Stripped Feathers?

[sammmy]

Hi there, so I'm still relatively new to birds...
I adopted my cinamon conure about a month ago now and I absolutely love him. He's so smart and manipulative and hilarious.

My question is, I adopted him after he saw a vet and I was told he had very low vitamin A and his flight feathers had been stripped from when the breeder was clipping them I suppose. Over the month his vitamin a has improved great (lots of fruits, carrots and a multivitamin in the water) But his first 4 or 5 flight feathers are still just sticks. I was told there was a good chance they would never grow back meaning he would never fly...

I guess my question is has anyone dealt with this and if so is there anything I can do? I of course want him to be able to fly..... I wondered if I trimmed the ends a tiny bit if they would help at all? (kind of like how we trim our hair to make it grow more)

 

[LokiLove]

I'm pretty sure once he goes through a molt his flight feathers will come back in. Im sure some of the other members will chime in and give you some good advice since there are a lot of great experienced members here. Sounds like your doing a good job with him just keep doing what your doing. Congrats on your new little guy.

 

[MonicaMc]

Feathers don't grow like hair does. Feathers grow more like scales, in the sense that once it is fully formed, the only way for it to be "repaired" is to replace it with a new one.


Do you have photos for reference?

 

[sammmy]

This is the only picture I have currently, This was just after he had a bath.

 

[MonicaMc]

I can't tell if that's just the quill (the soft feathery part has been removed) or the full feather is encased in keratin.


Assuming it is stripped, as you say, this would normally imply a preening issue, like plucking.


Here's a cockatoo feather that has been barbered...

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_AnU-NBUnV38/SyReXDs6i2I/AAAAAAAAEPc/6k-l-SUI5Y4/s1280/IMG_0337.JPG

And a cockatiel that also barbers it's feathers.

http://www.auspigeonco.com.au/melbournebirdvet/photos/large/(9).jpg




If it's the full feather encased in keratin, it could be a preening issue as well (i.e. *not* preening) and something may be missing from the diet.

 

[sammmy]

I don't believe the entire feather is cased in keratin as he had one of those on his tail feathers and as I got his vitamin levels back to normal he started to preen himself and took care of that feather along with all his little pin feathers.

It does look very very similar to the first picture you posted. I will try to get a picture of his wingspan when I have someone home to take the picture while i hold it.

 

[sammmy]

Does this picture help more??

It is a very sloppy cut job and it makes me sad

 

[MonicaMc]

Yup, better picture!


There are many causes to FDB (Feather Destructive Behavior). Considering what feathers have been destroyed, I'm going to blame it on clipping first! The clip could be bothering him, thus resulting in the FDB behaviors. This is most commonly seen in African Greys who are much more sensitive to being clipped.

The birds may *know* that they are missing feathers and due to a lack of feather to preen, it could bother them. Likewise, the ends may be sharp and rubbing up against their sides wrong, causing the FDB behavior.



If this is the case, you could leave the feathers alone, trim them down at the base, or have an avian vet pull them out while putting him under, thus resulting in faster growth.



If that's not the reason behind the FDB behavior, then it could be diet, medical or behavioral. Behavioral is usually due to boredom, stress or anxiety. Having a bunch of toys in the cage may do no good if he doesn't know how to play with them independently. He may need to be taught how to play with toys.

Foraging toys, fresh tree branches (with leaves and bark!), frequent bathes, outside time in a harness or cage, or even full spectrum lighting (or lights that mimic the sun) may all be beneficial to him.




BTW, the ARN I'm caring for also has some similar feathers. She's started molting, so I'm hoping she doesn't go after her new feathers. I haven't seen any evidence that she's destroying her feathers since she's been here.

 

[sammmy]

Thank you so much for the detailed reply. I have not noticed any FBD with him. He doesn't really seem bothered by them except he cannot fly (he likes to pretend he's going to).

His diet has only been changed since I've had him so about a month, our vet does say he is doing much better health wise. Before he came home with me the vet thought he was going through a lot of environmental stress at the pet store which was contributing to his not eating which of course made his diet not very good. Now he eats all his seeds and pellets, his peppers, fresh carrots, apples, cantaloupe, he has had once slice of a mandarin orange as i read they were very acidic (of course that was his favorite) and he really likes eating bits of collard greens (when i'm chopping salads for my reptiles) and sometimes he opens the door of my finches cage and tries to eat their food. I also give him the apricot nutriberries as a treat for good behavior. And have a multi vitamin I put in his water. I hope I'm doing everything correctly!!!!

His colors have brightened up tons since he's been home with me, he comes outside with me if it's nice out and loves to perch in the trees. His cage is also right beside a nice big window so he gets natural light all day and when the sun sets he has a lamp on before bed time. He has a bath almost everyday and if not it's every other day and he does it all by himself, I don't have to do anything!

I'm thinking it may just take a little bit of time for the feathers to grow back, if they do at all?

 

[MonicaMc]

He shouldn't be on any vitamin supplements if he's eating pellets - unless recommended by an avian vet.

It's good that he's eating healthier, though!


The stripped feathers is an actual sign of FDB. The outer flights are not the same as the inner flights. I can see now where the feathers have been chewed.


Although he may not be able to fly, please don't take him outside unless he's in a harness or carrier.



Since feathers don't grow like hair, you have to wait for the feathers to molt out (unless you have an a-vet pull them out) before they'll be replaced. It can easily take a minimum of 1-2 years to replace all feathers - including flight feathers.

 

[sammmy]

The vet recommended the vitamin supplements and pellet mix for a little while.

He has a cockatiel cage he goes in outside for now while I wait for his harness to be shipped.