stressful molts

[Brandy]

well Milly is having her first big molt and she looks quite rough around the edges

she has a broken tail feather that sticks right out, and shes full of pins and itchy itchy itchy,,also I notice some down feathers on her chest,,,at first I panicked and thought OMG she started feather plucking,,BUT ive been watching her and she is juts normally preening,,,but when she shakes or scratches feathers go flying in every direction,,,,

shes been getting soaked once a day then about 4 mistings to try and keep the itching down

I just ordered some healthy bird , Bird Company supplements,,,i got feather up, calciboost and potent brew,,,I also ordered Polly's palm oil as a treat,,,

Ive heard that their first molt is the worst,,is this true??? and is there anything else i can do??

shes surprising me though instead of being cranky she is the BIGGEST lovebug,,,,she even cuddled into my neck last night and fell asleep:heart: it was the most amazing feeling

[Jim]

Hi Brandy

I sure don't want to give advise about the supplements, Dr C would know best about this. But IMO I don't use them nor suggest them with out a vet recommending them. What I have seen with my boys, they both had heavy first molts, is they got through it just fine. It was me that was worried because I want the best for them. Also I noticed that the pin feathers were easier to break the ends off of the day after a shower. I also noticed more feather preening stuff, that flaky stuff on the floor the day after. What I think is the feathers dry out and they become easier to preen. I didn't give everyday showers or misting. They normally get at least two soaking showers a week and I tried to give three when molting like that.

Yes I do believe that a first molt can be the worst for a lot of birds. You and Milly will be just fine.:)

[jimleasure]

Yes I do believe that a first molt can be the worst for a lot of birds. You and Milly will be just fine.:)

i agree with this part. can't and won't comment about suppliments and misting.
i think dr c will be able to enlighten us all.

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[Shirley]

I've asked Dr. C. about some of those very supplements in the past (for finches, canaries) and she advised me against it for my birds. I have not used any supplements with the parrots, except I tried some that she gave me (oils) and they hated them and wouldn't eat the food I tried to hide them in. Excellent for keeping skin in good condition - supple and naturally oiled... but no go for them taking to the stuff.

I've never heard of the first moult being the worst, and I've not seen any moult being any worse with our birds except our Gouldian finches looked really rough during their moults.

[Brandy]

Thanks guys

its actually my avian vets best friend that sells the supplements,,its the same person I get my harrisons from

I always used supplents on my quaker Keedis,,supplements are big here and almost everyone I know uses them, most breeders when weaning their babies use supplements then advise the new owners to continue on the same thing

I always used Bird Care Company supplements, then when we brought Binka home (Alexandrine),,he was so malnurished, we put him on supplements, just because he was used to eating ONLY sunflower seeds, but we used Phoenix Unlimited for him,,then of course I used the Bird Care company when we forst got Milly,,since she was force weaned, i put her back on 3 handfeedings a day and I added supplements,,,once she was weaned,,i stopped,,,

I guess I have always noticed a difference when using them, i dont use them 24/7,,just when they need an extra boost

Ill be honest and say i dont feed fresh fruits ad veggies on a daily basis, she gets them weekly, but i just dont seem to do it everyday,basically when my kids get them, the birds get them,,(Im horrible :( )

so i try to feed the best foods, Harrisons, High Potency
and she gets Golden feast Gourmet foods, I have 4 different kinds and they get varied everyday on which she gets,,some i serve dry, some i cook for her

also she gets Lafeber's nutriberries as a treat,,i also rotate these

Ive been slacking big time on the fruits and veggies,,I was doing excellent for a while but then I slacked,,,so i guess i figure the supplements will help..

maybe not??
also will adding aloe to her water help wth the itching??? or should I just leave her

[Shirley]

I wouldn't add anything to her water. If you want to spritz her with aloe in the water, maybe that is OK.
I'm not sure they "itch" when moulting. I think they just want to preen a lot, and showers keep the new pins soft and help get rid of the dust.

