Feather Loss and Breeding

Question
Hi there,

I just got a pair of society finches a couple of days ago and I have a couple of questions:

1. One of the little guys has lost some feathers around his rear and it looks like maybe one or two on one of his wings. Is this likely because of the stress of the new place and settling in?  Should I be concerned?

2. As I mentioned before, I got two finches, they seemed to stick together when we bought them and they are still buddies now.  I have two wicker nests for them, but they always sleep together in the same nest.  They are definitely bonding.  I'm not sure if one is a female or not and I'm concerned that they may start breeding.  I'm just not sure how old they are and I have heard that breeding them too young is not good.  Also, I'm not sure if I'm ready for little finches... should I remove the nests? They just seem so happy to have them.  

Thanks for your time!

Answer
They sound sick. A loss of feathers could mean molting but if no new feathers are growing in, it is my belief then that your birds have feather mites. These little mites grow on the birds feathers and don't directly cause any health problems. They make the poor birds unbearably itchy. This causes sleep deprivation which then causes health problems. Luckily feather mites are easy enough to get rid of. There are all sorts of medications used to get rid of these pests. I personally use the website ladygouldianfinch.com and order what I need from there.
You don't need to remove the nests (if they really want to breed, trust me, they will). If you aren't sure, get them sexed but if you don't have the money, just make the eggs duds. This is best done my sticking the eggs in the fridge overnight. After that, you just give the eggs back and let them sit on them for a couple weeks. After that, you take the eggs out and repeat the cycle when new eggs appear.