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Molting?

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Post by BMustee Mon Dec 01, 2008 2:58 am

To the first question with the grooming...unless you see feathers then she isn't plucking while your petting her.

As for the paper towels...it could have been one of the triggers, I've heard of stranger things getting birds to pluck. It sounds like she like to play and tear them so it could really help curb the plucking. A busy beak is a happ beak! Cool
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Post by Ronda Mon Dec 01, 2008 12:56 am

Ya know, I just had a thought. Although I do think this all started around the time that Casper got here, but I stopped using paper towels on the top of her cage where she plays, why I don't know. But I started using them again and I noticed that it does keep her day busy with them, she likes to tear them apart and shred them and stuff, I'm wondering if me taking them away kind of gave her less to do and added to her plucking? What do you guys think?
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Post by Ronda Tue Nov 25, 2008 6:39 pm

Well I do have another question, I noticed that SweetHeart always tucks her head and grooms her chest when I pet her. She will sit on my shoulder and tuck her head, fluff her feathers and let me pet really deep on her neck, if I stop she does her happy chirp so I'll keep doing it. But most of the time while I'm petting her she is grooming herself. I know this is natural only because I have read up on it and it is a sign of comfort with me, and it is something they do with their mate in the wild, where they groom each other, so I never thought it was anything bad, but could this have started something with her??
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Post by BMustee Mon Nov 24, 2008 10:40 pm

Yeah if it started near the time you brought Casper home then it may very well have been the plucking trigger. I have heard good things about "Pluck No More" from Kings Cages. It may or may not help but heck it's worth a shot. pirat
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Post by Ronda Mon Nov 24, 2008 12:03 am

She is near a window, but we leave the blinds closed anyway. And in all honesty I have never seen birds around here lol. There's chickens in the yard, but our deck is higher than my head when I stand outside so unless they were to be on the deck, which I know they don't go there, I can't see it being another bird. But that is a great suggestion! I am here all day with her, and it was around the time that we got Casper that I thought she was going through her molt, well it was shortly after anyways. We have not changed her food, or anything. I am guilty like I said of not showering her enough. I am going to start twice a week and see if that makes a difference in her. I am really hoping that's it, cause other than us bringing Casper in, there have been no changes. We have racked our brain now for days! And the showering thing is the only thing I can come up with.
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Post by BMustee Sun Nov 23, 2008 10:56 pm

Is Sweetheart's cage by a window??? I ask because I have to keep the blinds closed when I'm not here because twice I have left the blinds open and come home to a freaked out bird. I've heard stories of greys plucking because they see birds of prey outside through a window and it scares them to the point of plucking.
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Post by Ronda Thu Nov 20, 2008 8:01 pm

LOL No it's not what I wanted to hear, but I'm sure it's fixable. At least she's not bare! I don't understand either, cause she has been better than ever! She loves loves attention now! She comes and visits me all day long! Wants to walk around with me all the time! She has just been a totally different bird!

But I did do a really really good cleaning of her cage today and we will start with twice a week bathes again tomorrow. That probably has a huge deal to do with it. I have to be honest I have not given her regular bathes lately. So I need to get back in the swing of that! I am going to post another question dealing with this also, and I would love to have all your input! Thanks guys! I will keep you updated on how she's doing!!
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Post by Lyric Thu Nov 20, 2008 1:50 pm

I know it's not what you wanted to hear Ronda, but she is plucking. If it was a molt there would still be some feathers on top of the down. Perhaps she started this when you brought Casper home? That would have been a big change in her life and could have instigated it. Or it could have just started because of her molt. Either way, you can get through this, try misting her several times a week with the aloe vera juice and see if this makes a difference.
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Post by BMustee Wed Nov 19, 2008 5:38 pm

Most birds that pluck will wait till the pins are at a certain growth point and then pull them out. Some birds when they pluck will pull them out as soon as they break through the skin, others wait till they are half way out till they pull them out.

Here are a few pictures of parrots that pluck only the contours.

