Molt or plucking?

[ZoeS]

I got my GCC about a month ago from a breeder, who clipped all of her flight feathers. She crashes to the ground whenever she loses her grip and I can't wait for her to be able to fly again. I have tried to encourage a molt by placing a fluorescent light on a timer over her cage, and she has started to lose feathers. No big ones; the largest I have seen were maybe 2cm long / 3/4" long and somewhat fluffy. I have seen some fall out of her chest so I don't think it's plucking but I want to make sure - just in case!

She is losing many per day. Maybe a dozen or two. No bald patches but I can see some gaps in her feathers. That said, they have been there and I just didn't notice.

She gets a lot of attention and has a large cage with lots of toys.

 

[oled]

It is terrible to read that the breader cliped all flight feather. Thats absolutely wrong and you should contac him and complayn

 

[IcyWolf]

sounds like a molt if she is losing that many feathers and doesn't have any bald spots, you should start seeing pin feathers soon.

 

[ZoeS]

Thanks for the reassurance.

And yes, it is awful! Unfortunately I didn't know at the time that there were levels of "clipped". I thought they were either clipped (and could not fly) or not (and could fly). Right now there are piles of towels under her various perching areas, just in case she falls. What they did was right, at least, was letting her learn how to fly before they clipped her.

 

[Pedro]

ZoeS, if your GCC is only a youngster they go through a molt at 5 months where they will mainly replace head & a few body feathers but you will have to wait until the he/she is 12 months old to replace the flight & tail feathers. I don't think a fluro light will help along a molt at all & i wouldn't think it a good idea at all.

 

[ZoeS]

Dang. 12 months is a lonnng time to wait!

What's wrong with giving her full spectrum lighting?? This has been highly recommended to me... and common sense it just makes sense (they would be under the sun during the day).

 

[Bobioden]

Dang. 12 months is a lonnng time to wait!

What's wrong with giving her full spectrum lighting?? This has been highly recommended to me... and common sense it just makes sense (they would be under the sun during the day).

Nothing is wrong with full spectrum lighting. But I was thinking the same thing when I read Fluorescent, not full spectrum in your first post.

Maxx is 6 1/2 months, he also came severely cilpped. He is losing tons of feathers, some flight, some tail, and lots of small down. His head and neck has been loaded with pinnies, and it doesen't look like there ending anytime soon. His flight feathers have not grown out much in the past few months, so I am sure it will not be until his 1 year molt that they will be replaced.

 

[ZoeS]

Ahh I see - no, I meant full spectrum. I mean fluorescent as opposed to incandescent (heat)... and because it is a fluorescent bulb

I hope by magic she grows in her flights overnight. I'm really afraid she's going to do herself an injury falling some day