noblemacaw
New member
- Sep 23, 2011
- 1,056
- 3
- Parrots
- Valentino - Red Fronted Macaw - Hatched August 12, 2012
Valentino is going to be 9 months old on May 12th. After the 70 gram weight gain/growth spurt it seems to have stabilized....for now.
Valentino had moulted his head/chest/back feathers but so far has not dropped one tail or wing primary/secondary feathers. Although the wing feathers still are in very good shape some of Valentino's tail feathers are looking very woren. I am wondering for the baby's first moult when do they start dropping the tail/wing feathers? I have his feather box made to keep his long feathers in but so far just body feathers are in it.
Also I noticed the down on Valentino's chest became snow white. Normally I saw that those down feathers were a grey color. Nice thick and soft but a grey color. Imagine my surprise when I saw that some are now a more wispy snow white. I do not know if RFM's moult their down seasonally. If they do does the down change color and texture?
Back in December when Valentino came to MN from TX it took about three weeks for him to "fill in the down" He did grow it in thicker and that made sense because it is colder up here than in TX. I keep my home at 62 degrees in the winter and I know that is cooler than most people keep their homes in the Winter. The down did get thicker but didn't change in color.
The parrots I kept in the past were rain forest parrots. Mini macaws so their down color or thickness never changed. Valentino is my first cliff dessert dweller so I wonder because they are from cliffs this would come into play with their feathers and down. The RFM feathers are the softest I ever felt. I also noticed when soaked Valentino cannot fly as well.
Thanks for any input other RFM owners may have for me.
Valentino had moulted his head/chest/back feathers but so far has not dropped one tail or wing primary/secondary feathers. Although the wing feathers still are in very good shape some of Valentino's tail feathers are looking very woren. I am wondering for the baby's first moult when do they start dropping the tail/wing feathers? I have his feather box made to keep his long feathers in but so far just body feathers are in it.
Also I noticed the down on Valentino's chest became snow white. Normally I saw that those down feathers were a grey color. Nice thick and soft but a grey color. Imagine my surprise when I saw that some are now a more wispy snow white. I do not know if RFM's moult their down seasonally. If they do does the down change color and texture?
Back in December when Valentino came to MN from TX it took about three weeks for him to "fill in the down" He did grow it in thicker and that made sense because it is colder up here than in TX. I keep my home at 62 degrees in the winter and I know that is cooler than most people keep their homes in the Winter. The down did get thicker but didn't change in color.
The parrots I kept in the past were rain forest parrots. Mini macaws so their down color or thickness never changed. Valentino is my first cliff dessert dweller so I wonder because they are from cliffs this would come into play with their feathers and down. The RFM feathers are the softest I ever felt. I also noticed when soaked Valentino cannot fly as well.
Thanks for any input other RFM owners may have for me.
