Molting

[nightinday]

Louis has his first molting right now. My question is, how long is the first molting usually?
The second thing...when there is some feather that comes out or he will find it laying around somwhere he would chew on it. Is it really normal?
His feathers grow nice and shiny and he has a lot of pin feathers.

 

[MeganMango]

Mango loses a feather or two every few days, this has been going on for about a couple of weeks. He has pin feathers, is itchy and extra cuddly, and became VERY fond of bath time seemingly out of no where. This is his first molt and I have very little experience so Im not sure what the normal situation is. When I looked into molting through internet websites it seemed that it can be really variable depending on hormones, nutrition, the birds overall health and sunlight exposure. I do know they need lots of good nutritious food so they can make new feathers and get through the molt. Stress should also be avoided. Mango picks at his fly away feathers too. He doesnt eat them, but the little fluffy ones seem to come out in batches and fly all over. He grabs them and plays with them in his mouth, gets bored and drops them. I know his flight feathers are coming in because he can now get a good 5 feet of height before he starts to glide down and he couldnt get any when he came to us. Overall though, he looks the same. I havent seen bald patches or anything. I think the big worry is if they all drop before they are replaced and if the bird isnt growing the new feathers easily. Someone with more experience with this is probably better to confirm that though.

 

[nightinday]

My bird has one tiny bald spot on his head but I can see like 3 new pin feathers on this place.

 

[MeganMango]

Provide him with lots of bathing/showering/misting (his preference) opportunities. Ive read this can help the pin feathers come through. Your bird might not be able to reach the ones on his head, you may have to help rub these a bit so they bust and be feathers. Also be aware that pin feathers have a blood supply, and if they break they are painful and can bleed. Birds dont make very good clotting factors so bleeding can be very serious for them. It sounds like a normal molt, but again I dont have much experience. I just know what Ive learned from this forum and from surfing internet sites.

 

[nightinday]

I try to help him but when he gives me a sign that it hurts I stop and those pins on his head are like really "fresh". I try to give him a bath every day

 

[MeganMango]

Ya, I feel so bad for them when those pin feathers come through, it must be so irritating!

 

[bubbaanddaisy]

My bird has one tiny bald spot on his head but I can see like 3 new pin feathers on this place.

hi ive had this problem before my green cheek was only a couple months old when i got him and his head had a bald spot to with about 6 pin feathers and many more small ones dont worry it all grows back once the pin feathers are gone!! saying that i only had one conure so he couldnt reach them and i wasnt very good at picking them i went out and bought him mate to do it for him and now his head feathers are 90% back and growing fast but most likely most people cant go out and buy another but for a tip spray water on them than put them in between your fingers and play with them until their gone

 

[bubbaanddaisy]

its okay its all normal let him do what he needs i do not know how long it usually starts when it starts getting cold and ends during winter so they can keep warm but thats what i heard and try to wet his feathers that are on his head and neck and pick at them it helps them a lot try to message them until their gone or it will itch and hurt them

 

[nightinday]

Thank you all for advices. I'm trying to give him a warm bath every day but he doesn't like to take it always. I don't push him then, just spray him a little bit and he seems to like it. The bald spot is almost gone Tons of pin feathers are still there but I think it will be fine. I was thinking about buying a mate but I'm a bit scared. Louis doesn't seem to like any other birds near me. When he sees a mirror he is fine but when he sees me going there he starts to attack mirror. The same thing is with birds on pics. I don't know, they say that GCCs are sociable but my bird seems to be too territorial