Question About feathers

[Breeze]

Hello all,
I've read a lot about stress bars on feathers but have still not found the cause for mine. My little girl Indianna has got stress bars on most of her wings. Her diet ( fruit and veg) is varied every day and she is on three types of pellets. When the sun is out, all of my parrots will be out their from 2-2 1/2 each ( they are not in the direct sunlight for long and have shaded area for when they need to go there, there is also a food and water bowl for them) She has many toys and balls within her cage that are played often. I've read that stress bars or the discolouration can be caused by hitting her feathers on the bars of the cage which she does a lot due to swinging around on her balls and things. Although the feathers are black she is i think within a malt as their is new green feathers coming through.

Another thing that she has done is destroyed the ends of her tail feathers.


Also a question,
My alexandrine, Wolfie, has a very sour smelling breath or beak and i don't know if its normal but it has been like it ever since we got him. Any suggestions why it is like this.

 

[ChristaNL]

Stressbars can come from a million different reasons.

My CAV always warns people a few might pop up after visiting her!

Sunny had&has quite a few, so after eliminating the diet or possible diseases I noticed she actively made them herself!
(She is an overpreener/ barberer/plucker)
She wil chomp down too hard on the forming feathers (while they are still in the soft pin-form) and cause a sort of bruising in the shaft.
It shows up as a little dark ring-shaped band and after the feather unfolds ... there will be a dark of even see-through stripe on the feather.

Of course- where the band is, the hardened part is more difficult to open-> so more chomping and since the feather underneath is already damaged a bit ... she just keeps at it.

I have taken over the peeling of the large tailfeathers (for now anyway) every morning - so everytime she hits a 'hard patch' that is growing out I get to crack and remove it for her.
Not sure is this is *the* answer, but it seems to limit the damage a tiny bit.
(and every tiny step is one extra).

==


Sour breath is something that has been mentioned a few times here as a possible digestion or crop-issue, but I do not know enough to advise you in that.

(You know that in some birds brussels sprouts can cause a belly-ache because of the relative high sulfer-content, that is why human children tend to dislike them as well -> more sensitive intestines, so bigger issues)

I must say- your breakfastchop looks devine!
(now I get a stinky-eye from mine, they want some too!)

 

[noodles123]

I agree with what was said above. I also cannot think of why starting both birds on a tiny bit of Beni-Bac(sp?) probiotic would cause any issues. That having been said, you can give too large a dose of probiotic, so talk to the vet.


Have you had their blood work done?



Another random thought (or 2)---How are their sleep schedules and are you making sure to avoid too much citrus fruit? Just throwing out random possibilities--I really don't know.

 

[SailBoat]

Well covered possible causes found above, and I am supportive of including a visit to your CAV (Avian Vet) for a closer look, the sooner the better. Fungus Infections of the crop is a likely source of the sour smell. Let us know what your Avian Vet finds.

Younger Parrots can be very difficult on their feathers, especially their tail feathers. As a result, the combination of being young and having tail feathers with ratty ends would be common.

Hope that this helps.

 

[Breeze]

This is what her feathers currently look like ( I know bad) but this is another brekkie that they all get.