Do malnourished birds have a heavier molt upon improvement?

[DebsFlock]

Blanco, the cockatiel that flew up to our front porch while we were in the midst of selling the house, has been molting heavily pretty much ever since we moved into the new house. That's about two months. All three have been molting, but he's by far the most prolific and shows no sign of stopping.

Scooter was like this for a while after we brought him home. He'd been in a pet store on a Kaytee seed mix for most of his 11 months. He was also under artificial light exclusively during that time. He seemed to settle into a more normal pattern when I got full spectrum lighting and put it on a timer -- something I haven't set back up yet at the new house.

Blanco was underweight and carrying roundworms when we took him in. He seems to know about pellets so we suspect he was well kept at some point in time, but we obviously have no idea of his history or age or how long he was on his own.

Does restoring an ample and healthful diet trigger a heavy molt?

 

[Alisana]

Sometimes, yes.

Malnourishment can lead to unhealthy feathers, so if the bird is in a 'comfortable' place (ie. trusts their current flock) and is getting a continued healthy and balanced diet, he will probably try and shed ALL of his unhealthy feathers. Ensure you're keeping up the vitamins/minerals for feather growth.

The reason I say 'sometimes' though is it can be medical/disease/parasite based.

 

[Alisana]

The metabolic cost of growing, maintaining, and replacing feathers can be high; the process of molting involves the staggered replacement of up to 30% of the lean, dry body mass of a bird, of which 90% is protein. [11] and [12] The basal metabolic rate of avian species can double during molting periods.13 Given these physiological costs, it is not surprising that nutritional status has a significant impact on feather health, and deficiencies may manifest as feather disorders. Birds undergoing molt have increased need for energy, amino nitrogen, and amino acids, in particular cysteine.10

Source: ScienceDirect.com - Journal of Exotic Pet Medicine - Feather Loss and Feather Destructive Behavior in Pet Birds

... I can't find where I read the information on moulting with healthier diet/comfortable homes. I remember it talking about an Amazon where the first moult was very heavy and the bird accidentally moulted too many flight feathers, so was rendered flightless (hence the trust thing) but I can't find it. It might not have been a scientific article, but rather a post or from a book with an owner's perspective. :S

 

[DebsFlock]

Thanks! I'll have a read of that!

He seems generally healthy at this point in time, but we took him to a new vet for his initial checkout as your usual vet was completely unable to see him (only works about two days a week) and this was not a dedicated avian vet, although he was recommended by one. The wormer prescribed (fenbendazole) turns out to be a questionable choice for a 'tiel, and he was quite sick for several days. I have read it can cause both feather and liver problems and have some concerns. However, he generally seems healthy and happy although his feather condition has not been as nice as I'd like and his cere seems dry to me. OTOH I'm not used to cockatiels and my husband assures me he appears normal.

What diseases would cause heavy/prolonged molting?

 

[Mare Miller]

I brought our Sassy girl home in May of this year and have never seen anything like this with my U2. After getting her on the same diet that I feed Amigo, she was a mess! She's finally calming down with her itchy molt, thankfully, but she lost so many feathers, and new beautiful ones are replacing them, still in the process of that, actually. I definitely believe a healthier diet brings on a heavier molt.

 

[Alisana]

There's heaps of diseases that can cause prolonged moulting (if you've ruled out behavioural completely - ie. he's not plucking them himself as they come through). Keep an eye on your guy - chances are the moult is is shedding of the 'unhealthy' feathers, and if he's been on a bad diet for a while, then he may need time to shed 100% of those feathers, and time for feather regrowth. If you're really concerned, inspect his skin and the feather's he drops and look out for any red flag/warning signs - if you see any go to an avian vet ASAP.

As for causes of feather loss...

There's parasites, whether internal, or feather mites that can cause skin irritation. PBFD is another big culprit, ABV, malnutrition (this will show up in the feather colour as well as dull, unhealthy plumage), polyomavirus (causes feather dystrophy and feather loss), fungal/bacterial infections, even allergic reactions.

Environmental is another one - I think low humidity is a contributor, which is why many people recommend 'misting' your bird either daily or every two days, insufficient cage spacing, not enough natural light exposure etc.

