Feathers problem?

[milotheringneck]

Hello!
I have a 2 years old indian ringneck who overall is a happy and active bird. He is never caged, he sings, i haven't noticed anything weird in his behaviour but early this morning i found these feathers around the room

For me, he looks normal, nothing weird, but i did notice he has removed 2 more of these from his chest (didnt cause him any pain, he was pretty chill when he got them out).

I don't have an avian vet in my city, so until i get him to someone who is qualified i just want to know if any of you can identify the problem or possible causes for this.

Thank you in advance! Have a lovely day fellow birb frens

 

[Kitekeeper]

Sorry, I do not know what that might be, but it is worth to bump the topic.

Have you considered any vitamin deficiency? It looks like the feathers were not yet ready when they fell or were plucked out.

 

[SailBoat]

When a Parrot is busy pulling newly formed feathers it is a concern. Please make an appointment with an Avian Medial Professional ASAP. There is a skin sample test than needs to be taken with in a very short time of first seeing this type of behavior. As the longer you wait the problem becomes behavioral in nature and becomes ever more difficult to stop!

 

[milotheringneck]

Sorry, I do not know what that might be, but it is worth to bump the topic.

Have you considered any vitamin deficiency? It looks like the feathers were not yet ready when they fell or were plucked out.

Its impossible, he is eating lots of fruits and also receives a vitamin supplement in his drinking water

 

[milotheringneck]

When a Parrot is busy pulling newly formed feathers it is a concern. Please make an appointment with an Avian Medial Professional ASAP. There is a skin sample test than needs to be taken with in a very short time of first seeing this type of behavior. As the longer you wait the problem becomes behavioral in nature and becomes ever more difficult to stop!

He is not pulling newly formed feathers.
1. you can tell these werent newly formed (he didnt even molt lately)
2. he is not pulling feathers, since yesterday he acted normal, couldn't find any new feathers like this around the house

 

[milotheringneck]

to be honest, i think its highly likely that these feathers were formed during his last molt and they somehow didnt develop normally for some reason.
I would appreciate messages that are usefull, if this happened to your bird or if you might have come across it.
As i stated before, i only posted here because I don't have an avian vet in my city

 

[Suzysmilez]

When I had my grey and she started feather plucking, this is exactly what it looked like. I’m not an expert on ringnecks so maybe I’m wrong but if it was a grey, then I’d almost bet money you’d end up with a naked bird.

 

[Scott]

Welcome to you and your ringneck!

Are you able to post pics of your bird from various angles, perhaps a few removed feathers? None of us are vets or techs but accumulated experience may offer helpful opinions.

 

[milotheringneck]

Welcome to you and your ringneck!

Are you able to post pics of your bird from various angles, perhaps a few removed feathers? None of us are vets or techs but accumulated experience may offer helpful opinions.

Hello and thank you for the warm welcome!
There was a picture in my post but i don't know why it no longer can be seen.
These are the feathers he removed, for some reason i can't insert the image just the link: https://ibb.co/JrmZkFj

I have to say, during the last days i only found 2 more around the house, looking the same. He is still active, eating, cuddling, with no changes in his behaviour

This is my handsome baby: https://ibb.co/YjmTzPB

 

[Kitekeeper]

I was reading a veterinary book specific for exotic species and ran into the Psitacidae section.

The authors address the issue of feather plucking and thought it would be worth to share.

They say this behavior could be triggered by:

1-Diets with dyed pellets, too much seed or homemade food
2-Low air humidity environment
3- Less than expected exposure to sun light
4- New elements in their environment such as kids (loud and agitated)
5- Reaching the sexual maturity stage

They also say that birds that have their all their needs taken care off, feather plucking is most likely to have a behavioral root rahter than a physiological one.

Hope this help

 

[noodles123]

when you say "never caged" do you mean even at night??

 

[Scott]

He is a beautiful boy! Most of those feathers suggest premature removal unless IRNs have distinctly different development from other parrots. (large segments of apparent sheathing)

You may be correct they are from previous molt that did not fully develop. Unsure exactly what this might represent given young age with minimal prior molts.

 

[milotheringneck]

I was reading a veterinary book specific for exotic species and ran into the Psitacidae section.

The authors address the issue of feather plucking and thought it would be worth to share.

They say this behavior could be triggered by:

1-Diets with dyed pellets, too much seed or homemade food
2-Low air humidity environment
3- Less than expected exposure to sun light
4- New elements in their environment such as kids (loud and agitated)
5- Reaching the sexual maturity stage

They also say that birds that have their all their needs taken care off, feather plucking is most likely to have a behavioral root rahter than a physiological one.

Hope this help

I really appreciate your reply!
Luckily i have been a bird owner for almost 20 years now and i have documented myself during all those years, none of these are new information to me but thank you for highlighting them (they will sure be useful for other bird owners who might see this post).

 

[milotheringneck]

He is a beautiful boy! Most of those feathers suggest premature removal unless IRNs have distinctly different development from other parrots. (large segments of apparent sheathing)

You may be correct they are from previous molt that did not fully develop. Unsure exactly what this might represent given young age with minimal prior molts.

I am glad to inform you, and others who follow this post, that i haven't found any other feathers looking like this around the house.
Milo started molting so i do think these were indeed old feathers. The ones he is removing now look healthy, fully developed, and they are randomly picked

Also, the ones that are developing now, look healthy to me (he is asking for scratches constantly, so while i do it, i can analyze easily how his skin and the roots of the feathers look like)

 

[Scott]

Wonderful news, thanks so much for the update. Hope success continues!!