Is he molting?

[Eckobird]

Hi guys! Long time no talk, hope all is well with everyone and their birds.

 

So I'm pretty sure Ecko is molting because he has a lot of new pin feathers coming in especially his flight feathers, the pins are HUGE! I was just worrying about his chest feathers, I've never seen it like this before. Do you think its just a part of his molt or is he plucking? I've never seen him do it but its so ruffled it looks like he does.

 

Thanks!

[Dave007]

You should spray your bird will cool water all over the breast area and keep an eye on that area and the rest of the breast area for a few days. If the other area that still has feathers remains the same and doesn't start looking raggy like whats in the the picture, then your bird is plucking, more than likely from very itchy or dry skin but if that area starts to look messy and raggy within a few days, your bird is molting.

[KHAN]

I didn't know birds did mault lol Kaan looses feathers periodically as normal but in the 3 years i've had him i've never seen anything like that. Maybe spray some aloe vera in water on it. Something is irratating him there by the looks of it.

[Eckobird]

Aw thank you Dave, I was really hoping he wasn't plucking. That area has been like that for 4 days now and I don't see the other area starting to get like that. I have been spraying him with aloe vera and giving him baths, hopefully he will get better.

[AbbysDaddy]

I didn't know birds did mault lol Kaan looses feathers periodically as normal but in the 3 years i've had him i've never seen anything like that. Maybe spray some aloe vera in water on it. Something is irratating him there by the looks of it.

 

 

You didn't know birds molt?

[Dave007]

"""That area has been like that for 4 days now and I don't see the other area starting to get like that.""""

 

There is such a thing as a partial molt or partial dryness. You said nothing has changed for 4 days. I get the impression that that ragged area also hasn't changed but if he was plucking, that ragged area would be slowly spreading across the breast. A bird who temporarily pulls out feathers and then simply stops isn't a chronic plucker. He's an acute plucker. The difference is that a chronic plucker will pullthe feathers out constantly and for a long time everytime a new feather/feathers grow in. Sometimes it lasts for years. Sometimes, through out the bird's life. An acute plucker is a bird who will pull out feathers for a short period of time and then stop. What causes that bird to do it? Hard to answer. Some sort of fright. A bad disagreeable event in the house. Being high strung for a while. Or dry skin or lack of humidity. There's lots of things but they can't be pinned down. Keep an eye out. It looks like a bout of acute plucking. At least that's what I'm seeing and also going by what you say.

[JungleDreamz]

Hope it isnt plucking but dave it usually right, lol...

 

I know he will get better though, cuz you always spoil him and take such good care of him

[Cheshire Cat]

My bird began plucking a few weeks ago, but has thankfully stopped now, but when she flaps she is losing bits of softer feathers and down feathers so I'm gathering that the problem started with the molting process. If your bird isn't being 'misted' with water, the skin can get itchy for them and they begin to pluck. Aloe vera has worked wonders with my Tui; she's stopped plucking and I can visibly see all the feathers beginning to grow beneath the skin. She has a little grey lumps all over her breast where they're growing back.

 

So to be on the safe side, just make sure he's sprayed plenty and it should help. I hope all goes well and please update us on Ecko's progress. I'm sure Dave is right and it's acute plucking. When I took Tui to the vet, I was in there with the vet for about an hour and he went through so many reasons for plucking and it's always hard to pinpoint the exact one. Strangely enough he never mentioned molting, but since reading a lot of forum posts and websites I can see molting can be a contributing factor to molting and my bird is the right age for her first molt which is always said to be the worst for them.

Edited August 14, 2010 by Cheshire Cat

[Eckobird]

 

He is getting worse and its breaking my heart. My boyfriend took him to the vet the other day and they said it could be because his wings are growing in and it could be bothering him. They said he is healthy, tests came back normal, but they didn't say much on how to fix this. I don't know what else to do. It can't be boredom because he pulls them out right in front of us, I bought him new foraging toys anyways but that doesn't help. He gets the same love and attention as before. He gets showers every other day and gets sprayed with aloe vera but that doesn't seem to help either. Its just getting worse. I'm sad.

Edited August 31, 2010 by Eckobird

[Eckobird]

Oh yea one more thing I forgot to add.. the day before he went to the vet he was acting really weird, he was pooping a lot of watery poops and he was swaying back and forth for long periods. The vet said it could have been dehydration from pooping so much. But what could have caused that? He hasn't done it since then but it was scarey and we were really worried.

[Dave007]

Your bird may need more humidity and less time near areas where sun comes through. It may be too hot in his area. It should be about 65 to 72 degrees. It could be from feathers pinching him especially if he was clipped in the past.

There's a good chance that he's also plucking those areas because they were irritated when the plucking got worse and the best thing to do right now is to put a soothing salve in his skin where you see the plucking---not on the feathers, on the skin. The skin may be itchy causing the plucking. Baths don't necessarily remedy that situation. Aloe vera juice won't remedy extreme plucking either. Go to a drug store and purchase a bottle of 100% ALOE VERA GEL. Either you or your boyfriend should hold the bird and the gel should be rubbed into the skin. It's not toxic and it sinks in very quickly. Repeat this 2 or 3 times a week depending upon how intense he is about the plucking. The breast and surrounding soft feathers can get irritated and inflamed quickly. I may be wrong here because the photo isn't clear but if his tail only has 1/2 length, the bird is chewing on it, not plucking. It really doesn't look as drastic as you think but now is the time for treatment.

"""""The vet said it could have been dehydration from pooping so much. But what could have caused that? He hasn't done it since then but it was scarey and we were really worried. """""

No one knows your bird like you. It wouldn't be a good idea to diagnose what happened. You spoke to the vet, he gave an opinion, your bird is not doing it anymore. Nervousness causes a bird to do that but that's all I'll say about it. There may have been other reasons but they were obviosly temporary.

Edited August 31, 2010 by Dave007

[Jayd]

Thanks Dave. Our vets said the same thing as Dave and your Vet, Also that Spock was over preening, Do what Dave advises, it's good...Jayd

[Eckobird]

Thank you both so much!

 

Is this aloe vera gel ok??

http://www.cvs.com/CVSApp/catalog/shop_product_detail.jsp?skuId=309890&productId=309890&WT.mc_id=Shopping_Feed_Products_Google_Free_Listing

[Dave007]

Yes, it's fine.

[Eckobird]

2 weeks since I took that last picture and this is what he looks like today....

 

Dave, is he becoming a chronic plucker? He is starting to bleed!

 

Going back to the vet to do blood work this week.

 

[KimKim]

OMG, I hope he gets better soon. Good luck at the vet.

[Dave007]

It looks like it. You'll need to go to the vet and have that area treated,but you should also purchase this and use it. It's stronger than Aloe Juice and it's made to deal with your problem. It's an item that people should have around if theeir bird tends to pluck alot.

 

 

Type in

 

AVITEC.COM

 

On the left, look for PLUCKING/SCREAMING---click on it

 

Third picture from left ( spray and jar in picture) click on it

 

there's 3 choices

1---premixed bottle

2--small jar, powder in it (8 oz)

3--large jar, powder in it (16 oz)

-------

Get either 8 oz or 16 oz jar with powder in it. Stay away from premixed bottle

 

1 rounded teaspoon powder to 8 oz room temp water in a sprayer. Heavily soak your bird down once a day. If any remains in the sprayer, use it on any other birds sitting around. Discard what remains at the end of the day.

[danmcq]

Oh poor dear, I wish you all the best in finding the right solution per Dave's advice.

[Eckobird]

Thank you so much Dave. I just ordered it, I really hope this works. Vet appointment is tomorrow at 10am, will keep you posted.

[lovethatgrey]

Just seeing this thread for the very first time. I'm so sorry Caitlin and pretty stunned by this news. Thank you so much for sharing. Sending you and Ecko healthy vibes.

[Guest]

Eckobird,

 

May I ask what part of FL you are in? My sis and bro-in-law think their birdy vet is a genius and perhaps if you are anywhere near him, you could try a new vet. I mean, nothing against your current vet at all! But it sometimes doesn't hurt to get a second set of brains on the issue and see if it can't be helped.

 

>^..^<

[animalINSPIRED]

I'm so sorry to hear about Ecko. Do birds tend to molt around the same time of year? And do most birds tend to pick at their breast area? Averi's going through her (first) molt as well. Her back feathers started looking rough, and our vet said it's due to the molt. We started adding oatmeal to her bath water every other day, and it's seemed to due the trick. The picking hasn't continued the last couple weeks.