my 11 month old male parrotlet has lost his vibrant color of the last couple weeks. I understand he is stsarting to molt, he has a BUNCH of pin feathers sticking out of his head and neck, and there are grey with a little tad of green feathers on his pull out tray. Is there is anything else i could do for him, and should do anything about his pinfeathers on his head? Also the breeder i got him at said not to add anything else to his diet unless i wanna give him a apple slice, and to remove it after 15 mins. He also said he didn't need a cuttlebone..... is this true.....
2007-09-07 12:54:25 · 7 answers · asked by Me!!! 2 in Pets ➔ Birds
about how long does a molt usually last??????
2007-09-07 13:09:30 · update #1
the breeder has him on a seed/rainbow pellet diet and we are trying to wean him off the fatty seed. The breeder gave us some of that "bird bath" aloe vera spray, im taking my rat to the vet soon because my rattie has an over grown tooth. The vet specoalizes in birds, so i'll ask her questions when im there
2007-09-10 13:06:21 · update #2
we ll buy him more toys, doany of you know the link to any good toys? Preferably from petco or petsmart. im not sure if hes plucking>>> he just turns his neck around, groom himself, put his beak over every feather and slide his beak off, puff up, and a couple feathers float down
2007-09-10 13:11:51 · update #3
he loves his head to be sratched, excspecially under his beak and beak/jaw bone.
2007-09-10 13:13:34 · update #4
This is very normal
But it's COMPLETELY UNTRUE that your bird doesn't need a cuttlebone. He needs a cuttlebone in his cage AT ALL TIMES. Calcium deficiency can cause problems.
Is your bird friendly and tame? If he is, give him scritches.
If he bows down his head and waits or sticks it in your face, you can gently rub his on the head with your fingers. Then you can use 2 fingers (use your nails) and gently rub at the pin feathers (the feathers not the head, don't use your nails on his head). Don't pull though.
Also, spraying the bird with a mix of 1/4 aloe vera juice and 3/ water will help him with the molt.
2007-09-07 14:49:15 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Bird Molt
2016-11-01 08:58:49 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Don't worry about the molt. All birds go through that. And the pin feathers are very sensitive, so be careful when you touch him around the new feathers. I gave all of my birds a cuttlebone, they need the calcium that they provide. A mineral block would not hurt either, they go back and forth between the two. Your bird will have his bright feathers back, all new and shiny. It may take awhile for the compete molt, just don't worry about it. There is a special food, called molting food that you can give your bird, for the extra vitamins that they use to grow the new feathers, but it is not necessary.
2007-09-07 13:10:37 · answer #3 · answered by Joan H 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Totally normal part of the birds molting as you said. You can use the spray that teh breeder gave you once a day to help aide in the skins healing properties but the bird will be fine. You can and should out rule mites as they can cause similar symptoms but it does sound to me like a clear case of the molt. It will pass in a few weeks and you should start to see the reapperance of the bright color plumage that you love.
Molting can lead some birds to be overly stress so I would make sure to feed him a diet rich in veggies and fruit and any treats that he may like during this time and continue with the fruits and veggies always! Good Luck!
2007-09-11 04:36:25 · answer #4 · answered by kimba 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Have you seen if he is plucking his feathers, i have had several breeds of parrots and never had one molt all his feathers, i do believe he is plucking, he is board and needs new toys to get him away from plucking. what are you feeding him. Read a good book on you type of bird and see what they eat in the wild. Get a small bag of mixed veggies thaw a 1/4 cup under hot water and give him. Mine loved this as a regular part of the diet. I also used pellits instead of seed since parrots dont always eat seeds. I had rised birds for a while and made a cornbread blending a bananna, diced apple, orange sections, and eggs (no Milk). You can cut into squares and keep in the freezer and feed a square a day. It is amazing how birds love these foods.
2007-09-07 13:17:45 · answer #5 · answered by Beaderone 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I think your breeder should do more research.....
Yes they should have cuttle bone at hand all the time & offer them a good variety of fruit & veg as well as a tiny bit of seed & parrotlets pellets.
If he likes head scritches this will help his moult. It can be painful & uncomfortable so bare with him if he become cranky on occasions.
A bath every 2-3 days will also help. Apart from this TLC & understanding about what he's going through.
2007-09-07 13:04:37 · answer #6 · answered by kim 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
All birds molt, through fact the previous poster says. make certain you supplement their feedings while they do molt, because it takes somewhat out of them well being-clever. you may desire to purchase particular seed fortified with supplementations and minerals.
2016-10-18 06:43:59 · answer #7 · answered by balsamo 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