Molting questions 🦢

[Safamirza🤍]

Hello! I have a 5-6 month old cockatiel named Kiko

I had some general questions regarding molting in birds and was hoping to get some info on it.

First of all, I don’t know Kiko’s exact date of birth. I believe we got him in January, and when we got him we were told that he’s 4 months old. We took him to see a friend of ours who’s been raising birds for years and she told us that he doesn’t look 4 months old, he looks 2 months old. She also told us that the breeder overlooks and ignores his birds a lot, they just stay in cages with lots of birds until they are sold. (Makes sense because Kiko was very difficult to work with when we got him and he has a issue with breaking his feathers, especially tail feathers. I don’t know if that is linked to his past but it could be ) Since now April is ending, I’m guessing he is turning or has turned 6 months of age. I’m also gonna guess that if he was 2 months old when we got him, his birthday must be in November ??

My questions

I heard cockatiels molt at around 6-9 months of age. Is it more common for them to start molting at 6 months right away? Or can it take up to 9 or maybe even 12 months?

What are the signs that your bird is molting or is about to?

My Kiko has a issue with being rough on his feathers. It’s VERY annoying at times because I need to stop him everytime I catch him. His wings are also clipped and were clipped very poorly, so recently he’s been pulling this one feather on his right wing that pokes out and goes out of place when he flies while making a painful or mad sound. When he goes through the process of molting, he must be very fragile and sensitive to touch. How do I make him not bother his pin feathers? I am confident he’s gonna break them. How do owners with rough birds deal with the molting process?

What can I do from my end to make the process as calm and easy as possible? I understand they get frustrated and are in discomfort all the time

Do they get cold when their molting? Should we keep it warmer in the house?

Do they lose big chunks of feathers at once or is it a very slow process?

How long does it typically take for them to fully molt?

What do I do about the feathers and fluff that goes everywhere? And is it bad for the bird to be ingesting the fluff or CAN they ingest their own fluff?

How do I tell if there is something wrong with my bird during molting, or anything abnormal that shouldn’t happen?

Thanks for reading all of that Kiko doesn’t look like he’s molting but I want to prepare because he COULD molt soon. It’s gonna be hard to see him in discomfort

 

[Skarila]

Hi There!

Kiko sounds like that typical cockatiel Unfortunately I cannot help with the question of the age as I personally already had an adult 'tiel and to determine age according to the moulting isn't really accurate, as you can see, you could be well off a few months! usually the change of the season can trigger the moult sooner or later.

Very young birds will in general be rougher on their feathers when preening, they will learn through time. Keep in mind if the wing feathers are so badly butchered, and the bird will begin the full moult soon, there's a high chance the new flight feathers will be broken as there's no other long feathers to "protect" the new one, so do keep an eye on that.

As for how to help out with the moulting, usually often baths can help out with the growth of new feathers and eleviating the itch. It's not usually the actual moult that bothers them but the growth of the new one, as it itches them. The feathers grow in a thin keratinous sheath that breaks and sheds once the feather is ready. Until then the feather is in it, and breaking it can and will cause bleeding. Usually the bird will take care of all the new pin feathers except of the head, so if you can and once you see lots of white little pins on the head, you can help out by gently rubbing them between your fingers. They are very sensitive at the time, so one wrong move can hurt them. I remember even our Archibald the grumpy cockatiel was extremely grumpy and would always somehow hurthimself during preening... I guess that's a cockatiel thing....

For young birds the full moult can take anywhere between a month or two, my conure Pascal was moulting for a very long time and I believe he changed most of his flight feathers and his entire tail.

Don't panic if you start seeing fluff and feathers everywhere, the bird will be fine. If new feathers are growing - all is good! Also i don't think birds will swallow their fluff at all. Never thought of it really.

Also for a cockatiel running an air purifier and a humidifier would be a great great help. Air purifier would in my opinion be a must for any dusty bird like a cockatiel, AG or cockatoos, as they have this super fine tiny feather particles everywhere that looks like dust. Not only will it protect your lungs, but your bird's lungs and nostrils too, as they're also prone to nostril blockages due to the dust and dirt.

