Normal to have some patches missing at this age?

[DanR]

Hi guys,

We're finally getting close to picking up our little WBC Tango, it's looking like the 29th is the day! He's still being weaned but is very close to being ready... every week or so I bug the breeder to send me a pic and I am noticing that he seems to have a bald spot on his chest, but he assures me A) this is normal and will fill out and B) he takes the pics after he's eaten so his feathers are wet, so it looks thinner than when he's dried out. He hatched in early December or November (I just texted him asking for the hatch date) and I am wondering if it's normal that he still has spots missing feathers. Here are some recent photos, the two in the cage are from the last week and a bit, the one on the table is from about 3 weeks ago.

In the second pic with the BHC and 2 WBCs, Tango is the little fella on the end.

So is this in fact totally normal?

Thanks!
Dan

 

[Kiwibird]

He's a real young bird, probably just hasn't grown in all his feathers yet He's a cutie too. And you're 100% correct about their plumage looking "thin" when their wet. Even Kiwi has some "patches" when he's just had a good bath. I'm betting he will be a beautiful, fully feathered boy within a few months!

 

[BirdyMomma]

Golly, he is super cute!

 

[DanR]

He's a real young bird, probably just hasn't grown in all his feathers yet He's a cutie too. And you're 100% correct about their plumage looking "thin" when their wet. Even Kiwi has some "patches" when he's just had a good bath. I'm betting he will be a beautiful, fully feathered boy within a few months!

OK great, thanks you I just wanted to be reassured that it's normal because looking at videos of young Caiques on youtube, they all seem to be full feathered at 4 or 5 months so I was worried. Maybe he's a late bloomer lol! And yes he's so cute, I can't wait to get him to his forever home!!

Here's another pic when he was younger

Dan

 

[Anne]

My caique had that too when I had too feed him before he could eat by himself. And now he is totally "feathered" and soft. You can see pictures of him when he was that young in my thread about Kwiebuz.

 

[witchbaby]

My conure was a late bloomer too and it was especially obvious with a full crop. The feathers will grow in. No worries.

 

[DanR]

Ok thanks again guys

 

[DanR]

Some new pics Feathers look much fuller now, 1 more week to go!!!!

 

[RavensGryf]

Cute baby Dan. I know you've been waiting a while now!
That looks normal. Forgive me but I'm not sure if you said you've had a bird before. They don't grow feathers over the midline area of the body. Where they would spread that area over eggs when sitting in a nest (males and females both same feather growth pattern). Just down feathers over the crop too.

 

[DanR]

Cute baby Dan. I know you've been waiting a while now!
That looks normal. Forgive me but I'm not sure if you said you've had a bird before. They don't grow feathers over the midline area of the body. Where they would spread that area over eggs when sitting in a nest (males and females both same feather growth pattern). Just down feathers over the crop too.

Ah ok, no I didn't know and yes this is definitely my first bird. This all came from my ownership of a rat of all things. I had an AMAZING pet rat who was a huge sweetheart, extremely intelligent, active and almost behaved like a dog at times. I was totally devastated when I had to put her down last year due to a huge mammary tumor and that's when I found out it was extremely common in domestic rats. There's just no way I can handle a pet that dies so quickly so in speaking to several pet stores and animal enthusiasts telling them what I looked for in a companion animal (don't want another dog), several brought up the option of a small parrot. So that was about 4 months ago... fast forward a lot of questions and research and I'm 1 week away from picking up Tango!

Thanks for the info, I learn something new every time I come on here lol!

Dan

 

[MonicaMc]

Breeders tend to stretch the crop further than what the crop would normally go, so that the crop can hold more food in it, thus requiring less frequent feedings.

All you are really seeing is the stretched crop. Once the chick is older and eating on his/her own, the crop will be smaller because he/she will be eating less food and the crop wont have to be so extended.



It's normal in the sense of hand raised chicks. Parrot parents don't *normally* feed so much to their chicks so parent raised birds generally don't have that extended crop. Hand feeding formula typically goes right through the chicks system so it requires frequent feeding vs parents fed chicks, the food usually takes a little longer to digest. It varies, of course.

 

[DanR]

Well spoke to the breeder lastnight and I'm afirad that little mister Tango is not ready to go... he does eat a bit of his adult food but then wants the baby goop and won't eat anything else So not ready yet, another 2 weeks to go ARG!!! His cagemates (2 sisters) have all gone to their new homes 3 weeks ago, but the mamma's boy doesn't seem too anxious to move on lol!

I DID get a video of him though, so pretty excited about that!!! I watch it every hour or so lol! Ah well, more time to prepare I guess... this weekend need to go find a cover for his cage for bedtime.

Dan

 

[Kiwibird]

Sounds like Tango might be bait of a late bloomer. Still, better have him wean when he's ready, even if it's a tough wait for you. What's a couple more weeks? I think thats at least 4 or 5 more toys you'd be able to find before he came home right there

 

[DanR]

Sounds like Tango might be bait of a late bloomer. Still, better have him wean when he's ready, even if it's a tough wait for you. What's a couple more weeks? I think thats at least 4 or 5 more toys you'd be able to find before he came home right there

LOL yep, that's what I was thinking. Does being a "late bloomer" have any typical behavioral or tempermental challenges later on like it could for other kinds of animals? (Some instances of food agression in dogs can be linked to being a late bloomer and getting pushed around come feeding time by his siblings for example...)

Going to make that toy with the straws and shreddable flowers I saw with my daughter, looks like fun!!

Dan