Molting? Ag1

Molting? Gabby
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Post by Ronda Wed Nov 19, 2008 5:14 pm

No I haven't, and actually she hasn't had her bath lately, like a really good one anyway. I need to start doing that again on a regular basis. I have a shampoo for molting and itching/plucking birds, I will let her sit in that for 5 minutes this evening and do that a few times this week. Wouldn't she be picking where the pin feathers are though??
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Post by BMustee Wed Nov 19, 2008 5:11 pm

A big molt and cause some birds to pluck...the pins coming in can be extremely irritating so that could have caused it. Have you been using Aloe or Preen Oil sprays?
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Post by Ronda Wed Nov 19, 2008 5:07 pm

Well that is strange than, cause she has pin feathers so I know she's molting. And nothing has changed at all in her diet, her behavior, our house nothing.
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Post by BMustee Wed Nov 19, 2008 5:03 pm

So sorry to say but that doesn't look like molting...it looks like plucking to me. A molt can be heavy but it would never cause the chest to loose all the contour feathers. Most of the pictures I have seen of Greys that pluck don't pluck to the skin, they will leave the down feathers so they look like a lint ball from hell instead of a butterball parrot.
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Post by Ronda Tue Nov 18, 2008 6:37 pm

Here are some pics! Tell me what you think!

Molting? Sweeth10

Molting? Sweeth11
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Post by Ronda Tue Nov 18, 2008 6:14 pm

sure hon! I will in just a bit, I will take a new one and post it, have to finish feeding bunnies while it's still daylight though! Be back!
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Post by BMustee Tue Nov 18, 2008 5:54 pm

Would you be able to post a picture?
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Post by Ronda Tue Nov 18, 2008 1:56 pm

She just turned a year in May. She has her feathers growing back in and she is leaving them, they are just taking their sweet time lol. I have done much research on this and from what I have read sometimes it can take a bird a full year to go through a molt and in the mean time they look horrible lol. If she were plucking she would be bare, when they start it starts a reaction and if it were because of pin feathers than she would be like that in other spots as well like her back where she is molting now. I'm not worried about it really lol, just trying to get topics started. Some birds just take longer than others, some will molt out a few and grow them back others will try shedding them all and take a little while to grow them back. If she becomes bare than I will worry, but for now I will just have to deal with my ugly little bird lol. I will keep you updated though on how she is doing and what is growing back! Thanks everyone!!
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Post by Michelle Tue Nov 18, 2008 1:42 pm

Adanna had a moult like that last year, and got me really worried.. a trip to the vet later, and i was told it was normal, and to try misting her with aloe juice... She was never left with just the down feathers though :S.. Maybe a little trip tothe vet to be on the safe side Smile Keep us updated x
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Post by Lyric Tue Nov 18, 2008 12:15 pm

Ronda, Sweetheart just has the fluffy feathers on her chest, but no regular feathers? If this is the case, i would say that she is plucking. When they molt they very rarely lose all feathers at once, usually just a few at a time. Sounds like she is plucking out the regular feathers and just leaving the underdown. I could be wrong though.
It's possible the molt is making her itchy and causing her to pluck.
Lyric went through a period of time when he would chew off his tail feathers. He had lost all of them due to a fall and then whenever one or two would start to grow back he would wait until it was a little over an inch long and then chew it off. Used to bother me so much. Eventually he decided to leave them alone and they all grew back in properly. I think with lots of attention, toys rotated and regular baths eventually Sweetheart should come through this. A trip to the vet might help as well if she hasn't been lately.
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Post by Siobhan Tue Nov 18, 2008 6:06 am

How old is Sweetheart now Ronda? I know Oisin has been molting for ever now. Honestly if you saw him right now you would think I had been abusing him. He looks like he has been dragged through a hedge backwards Shocked He isnt bald anywhere either but he looks so tatty. Liath never looked this messy.
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Post by Ronda Tue Nov 18, 2008 1:05 am

Ok I think I may have asked this, but we will start it up again cause I can't find it lol. SweetHeart has been molting now for a long time! She started with her chest feathers, than her wings, now her back and still her chest feathers are like these little fluffy things and not really feathers yet again lol. Is this normal? Can they go through this long of a molt? She is not bare at all anywhere, so I know she's not plucking. But just wondering if anyone else has had an "ugly" bird for awhile lol. The poor thing just needs to get her pretty feathers back lol. So fill me in, what's everyone's stories on their birds molting!??
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