 

[Safamirza🤍]

Hi There!

Kiko sounds like that typical cockatiel Unfortunately I cannot help with the question of the age as I personally already had an adult 'tiel and to determine age according to the moulting isn't really accurate, as you can see, you could be well off a few months! usually the change of the season can trigger the moult sooner or later.

Very young birds will in general be rougher on their feathers when preening, they will learn through time. Keep in mind if the wing feathers are so badly butchered, and the bird will begin the full moult soon, there's a high chance the new flight feathers will be broken as there's no other long feathers to "protect" the new one, so do keep an eye on that.

As for how to help out with the moulting, usually often baths can help out with the growth of new feathers and eleviating the itch. It's not usually the actual moult that bothers them but the growth of the new one, as it itches them. The feathers grow in a thin keratinous sheath that breaks and sheds once the feather is ready. Until then the feather is in it, and breaking it can and will cause bleeding. Usually the bird will take care of all the new pin feathers except of the head, so if you can and once you see lots of white little pins on the head, you can help out by gently rubbing them between your fingers. They are very sensitive at the time, so one wrong move can hurt them. I remember even our Archibald the grumpy cockatiel was extremely grumpy and would always somehow hurthimself during preening... I guess that's a cockatiel thing....

For young birds the full moult can take anywhere between a month or two, my conure Pascal was moulting for a very long time and I believe he changed most of his flight feathers and his entire tail.

Don't panic if you start seeing fluff and feathers everywhere, the bird will be fine. If new feathers are growing - all is good! Also i don't think birds will swallow their fluff at all. Never thought of it really.

Also for a cockatiel running an air purifier and a humidifier would be a great great help. Air purifier would in my opinion be a must for any dusty bird like a cockatiel, AG or cockatoos, as they have this super fine tiny feather particles everywhere that looks like dust. Not only will it protect your lungs, but your bird's lungs and nostrils too, as they're also prone to nostril blockages due to the dust and dirt.

Tysm for all of that info!

 

[CosiGirl]

Tysm for all of that info!

I just looked through this thread and found it very reassuring. Cozy has been molting now for over a month and the Pin feathers keep coming! I do believe this is her first molt and she is around 5 months old.

 

[Safamirza🤍]

I was thinking about him molting again last night and I’m still VERY concerned he might go through some behavioural related complications because someone last night told me that he doesn’t pluck, but he breaks off his feathers in
Half and it’s mainly the tail feathers. (He literally has no long tail feather) and she told me that maybe his parents were pluckers and this can turn into a PLUCKING problem later on. Now I’m scared he’s gonna break his pin feathers when he molts

 

[HeatherG]

I was thinking about him molting again last night and I’m still VERY concerned he might go through some behavioural related complications because someone last night told me that he doesn’t pluck, but he breaks off his feathers in
Half and it’s mainly the tail feathers. (He literally has no long tail feather) and she told me that maybe his parents were pluckers and this can turn into a PLUCKING problem later on. Now I’m scared he’s gonna break his pin feathers when he molts

That’s not true. I think lots of baby birds have trouble growing their long tail and wing feathers in because they’re clumsy. They damage the feathers and then bite them off.

It doesn’t have anything to do with the parents being pluckers. It has to do with your baby being a klutz. Yes, it could develop into a feather chewing habit but hopefully it will not. Hopefully Kiko will get used to his body and stop breaking his feathers and biting the broken ones off.

I have had several young birds who went through this stage and they didn’t become pluckers. Try not to fuss over his feather chewing or he could learn it is a way to get attention. Really, just try not to worry about it. It’s a teenage bird thing. Like zits or funny hairstyles. He will figure it out.

 

[Jexnell]

Baby birds are terrible with thier tails. Wasn't till after Phoenix first molt did he get the hand of it.
Now he's a pro and moves it out of the way when ever the slightest touch.

Look at that scraggly thing, he had two or three whole feathers by first molt.

 

[clark_conure]

When a bird molts.....on you floor on the cage bottom it will look like a bird exploded! Ignore the feathers on the floor and keep track of the feathers on the bird.