Plucking? Moulting? Preening?

[Felemmm]

Hello,

I have noticed my Amazon pulls out a couple feathers when he preens. Is this normal behaviour? It is usually the full feather. He does have a digestive issue so I am trying to figure out whether it is cos of that or he is just normally preening. He is currently molting too as when he flies his feathers go everywhere.

Thank you

Edit: he is six months

 

[Koko_the_fluf]

Hmm... I can't really tell if that its plucking since it is normal that some feathers can go loose when preening and there are lots of possibilities that it may be so it's not really sure can you tell us if you bird looks sick or maybe not acting usual?

 

[Felemmm]

Hmm... I can't really tell if that its plucking since it is normal that some feathers can go loose when preening and there are lots of possibilities that it may be so it's not really sure can you tell us if you bird looks sick or maybe not acting usual

I'm hoping they are loose feathers from the molt and he finds them and pulls them out because he is losing many feathers without pulling them. He has really dry skin because of his stomach so he often times scratches and they fly off too. He has had a bad history with his health but is on the mend so just hoping we aren't going downhill again!

 

[SailBoat]

Time of year and where you live has much to do with molting as does temperature and humidity in your area. The age of your parrot helps as well.

The fact that your Amazon is recovering maybe telling as large feathers require a store of energy that a sick Parrot just does not have.

Understand that Large feathers, especially flight feathers are paired replaced with time, year around to always leave the Amazon flighted. Where as body and downy feathers are more during two general seasons as they transition from Summer to Winter and Winter to Summer.

Our DYH Amazon can turn our home into a Snow Storm in late June as he molts out his Winter layer for the hot days of Summer.

As a result, need far more information from you.

 

[Felemmm]

Time of year and where you live has much to do with molting as does temperature and humidity in your area. The age of your parrot helps as well.

The fact that your Amazon is recovering maybe telling as large feathers require a store of energy that a sick Parrot just does not have.

Understand that Large feathers, especially flight feathers are paired replaced with time, year around to always leave the Amazon flighted. Where as body and downy feathers are more during two general seasons as they transition from Summer to Winter and Winter to Summer.

Our DYH Amazon can turn our home into a Snow Storm in late June as he molts out his Winter layer for the hot days of Summer.

As a result, need far more information from you.

Hey thank you for the reply we are currently in autumn going into winter in two months. I'll attach a photo of the said feathers in question. He hasn't touched his flight feathers only downy and plumes! He gets four hours out a day and is out most of the weekend so it wouldn't be for mental health I think, and he has plenty of toys just worried it's to do with his stomach condition making his skin itchy. I shower him daily. He is six months old! I don't see any bald spots but as you can see his feathers are in. A bad condition since I got him. Because he is sick he is housed in 26 degree weather and humidity is averag 60%

 

[texsize]

For treatment of dry skin aloevera is usually recommended.
I have never used it on my birds but many PF members do.

 

[Felemmm]

For treatment of dry skin aloevera is usually recommended.
I have never used it on my birds but many PF members do.

Thank you! I have a spray from my vet but it hasn't relieved him that much tbh

 

[SailBoat]

For treatment of dry skin aloevera is usually recommended.
I have never used it on my birds but many PF members do.

Great product, but can build-up with ease. Only use lightly between showers.

 

[Keatz]

None of the feathers in the photo look plucked to me, because they all have their shafts. When my birds preen, feathers will fall out if they're ready to molt. I don't think you have anything to worry about.

 

[Felemmm]

None of the feathers in the photo look plucked to me, because they all have their shafts. When my birds preen, feathers will fall out if they're ready to molt. I don't think you have anything to worry about.

Thank you. I think he is molting too. I see he pulls out loose ones.

 

[Keatz]

No problems. Sometimes when my birds preen and scratch themselves, they'll get down feathers stuck on their beaks. They look silly.
Obviously, the eye scratching is related to the surgery. I'm sure the vet will do something about it if they think it's a problem.