Molting - Does it ever end?

[Starlit_Night]

Aleta has been molting since well before Christmas. It looked like she was done, only a few pins left. She didn't lose her wing flight feathers (they are clipped so I know they didn't grow back). Is 3 months a long time for a partial molt? Never noticed with the budgies, as they are not clipped, and quite frankly, they dont like to be touched, so I've never notivced the pin feathers.

That being said.. Last night I noticed Aleta has some spots on her chest where she doesn't have any of her brightly colored feathers anymore. The white down feathers are there, but the colored are not. I don't see or feel any pin feathers there. I really don't see the missing feathers in or around her cage, so I have no idea what she's done with them. So.. The question I guess is - is she still molting? A full molt rather than a partial? Or is she plucking them? Or am I just being an over-worried mom?

 

[Terry57]

Talli has been moulting for several months now. Just when I think he is finished, he starts again.
He doesn't have any places without feathers, though, so I am not sure about that part. Hopefully someone with experience with GCC's will be able to help

 

[Starlit_Night]

Thanks Terry. So I guess the answer to the first question is - no, moulting never stops.

 

[Terry57]

It sure doesn't seem like it sometimes! I was surprised as well at how long it has been going on for

 

[RavensGryf]

My birds always seem to do a long molt too. I'm guessing it probably has to do with the indoor temperature being more or less stable regardless of the season. I've never had outdoor birds, but I bet their molting cycles are more defined.

 

[crimson]

the info I got from my A.vet was it is perfectly normal for a bird to moult for 2-3 months....anything longer is not normal.

I can't elaborate on his comment, as we got off topic to something else.

Tundra, my cockatiel has been moulting for about 2 months now, so I'm hoping she is nearing the end....

I do know protein will quicken a moult.

 

[crimson]

Understanding Molting - Signs of Irregular Bird Molting, Seasonal & Abnormal Molting | Hartz

 

[BoomBoom]

My sun has been molting more than he isn't. I always find a pin feather somewhere when I rummage through his feathers during a scratch session. I heard with the abnormal lighting conditions of our homes, captive birds could have prolonged molts. It has something to do with the daylight / sun light exposure from what I read somewhere.

 

[MomtoPercy]

Percy has also been molting for months - I noticed the first bunch of feathers falling mid December. Thankfully, he seems to be almost done now because he's only loosing one feather a week. He still has lots of pins on the head though.

Interestingly, Jack, my budgie, has never had a 'proper molt'. He will loose a tail or wing feather once a while and he never has loads of feathers flying around.

 

[Starlit_Night]

Thanks everyone. I really appreciate the suggestions.

I noticed this on the weekend, so I did a change up on her toys in the cage as well as play centre. Added a foot toy / foraging box at the bottom to help just in case she is plucking them.

Somewhere I have a cold air humidifier, I will to dig it out and run it in the vacinity of her cage. She won't stay in the bathroom while I shower, unless she can see me, (ie in the bath tub) and I don't want to burn her, so my showers are always luke warm when she is in the shower, just incase she wants to play. I'll try to find a way to get the humidity up a bit in there I guess.

I really wish it wasn't so darn cold here right now (-24 right now..) I'd love to take her outside to play and get some good natural sunlight. *Sigh* Perhaps I'll change the light bulb on the "day light" lamp, just to be sure.

I guess we will keep an eye on it for a few days and see if she loses any more chest feathers.

 

[H2O]

This is because the birds come from tropical places with a lot of moisture in the air now they live in cities that have winters and super dry air in winter months that's what makes the skin dry giving them itch

 

[Starlit_Night]

Update: had a visit with the vet. She said the feathers are fine, but some are just coming in with less color so it looks like she has patches of down only
. Phew. Glad to know everything is ok.

You can kind of make out a little beak through the carrier screen. Not a very happy birdie, but she got a rasin so she isn't complaining too much.

 

[Terry57]

So happy that everything is okay! Whew.

 

[Dinosrawr]

Some species of birds will go through a "lose everything" stage where they lose a whole bunch of feathers at once, it can be so extreme that they lose all flight feathers and other feathers that they end up,flightless until it comes back. Other birds will lose the "here and there" style so they can always be flighted. It's good that everything is okay, though! I swear, bird owners are the most paranoid out there... it's so hard not to be!