I know people who use the supplements, too. Can't say they have helped them. They haven't seemed to hurt, though.

[Brandy]

NO NO i meant in her spray water,,not her drinking water,,her water is always 100% pure water

in all of my books it says they get very itchy during molting ????

[Brandy]

oh and whats some good proteins that i can give her for extra?? I know they need more during molting as well,,,

[Shirley]

Oh, sorry for the misunderstanding... :D

Protein - chicken (chicken on the bone), legumes, things like that.

[Ellen K. Cook, DVM]

Hi Brandy-


You've already received good advice, so I will just affirm it :thumbup: I sympathize, because Shelby is going through a heavy moult now and there is always a bit of panic when I first see that big pile of feathers under her cage :eek:

I do not normally recommend supplements. It sounds like Millie is on an excellent diet (although more fresh stuff would be even better ;) ), so I don't think supplements would be all that necessary.

Some moults seem worse than others. If the parrot is having a heavy moult, everyday spritzing (and sometimes aloe in the spritz water does make them more comfortable) does help.

If you are not seeing bare skin, then Millie is preening normally and you don't have to worry.

[Brandy]

Thanks Dr.C

I guess i worry that I dont give her enough fruits and veggies,,thats why i try and make it up with the pellets and such

there is one spot on the right side of her chest,,I dont see skin,,but i see down,,,Ill get some pcis and load them so you can see how 'rough' she looks

but i dont believe shes picking,,,,I watch her and shes just preening normally,,,,,its when she shakes that she loses most of them

[Brandy]

okay these pictures were taken right before her shower
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v503/Dakin_Corbin/b4612467.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v503/Dakin_Corbin/0536e372.jpg

check out the broken tail feather:(

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v503/Dakin_Corbin/33de4db5.jpg

shes still a princess and she knows it
:heart:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v503/Dakin_Corbin/a6dff586.jpg

[Shirley]

She looks really good to me! :thumbup:

[Brandy]

so her chest looks like shes having a normal molt????

with her broken tail feather,,,Im assuming because loose because one morning I woke up and it was upside down,,LOL,,then it was sideways,,then she somehow broke it,,,its been like that for a few days,,Im just waiting for it to either fall out or she breaks it off completly,,its literally just hanging there now

[Ellen K. Cook, DVM]

Brandy-Millie looks in beautiful feather to me! I especially like the last picture. The broken part of her tail feather should come off or she will preen it off. Don't worry about it if it doesn't bother her (and she isn't looking like it bothers her :funny: )

[Jim]

Brandy, Milly is beautiful. If you think she looks rough or are worried you better never see one of my boys in even a regular molt or the feather stuff that can be preened and feathers on the floor in ONE day.:eek:

I know you're just covering all your bases and we can't help but worry about them. Ya know what tho. We do the best we can, which I know you do, and enjoy them, that's why we have them, and life is good. I agree, I wouldn't worry about the tail feather either. I'll even add I think it's good for them to learn how to take care of broken feathers. As Dr C said it doesn't seem to bother her. If it's bothering her she'll figure it out believe me.

[Brandy]

Thanks Jim and Dr C

you're right her tail feather isnt bothering her in the least,,,this is the second one that broke,,,they are not blood feathers and i think they are tail feathers that are ready to molt anyways,,,since they become lose and turn upside down,,lol which I might add looks funny,,,nice tail with one sticking right up in the air :)

i was checking her over good last night and WHOA she has a ton of pin feathers all over her head and neck!!! they look so painful, she was so gentle with me though,,i was rubbing her head and if it hurt,,then she would gently beak my fingers and move positions,,,,I love her being this cuddly ,,,shes NEVER been a love bug and through this molt she cant get enough,,,,

Ive also noticed you can see her beak good in these pics,,she does an amazing job keeping it trimmed,,,,shes always chewing on her wood toys and axtually shes been tearing up her sandy perches,,little stinker,,they all have big chunks taken out of them


Im glad she looks good,,i was worried about the few spots on her chest, hopefully she has new feathers grow in soon