Molting and fluff?

[Wulfgeist]

I guess this got overlooked maybe as I added it onto an existing thread. So from what I see now greys have their first molt around 8 months and not a year as I had previously thought. Jasper has been losing fluff for a while and it's getting really bad now. He just turned 7 mos, is this a sign that his molt will be coming soon?

 

Also is the fluff just a baby thing or do they always have this? I can't believe that all I have read on greys the dust is always mentioned, I have never heard of this fluff going everywhere.

[Dave007]

Greys can have their first major molt anywhere from 6/7/8 mts. For many birds it starts earlier. The fluff you refer to always procedes the actually molting of the surface, visible feathers. During pre molting time there's an extreme amount of fluff but greys will lose off small amounts of fluff all year long on a constant basis. That's because the visible feathers are dying all year long. Throwing off fluff are the basic signs that feathers are always dying. This will happen for the rest of its life. This is nature's way because they get a fresh set of feathers.

As far as dust-----The dust you speak of is actually called dander. Certain species have much more than other species. It's always on the body and serves as a skin protectant. Greys need baths once in a while to lessen the amount of dander on a grey's body. In the wild, nature takes care of that.

The fluff and the dander are totally different from each other. The fluff you see is spread when the bird is flapping. The dander you see is spread all year long when they're flapping. Greys and cockatoos have the largest amount of dander. Cockatoos are #1 concerning the largest amount.

[Wulfgeist]

Thanks for the info! The dander isn't a problem at all, I have 3 cats and litterboxes. I'm not going to notice it so much with that. I just can't believe I've never read anything about the fluff. I seem to notice him preening alot more than usual lately. He doesn't much like the shower but to drink the water but I take him in a couple times a week and at least put him on the shower rod so he gets some moisture.

 

Thanks for all the info, Dave. I'll keep an eye out for feathers.