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molting
Mar 8, 2015 20:47:51 GMT -5
Post by breemom1 on Mar 8, 2015 20:47:51 GMT -5
My little girl Carmeleta is going through a big molt.The poor thing has pin feathers everywhere and i try to help her as much as she will let me but she is looking rough.Is is normal that she has the fluffy little feathers everywhere?It looks like when she was a chick.She is also dropping a little weight and has plucked her leg feathers out in some spots.Thanks for any help.Becky
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Post by easttex on Mar 9, 2015 4:48:34 GMT -5
Lots of downy feathers on the loose is not unusual. Having pin feathers everywhere does sound a little unusual, though. The molt is typically a more orderly process, and doesn't happen all over at once. I have found that indoor birds, with the controlled environment, can molt very gradually, but that's not always the case.
Looking at everything that is going on, I'd be concerned that something other than a normal molt might be happening with her, and I recommend a vet visit. Something might be irritating her, causing her to pluck. Molting is very stressful and protein-intensive. With a really heavy molt, she may need her diet supplemented, but your vet would know best.
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molting
Mar 9, 2015 11:17:22 GMT -5
Post by aaron on Mar 9, 2015 11:17:22 GMT -5
Hmmm.. I agree, it sounds like a vet visit would be a good idea. Are the pin feathers really evenly distributed all over the bird or do they concentrate in specific areas primarily? What is her typical molting behavior in your experience?
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Post by julianna on Mar 9, 2015 12:13:51 GMT -5
To ease the pain you may want to try a little bath for Carmeleta. I know that when Oscar molts there are a LOT of feathers being lost. First all the soft ones come out and later he will loose his larger feathers. The larger feathers should come out balanced from side to side. The pin feathers are painful for the bird so anything to help soften them will help. A little warm water may help. I have also heard that a little bit of liquid aloe vera in the bath water could be soothing as well. But as suggested.... the vet always knows best.
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molting
Mar 10, 2015 6:39:46 GMT -5
Post by easttex on Mar 10, 2015 6:39:46 GMT -5
I think I read the original post incorrectly, Becky. I assumed you meant you were seeing the downy feathers at the bottom of her cage. If I'm now reading it right, actually she has nothing but downy feathers all over her, or over large areas, anyway. You really should not see this in a molt, and I would suspect that she is pulling out her contour (outer, not tail or flight) feathers. Can you post a picture of her?
I would definitely get her in to an avian vet. If she is just starting to pluck, there may be a physical cause. If it is behavioral, you want to try to nip it in the bud, before it becomes ingrained.
My African grey was doing this kind of plucking when I first got her, but she had not been doing it long. Still, it took two or three years before she stopped.
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