Tail Feathers

[Mamanda]

Keen's tail feathers are looking VERY ratty and chewed.

Thoughts? Suggestions?

 

[Spiritbird]

Rest assure nothing is wrong. The feathers including the tail do get ratty. That is one reason they molt and grow new ones. Tail and wing feathers are replaced in a major molt.

 

[Mamanda]

Rest assure nothing is wrong. The feathers including the tail do get ratty. That is one reason they molt and grow new ones. Tail and wing feathers are replaced in a major molt.

Thank you! Is there is an age or time frame that major molts take place?

 

[beckybird]

My female green cheek Lola chews her tail feathers too! She is almost 8 years old and she has been ruining her tail feathers for years. She is not a feather plucker- she only shreds her tail feathers. I don't know why she does it because she's healthy and friendly. She is not lonely either, because my other conures love to hang out with her.

Once, I tried to give her one of those bird toys that is made of a big huge peacock feather. She liked to shred it, but it didn't help because she continued to shred her own tail feathers in addition to the feather toy.

One thing that worked for awhile was tail trimming. Her tail feathers were all ratty and chewed to different lengths, so I trimmed her tail short (about 2 inches) and straight across. This stopped her from chewing her tail because she could no longer hold the feathers in her foot and bend them around her body to reach her beak. With time the short tail feathers fell out naturally and her beautiful tail grew back. She forgot about her tail-chewing habit and she had a beautiful tail for awhile. She did revert back to chewing her tail though

With Lola, the tail chewing seems like an absent-minded habit and not an emotional distress thing like my blue crown's occasional plucking. Her tail chewing reminds me of my son's nail biting- just a simple bad habit. She seems to do it when she is sitting on her favorite perch by the window or when she is relaxing in the cage.

I have noticed that Lola's tail is raggedy again and I think it's time to give her another short tail trim. I'm sorry I couldn't be more helpful...if you find something that works with your green cheek's tail biting, please let me know as I would like to try it too!

 

[roxynoodle]

My Blue Crown's tail feathers used to get ratty looking as well, but it was because she was a bit clumsy. She just wasn't the most athletic bird in the world and would smash them into things all the time. And every once in awhile she would have a night fright and fall off the perch.

 

[Mamanda]

I'm so glad to know it's not a cause of stress. I was so worried I was upsetting her somehow. She seems very happy and content.
She is also pretty clumsy - falls off her perches sometimes when playing.

I will try and get her to bathe them too - as in get them fully wet. She likes to bathe in her water bowl, which doesn't get her whole body wet or clean.

 

[andrea.faerie]

I put Lucy in the shower to bathe I also use avitech's Feather In spray, it has worked WONDERS Lucy has developed this habit of chewing her wing feathers!! She's not plucking them, Just chewing... the vet thinks it's both because of molting and protest (since I brought bleu home....) but that it's not anything to be concerned about since she's healthy and happy and friendly. Feather In is a spray. You can buy the powder to mix into water or you can buy the pre mixed stuff. It's kind of expensive but a little goes a LONG way Especially on a conure! haha

 

[beckybird]

I'm going to try the Feather In spray Lola is such a pretty girl; it's a shame to see her tail such a mess!!

 

[Mamanda]

I put Lucy in the shower to bathe I also use avitech's Feather In spray, it has worked WONDERS Lucy has developed this habit of chewing her wing feathers!! She's not plucking them, Just chewing... the vet thinks it's both because of molting and protest (since I brought bleu home....) but that it's not anything to be concerned about since she's healthy and happy and friendly. Feather In is a spray. You can buy the powder to mix into water or you can buy the pre mixed stuff. It's kind of expensive but a little goes a LONG way Especially on a conure! haha

What is the Feather In Spray supposed to do?

 

[andrea.faerie]

Feather In is a botanical (all natural) spray that you put on their feathers, leave on for a few minutes, then let them rinse off in the shower. It's kind of a combination of things. It basically makes lucy feel pretty I think... lol It soothes their skin when new feathers are coming in, Lu is having a tid bit difficulty with this first molt. It's like if you get really super dry skin in the winter and it itches all the time... well birds have skin too! lotion! haha it also makes their feathers healthier. my vet recommended it for both my fids

 

[Remy]

Keen's young isn't she? I've noticed that tail feathers tend to get pretty ratty on young birds because they've spent so much time on the floor of their cage, so they get messed up. I've always had them correct themselves as the bird grows up and spends more time on perches and molts.

Also, is her cage very tall? Puck's cage is tall (on the inside), and when I first got him a bird lady warned about having a tall cage. She'd had a senegal fall and break its hip! She suggested lining the bottom with something soft like towels, in case it falls. Puck fell from the very top within the first couple days (he did it a few times at first, but now he doesn't, odd), and luckily he landed in the one pile of bedding he had from his old home. After that I put towels down ASAP. I think I have like 3 bath towels covering the bottom of his cage, and then I just put paper on top of them.

 

[roxynoodle]

Yes, and baby birds are even clumsier. Newly weaned babies of all species can look ratty before their first molt. Baby macaws especially take a long time to be able to perch and can look kind of bad even though they are healthy.