Molting or not?

[veimar]

Hi, I read about molting online a lot, but I don't quite understand what's going on with Parry and if that's normal. He is about 6 mo old and about a month ago he lost two big tail feathers in two days. I thought he started his first molt, but he didn't loose any feathers since then although he is preening himself very often. His behavior didn't change - he is very sweet and mischievous. He doesn't seem irritated or moody at all. I was just wondering if the molt can take longer, or a few feathers can just fall out and it's not a molt. :52:

 

[Dinosrawr]

Avery started her first big molt when she was about 6 months as well. She lost quite a few large tail feathers and her chest looked quite miserable, too. Gradual feather loss is common, but it definitely shouldn't span a large amount of time - though I do know that birds in captivity may have prolonged moulting due to their environment and diet. I would assume that if he lost two large tail feathers that they had reached the point where it was necessary to molt them and bring in some new ones for the sake of feather health.

It's very rare for a bird to drop all their feathers at once, because it leaves them incredibly vulnerable and makes flight very difficult, which is something you'd like to avoid as a prey animal. You'll likely notice more and more feathers dropping as time goes on - just keep an eye on the feathers so that you can monitor their condition. Molted feathers from a healthy bird look relatively undamaged and are a clean "break", so to speak. During this time it's also good to start providing your bird with some calcium and protein to help with the nutrients required for a healthy molt. I believe there are some suggestions in the Diets & Recipes forum.

There are times when feathers will come out when it's not a molt, and if they do you need to make sure that it's a clean break, especially if it involves a blood feather. They can be incredibly dangerous and if not handled immediately, the blood loss can be fatal. Make sure the bottom part of the feather, known as the calamus (or commonly referred to as the quill), is attached to the feather and it's all in one piece. If not, it can act as a funnel for blood to escape. They may also just come out from rough play or rough handling - Avery lost a tail feather at the vet clinic when she had a check up because she just didn't want to deal with the vet and struggled a crazy amount more than she normally does. It happens

Hope this helped!

 

[Cyrinaluna]

This was a great post! I had the same question. Lizzy has lost three tail feathers in about 4 days. They all looked in one piece. The last two looked a little ratty but I found them after work about 2 ft from her cage so I think the cats my have gotten to them first. "New toy" kind of thing. Thankfully they aren't at all interested in the feathers when they're still attached!

 

[veimar]

Oh I see… Thank you so much! He actually lost his first feather when he took off to flight very abruptly and made a weird fussy turn in the air. But the next on was just sitting on the bottom of the cage when I came in next day. They are totally normal full feathers. I think there is a new feather growing in him tail though - he is often preening that spot and there is something there, but he would nip me if I try to look closer.