Prolonged molt?

[Buttons]

I was wondering if Lampshade's molt is abnormal. It's been going on for several months now, losing down feathers, tail feathers, etc. I'm concerned because cooler weather has arrived and she needs the down feathers to keep warm. There are new feathers growing in but I've never seen her lose feathers at this rate before. Anything to worry about? Should I give her special foods?

 

[weco]

At some point in their lives, most birds do this.....while normally molts are several weeks to a couple of months, sometimes it takes several months or more to get the job done.....this is often referred to as a hard molt.....if you are overly concerned, give your vet a call & run it by him or her.....

 

[Buttons]

Do birds tend to need more sleep during the hard molt and do they have special nutritional requirements?

 

[Allee]

It sounds like Lampshade is going through a hard molt, as weco mentioned. As long as there are new feathers replacing the old ones and there are no bald or bare patches, Lampshade should be fine. Some parrots go through behavioral changes due to a hard molt and are grouchier than normal and want less interaction. It makes sense, those pin feathers are itchy and uncomfortable and it takes extra energy to form new feathers.

Lampshade might appreciate some extra hours of darkness. As for diet, you can add vegetables, fruits, hard boiled eggs with shells, even a little chicken. I wouldn't overdo it though, too much extra protein can be as bad as not enough.

Humidity can also be a factor, if the air is too dry, the feather shafts don't soften up and come off as quickly as they should.

 

[weco]

Though I have never really studied my flock when they are molting, but they may well sleep more during molting, simply due to the energy required to produce their new feathers, however they do tend to eat more veggies & fatty foods during molting, but I've never given them any special diet, as such.....as to the extra sleep, unless you put a camera on your flock, you often don't realize how much sleep they really do get.....they're almost as bad as the cat & the dog, though because they're wide awake at the slightest sound, we think they're always awake.....they're not though.....

I probably would provide a special diet if our veterinarian recommended it, but that's never happened, so we just prod along with our usual diets & menus.....


Remembered that Hartz had a pretty good explanation of molting at one time...here's the link: http://www.hartz.com/Birds/Health_and_Nutrition/Health/understanding_molting.aspx