and cushions (etc). You want to avoid any accidents.

Unfortunately I have no idea about the aloe vera. Maybe someone else here can chime in.

I had him out but I think he cant stay without his partner he keeps putting his head on the cage for the partner and the mate keeps plucking his head now he has not a single feAther left on his head so I put him inside today but the mate at once came and started plucking bear vent I took him out again
Im going to move him to another room nd see but I dont want him to be depressed for his partner. He looks so bad to be honest not a single feather on head. His holes for ears and eyes on bare skin

 

[BirdyyBee]

And yes the conservatory is bird proof