Worst time of year...

[Birdman666]

In my household, it's not the hormones, though mine get "quirky" when they are hormonal. I normally just deal with it, and so do they...

The absolute WORST time of year in my household is when Sally starts molting in new tail feathers. She can't get comfortable with spikes coming out of her butt... She is jumpy, and flippy, and whiney, and skittish... and just plain miserable right now!

I am soaking her every day now, sometimes I soak the butt feathers under running water at the sink several times a day. It seems to help a little...

 

[Amanda_Bennett]

Poor baby! Sounds uncomfortable, I wouldn't want to have to grow new feather on my butt either!

 

[Kiwibird]

Poor Sally That must be so uncomfortable for a bird to grow in a feather, especially big ones on the tail or wings and even more so when it's many at once! At least with the days officially getting longer again, you can remind her it's not all in vain, after all:

At least she will have beautiful plumage by the time it's warm out again

 

[Birdman666]

She is the only bird I've got that reacts this strongly to new tailfeathers.

Maggie wants you to help preen them. The other birds just don't particularly want to be touched with new feathers coming in.

Sally goes out of her mind, every time...

 

[Snabb133]

Well, This is something that might affect her hormones in a negative way ATM. I don't really think there's much you can do about it but try and make it easier for her (showering/misting her every day) which you are doing. Keep that up. It'll pass in some weeks.

 

[Allee]

Mark, Poppy knows exactly what Sally is going through, she has new spikes/feathers growing on her chest and it makes her nuts. She also has a crest feather that hasn't broken free of it's sheath, it looks like a plastic straw. She wants me to fix it, until I try to, then she squawks. Tell Sally, this too shall pass.

 

[Giggleagain]

I'm glad to hear that your parrots are growing plastic straws too, but I swear that Clover's "straws" look like tree trunks growing under her skin. I'm not surprised that she gets upset and rips them out! I've been bathing her and misting her twice a day to preserve the precious unspeakables. No, I don't say the word "feather" in her presence, or she plucks it out

She has a couple of really nasty ones in the back of her neck. They look like cactus needles and probably feel that way too! I can't wait until they're "done" so I can help her with preening. Right now those blood feathers are so stiff and mean that I don't blame her for her bad mood.

I'm hoping Sweet Pea will eventually grow at least a couple of 'fluffies' on her chest... what is it with these Quaker women, no decency....

 

[Birdman666]

Well the frequent soakings seem to have done the trick. Sally was a lot calmer and more comfortable last night, and even more so this morning...

Really, hard molts with her are way worse than hormones.