Below is an interesting point for cockatiels:

Giardia
Giardia psittaci are motile, flagellated protozoa with a worldwide distribution that are known to infect a wide variety of avian species, though they are most commonly documented in cockatiels. Although in most species clinical signs are limited to enteritis, a unique, though unproven, manifestation of Giardia infection in cockatiels is pruritis and a predisposition to feather plucking. [62] and [63]Giardia is only intermittently shed, so repeated fecal examinations may be required for detection; fecal samples should be rapidly examined because the trophozoite form is very short lived once excreted. The use of warm saline solution and dilute Lugol's solution as a contrast agent may increase the success of identifying the organism in infected bird feces.62 PCR analysis of feces and/or cloacal swabs is commercially available, though sensitivity and specificity are not documented for avian species. Transmission is fecal-oral, and the treatments of choice for this disease are metronidazole, fenbendazole, or ronidazole. Cockatiels may be sensitive to fenbendazole and it should be used cautiously, if at all, in this species.

Source: ScienceDirect.com - Journal of Exotic Pet Medicine - Feather Loss and Feather Destructive Behavior in Pet Birds

 

[greycloud]

Giardia can definitely cause feather loss and plucking. When you say he is molting does he have any naked spots or areas where just down feathers are showing? I do recommend aloe/water misting to help him along.

 

[DebsFlock]

I'm certain he's not plucking, there are no naked spots, and he's definitely growing in plenty of new feathers. It really looks like a prolonged molt to me. The feathers appear healthy as well.

It is dry here, we live in the desert, and I have been remiss in misting him. The other two are good bathers so I actually don't have a bottle for misting, I'll have to get one promptly.

 

[Alisana]

I'm certain he's not plucking, there are no naked spots, and he's definitely growing in plenty of new feathers. It really looks like a prolonged molt to me. The feathers appear healthy as well.

It is dry here, we live in the desert, and I have been remiss in misting him. The other two are good bathers so I actually don't have a bottle for misting, I'll have to get one promptly.

If his feather's look full without patchiness, as you said, it's most likely just a prolonged moult. He's probably just eager to drop all his 'bad' feathers - lol

Generally if it's disease related, you can see it in the feathers - they look raggedy, unhealthy, patchy or even bare areas (as greycloud mentioned)

Did you have a picture?

 

[Pedro]

Blanco, the cockatiel that flew up to our front porch while we were in the midst of selling the house, has been molting heavily pretty much ever since we moved into the new house. That's about two months. All three have been molting, but he's by far the most prolific and shows no sign of stopping.

Scooter was like this for a while after we brought him home. He'd been in a pet store on a Kaytee seed mix for most of his 11 months. He was also under artificial light exclusively during that time. He seemed to settle into a more normal pattern when I got full spectrum lighting and put it on a timer -- something I haven't set back up yet at the new house.

Blanco was underweight and carrying roundworms when we took him in. He seems to know about pellets so we suspect he was well kept at some point in time, but we obviously have no idea of his history or age or how long he was on his own.

Does restoring an ample and healthful diet trigger a heavy molt?

All seems normal to me. Tiels seem to be in a continuous molt dropping feathers all year. Twice a year they go through a heavy molt.

Cockatiels Molting, Preening, Feathers, what is molting, what is preening, how often do cockatiels molt, when do cockatiels molt, how often does a cockatiel molt, pet birds and molting, different types of bird feathers

This link is a great read.

 

[SpringCottageParrot]

Is his weight constant? Reading the 1st reply suggests that producing new feathers uses a lot of protein so I would like to know if you should you feed them more when they moult?

 

[henpecked]

If your zon is like mine.They tend to be "chunky" ,not sure i'd feed anything "extra" to a good /healthy bird. "Extra" vit/nutrients can be hard on the liver and do more damage than good. If you feel like your feeding a good diet, i don't think i'd change for the molt by feeding them a high/pro diet.

 

[SpringCottageParrot]

Actually I was thinking it is a good opportunity for him to lose weight if we keep him on the same amount of scoff.

 

[DebsFlock]

Did you have a picture?

This is a recent picture, not a great picture, but... His plumage isn't as spiffy as I'd like, but I don't think there is anything abnormal either. Well except the weird tail feather that sticks out to the side, anyway. What do you see?

 

[henpecked]

He looks fat in that picture,LOL

 

[DebsFlock]

He looks fat in that picture,LOL

Yeah, I think he's picked up a little since coming to us. I need to get him on the scale.