Aussie Finch Forum

Hi I have taken on some rescue zebs, they are in quarantine. I threw out everything in their cage (food dishes, perches, swing, nest basket) and got them a new cage. I separated Dad as I don't want to breed them.
The 4 girls are meant to be mum and daughters.
Yesterday on of the girls had been attacked at first I thought it was Mum but now I think its one of the daughters, they have pulled nearly half her feathers out, so I have had to pop her in with Dad until I can organise another cage.
Wondering why this has happened.
Could it be the major change of different cage with new perches, no basket, better food, things kept clean and so on. There cage was really over crowded by the previous owner (a standard rusty, poo encrusted breeding cage with 8 sticks, a basket, swing and 2 dishes overflowing with crap seed)? New cage has 2 perches (one a branch with proper metal fittings to attach, other a calcium perch), new swing, 1 food dish at a time and new water source. Paper is changed daily, cage cleaned weekly after previous owner only cleaning every few months. They get fresh food and water daily.
Dad is in a cage next to them.
They have gone from outdoors to inside also.

I think whichever hen is plucking may just want to go to nest.
You can leave them all together if you want but if you don't want
them to breed, just remove the nest for a while till you have more room.

Yes I removed the nest the day I bought them home.
The previous owner says the young are now breeding age, so I figure its hormones. I have put her in a separate cage and popped Dad back in with them for now.
I have confirmed that it is Mum that was attacked, rather odd.
Thanks for the imput

2 questions. Is the new cage larger or smaller than the previous one? Do they now have more or less perch space than they previously had?
LML

The new cage is slightly smaller and yes less perch space, there was around 10 or more perches in a 75cm wide x 45 cm deep and high cage, plus a rusty swing, large nest basket and food containers, there was little flight space in their previous set up.
They now are in a 60cm x 40cm x 40cm flight with 2 perches and no nest basket, they have a new swing they love.

The mother zeb passed away so its just Dad and daughters now.
Miss 15 moved mum's cage to a unsafe place and it got knocked over.
As you can imagine Miss 15 is in a fair bit of trouble.