help required please

[martin b]

hi,just joined the site and am after some advice please,have just bought my mother a canary (red factor) and wondered why he has just started pulling out single feathers from last friday must have lost about 6
can anyone help please
regards
martin

[kenny]

hi martin
welcome to the site...are you sure he is pulling them out,because if he has been moved to a warmer or colder place than what he was used to he may have gone into a moult....the only other thing i can think of is he may have some feather lice or mite on him

ken

[laurab]

Hi Kenny

Martin did post a reply to your answer but guess which idiot deleted it in error?!!!:oops:

Martin, I am so sorry, any chance you could post your respose again? I will promise not to go near it :oops:

[kenny]

hi laura
start taking the cod liver oil now if i were you...dont forget to roll it around in your beak first:lol: :lol:

ken

[laurab]

Hi Kenny

I have just got back from the gym, my joints tell me I need cod liver oil!

[martin b]

thanks ken, have had the bird in same room for the 2 months so no real change in temp,all started when we bought a swing with mirror,his singing stopped and a different chirping was heard after 2 days we took the mirror out and he started singing but the feather removal started about the same time as the mirror,what would you suggest i do
regards and many thanks
martin

[kenny]

hi martin
it is quite possible that he thought you had given him a new partner when he saw his reflection in the mirror....that could be the reason why he changed his song also ,and he may have started pulling his feathers out due to the lack of nesting material it is possible that when he runs out of tail feathers he will forget all about it and they will grow back quite quickly ..it also could be he is lacking in something you could try putting some cuttlefish in his cage and an iodine block..and possibly put a bath on his cage then preening himself might just take his mind of pulling the feathers out

ken

[chris]

and for the wierd alternative option from me... it could actually be a hen! rarely hens are known to sing like cocks, i only ever noticed this once in one of my hens and it was when there was no cock about at the time. providing a mirror may have fooled it into thinking it has a mate, so if it's a hen this would explain the change in the cals she makes and lack of singing.

also, if the above is true, it explains the feather removal as they frequently pluck feathers from the breast area to line/build nests with, and to provide a brood patch to incubate eggs.

the best way to test it would be to buy a known cock canary. then when he starts to sing, if your current bird is a cock it will sing in competition, if it's a hen it will make a different call back and will squat to show she wants to mate

Chris

[kenny]

hi chris
that did cross my mind ..as i have a really nice buff border hen that sings,so it is possible that it could be a hen i wonder if a tape of a singing canary of one of the websites might get him /her going there are plenty about! there is a cock canary singing on this link...you could try it and see what happens

ken



http://asongintheair.com/