Question from a soon to be finch mum

[SkyeWolfe]

My old roommate just got 5 finches someone that really didn't care anything about them. He asked me if I wanted one of them because it looks like the other four have been picking on it. I just want to make sure that it's something like that and not a disease or anything because I also have a parkeet. And No they won't share a cage lol but they will be neighbours

 

[Peachfaced]

Oof, poor baby! I'm tagging @finchly because I don't know much of anything about finches.

 

[finchly]

Hello there,
Congrats on your new friend! You have a nice zebra finch. They’re notorious for picking on one another. Yes, it seems like the feather loss is all on its neck/back area so it’s probably been plucked. Perhaps it’s younger or smaller than the others, or they’re paired and yours is odd-man-out. A healthy diet with plenty of vegetables and cooked egg will help those grow back in no time.

When you can, get a companion for your finch. They are happier as pairs. If you don’t want to raise babies, trust me you don’t —get a same-sex bird. I can’t tell from your photo whether it’s a boy or girl, if you don’t know then post a side shot and we can tell you.

 

[SkyeWolfe]

Hello! Thank you very much for the advice. I intend to get them a companion, now that I know it's not sick or anything, but I want to make sure its settled in and the patches are healed first. Once I pick them up tonight, I'll post a better picture to properly show them off!

Oh, you say vegetables and cooked eggs, but what kind do finches seem to prefer (my parakeet seems to hate raw fruits and veggies). I assume scrambled egg would be best for them.

 

[finchly]

I serve boiled eggs, not sure why really, but scrambled eggs are a good option. Let's see.... I cooked a small pumpkin the other day and it went over really well! Also sweet potato (cooked), kale or collard greens, corn, peas, cooked carrots, cooked green beans, broccoli.

If they haven't had veggies before they might turn up their beakies, but just come to the forum and ask for help.