Hi i have an irn and he is 7 months old
He has this weird bald spot above his head from i think a weak it hasnt really grown that much
Is he molting or what
Well, it is hard to say without more information. That is why I suggested that you run the PBFD test. Have you taken him to an avian vet?
I am sure that there are many possible causes, but in my opinion, ruling out PBFD is an important step.
I'm not a vet so I can't say for sure. I wish I could help more...It's usually not related to plucking etc when it's on the head like that. Do you have any other birds?
It really is hard to say. The worst-case-scenario is PBFD and if that is the cause, catching it early can prolong life-expectancy in some cases.
It is highly contagious and can be spread via feather dust, dander, fecal matter, oral secretions etc. Until you know what is going on with yours, don't handle other birds etc (just in case your bird does have it, you don't want to accidentally spread it to others via your clothing etc).
Again, I am sure there are other possible causes as well. I wish I could give you more information, but I think you may have to make the 3 hour drive to the vet.
If I were you, I would confirm that they could perform a PBFD test before you make the trip.
I am not trying to alarm you-- it is just one possibility--Heck, it could be mite-related, fungal, a deficiency of sorts or something else. Either way, the vet is going to be able to tell you way more than I can.
I am not saying it couldn't be a molt, but I wouldn't just assume that it is.
A first molt can be pretty heavy and patchy but I'm not sure when IRNs generally have their first molt (mixed results on Google).
In a molt, you generally would see pin-feathers growing in to replace the old feathers.
In your picture, I do not see any pin feathers/replacements, which is what concerns me.
Does it look like any new feathers are coming in? If there are new feathers forming, then that is good.
Again, I am not a vet and I could be wrong. I just think it's worth investigating.
In adult parrots (at least all of the ones I have known), molts don't generally leave bald spots, but yours is young, and young birds sometimes have crazy molts. Again, I have also never owned an IRN and I am not an expert on their molting process.
Hoping he did blood work while you were there since you made the trip! It's always important to do that even if a bird appears healthy---should be done 1x yearly minimum.
Glad all is well!
Excellent- that will serve you well long-term. Sorry you drove 3 hours, but very important to know in these cases. The fact that you now have blood on file will be a comparison if medical attention is needed in the future.
