Missing tail feathers

[Eckobird]

I really don't know how he does it, maybe from playing rough in his cage, but Ecko manages to break his tail feathers in half, they will hang there for a while then they will fall off. There are 4 tail feathers missing now and he has a huge gap in between. Pretty soon he won't have a tail if he keeps breaking them. Should I be doing something so he doesn't lose anymore? Or should I just let him be and wait for them to grow back?

 

He only has 1 left on one side and 3 left on the other..

<br><br>Post edited by: caitb2007, at: 2009/12/12 19:23

[Joolesgreyuk]

Can he fly ok?

[Eckobird]

Joolesgreyuk wrote:

Can he fly ok?

 

Yes, he is a great flyer.

[Joolesgreyuk]

If they are breaking through rough play I don't really see how you can remedy this, much more of a worry I would think would be if he is plucking them or if it was affecting his flying. Beau has lost a couple of tail feathers too and doesn't seem to be getting them replaced any time soon. Looking at the picture of Ecko though he does seem to have a gap in the middle. Why don't you try pming someone more knowledgeable such as Dave or Dan.

[Dave007]

There's really nothing you can do at this point. They do bend and crack different feathers at times and the only way you'll see strong new feathers is when the shafts of those broken feathers dry up and fall out. He's probably very active and when they do that they feel awkward which sometimes stimulates them to pull those shafts out. Anyway, the tail in that picture really doesn't look bad at all. I've seen a lot worse that that.

[Luvparrots]

That is a great picture of Ecko flying, missing tail feathers or not.

[Eckobird]

Thank you for the replies! I guess I will just let him be and hope that he doesn't break anymore lol. Glad you liked the picture Janet, I think its pretty cool too, his wingspan is so long.. I wonder how long it is.

[lovethatgrey]

Wow. That's a nice picture even with the missing tail feathers.

 

Ecko is quite a dark grey.

[chimaysmommy]

Chimay has the same thing happen to his tailfeathers. He used to have the same "V" pattern in his tail, but the one remaining feather on his right side broke in the middle when he took a tumble off of his Atom and he took it off himself about a week later. He doesn't pluck the entire shaft out, but he'll remove the broken part. He's still beautiful to me, but his tail is a little worse for the wear. Haha.

 

I think the V adds character! Ecko is still a very handsome boy

[Joolesgreyuk]

Caitlyn, I love your signature, it has to be one of the best ones on here.

[Char]

Hi Caitlyn. The great thing about those feathers is that they molt in new ones. A few months ago I found 3 tail feathers at the bottom of Whisper's cage one morning. She had fallen and I wasn't sure if it was from that or if she had plucked them out even though she has never been a plucker.They were all from the same side so it looked pretty bad. 3 months later and they have grown back. Your baby looks young so will be molting in the new tail feathers without the black edging. Whisper had most of her solid red tail by 18 months old. She just turned 2 and now has them all.

[JungleDreamz]

I love the picture, and your signature, Its so cool! And he does have quite the wingspan! He is such a handome grey

[JillyBeanz]

Caitlin - we pay loads of money for a unique style at the hair stylist - Ecko's just showing you that he doesn't need to spend tons on looking good!!!

 

What I find most fascinating about this is that it is totally symmetrical - not uneven and not untidy.

[Eckobird]

Joolesgreyuk wrote:

Caitlyn, I love your signature, it has to be one of the best ones on here.

Aww thank you, thats so nice! Unfortunately I can't take credit for it, someone thats very creative made it for me. I did take the picture of Ecko though so maybe I can have some credit. :lol: