Purposely breaking feathers?

[Brendon.]

I have an especially little Timneh Grey named Lester who is about 10 and a half months now. The reason I say he's especially little is because he only weighs 285 grams! This might be worth taking into consideration so I thought I'd mention it first.

 

I'm facing an interesting dilemma with Lester. As much as I've read about feather plucking and its variations, I can't seem to find much literature on my specific problem. I thought maybe in asking here someone with a bit of experience could help me out.

 

Lester has been looking quite scraggy as of late, mostly because he has a feather problem. Lester tends to break feathers quite regularly... he's excitable, active (though clipped) and plays a bit rough. While this usually takes the form of a haphazard wing feather sticking out at an odd angle, he has also lost nearly all his tail feathers. In fact, as of today, he only has one left! (it looks ridiculous by the way)

 

When I say he loses feathers, I don't mean the entire thing. What's been happening is that Lester will break a feather, and the remaining "bottom half" / the shaft is left in his skin. The feather shaft does not become loose, and he does not seem inclined to remove it all. If I go near it he will readily voice his disapproval.

 

At the same time, it would seem that leading up to the process of his molting, Lester hasn't been removing his feathers properly either. Rather than to remove the entire feathers, as would be normal, he seems to break them very close to the end of the shaft, but leaves the bottommost part still attached. The inside of his wing is lined with feather stumps. What has resulted is a painfully slow molt, with hardly any signs of new feathers, as the old shafts remain in place. Some of the remaining shaft bits are so small and close to the skin, it would seem impossible for him to remove them now even if he tried.

 

I have spoken to two veterinarians about this. I also had blood work done (which came back healthy) and did an extensive review of Lester's routine, which the vet deemed to be satisfactory. Lester eats a varied, rich diet, exercises well, gets plenty of attention, etc. He has a ton of toys and is not bored by any means. He also has a perch in my shower and enjoys a bath at least every other day. At night he sleeps on a special perch in a quiet room with a curtain around him.

 

One of the vets has suggested having Lester anesthetized and removing the feathers manually with pliers, but in the long run, this doesn't help me if this ends up being a persistent problem.

 

I am wondering if maybe Lester's molt is just a bit delayed because of his small size. I was also curious if anyone would know how this type of behavior is typically corrected, if at all, or if there are things I should watch for.

 

Thanks so much!

 

Here is a picture of Lester (for anyone curious)

 

Edited July 5, 2012 by Brendon.

[Mistyparrot]

Are you sure they are all stumps and not pin feathers ? I am not at all sure that pulling them is a good idea.

You have a very cute looking bird.

Steve n Misty

[Koekie]

My Timneh weighs 273 gr!!!

He is a small one too, and I had the same problem with his tail feathers! Koekie plays very rough on his back, upside down. And all his tail feather were broken.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_89m_kMAfU

 

But I just changed the cage settings ( do I say that right? )

When he plays really rough, I just stop him Or get his attention with another toy.Don't know if that's right, but he almost lost al his beautiful tail feathers.

And he baths in his water bowl When I see him do that I stop him and put him in the shower. Because when he baths in his waterbowl, his tail feathers get detroyed between the jail.

But this tailfeathers are all back now I am just really careful with his tailfeathers.

Your timneh looks cute Cute little face...

Edited July 5, 2012 by Koekie

[kins2321@yahoo.com]

Brendon... how do you feel about letting your baby become fully flighted? I think Lester would benifit with learning how to fly.Don't get me wrong, if you believe in clipping, I won't argue the point, but as a new baby, this is an important opportunity to develop chest muscles, and practice flying. I am an experienced clipper! I just suggest all babies learn how to fly! I only " trimmed", when I wanted baby to focus on learning. My idea of " trimming". was being able to fly two rooms away. My birds are fully flighted, but I also understand why " parents trim". Nancy