Continuous molt / soft molt in canaries and finches

Cause: A sudden change in temperature or light, or light at night, or stress, or parasites · Type: Husbandry

Other names: Soft molt، Out-of-season molt، Stress molt

Symptoms

• Feathers fall all year without completing
• The canary stops singing
• General weakness

How it spreads

Not contagious.

Diagnosis

History; and rule out mites and parasites.

Treatment

Stabilize light and temperature, increase protein (egg food) and vitamins, and treat parasites if present. (All under veterinary supervision.)

Prevention

Constant light hours, a bird room away from the living room light at night, and avoiding sudden change.

Season

Summer and autumn

Treatment and doses are decided by an avian vet after an exam; Zajel does not publish doses.

Other diseases

• Egg binding
• Chronic egg laying
• Egg yolk peritonitis
• Cloacal prolapse
• Feather plucking
• Overgrown claws and beak
• Heatstroke / heat stress
• Cold stress in adult birds and chicks

Sources

• finchinfo.com
• KB (not web-verified this session): widely repeated aviculture/breeder consensus; treat with stated confidence