Amazons and Molting

[Talon]

Can you amazon owners share your experience with your amazons and molting? I believe Nilah is going thru a molt, and she has a lot Odin feathers coming in around her neck and head. She has been much quieter and cuddlier tha usual. She mostly just wants to be with me. Although she has her moments when she is her ful fledged self, yelling and chasing the others, and showing off. But mostly she is quieter than usual. I angering nasty bites when putting her to bed, which is no big deal, I know it will pass. She is eating a bit less than normal. Today she was in her cage for 10 hours and didn't touch one of her toys. She just ate her food and sat. She never touched her snack bowl, highly unusual. I don't believe she is sick at all, judging from her behaviour. Also, she wants to go to bed earlier...

 

Just wondered if other amazons are quieter than usual when they molt.

[Jayd]

Many parrots become less active and moody while molting, they may not be as affectionate with you as it normal. They will scratch themselves more as the new contour and head feathers sprout. If your baby lives indoors in artificial light and molts only an occasional feather, its personality will not change. If your baby has gone through a normal summer breeding cycle during which its sexual hormones surged, it will quiet down and become less aggressive during its subsequent molting period. This is all due to there pineal gland, the circadian clock is located in the pineal gland, which you known controls a lot of functions and body happenings in our parrots as well as in us humans. Many things govern when a parrot molts, such as, amount of food, length of day, and the color of the light besides hormone and body chemistry. A parrot who receives Full Spectrum lighting or sunlight, molts and reproduces differently then parrots who receive regular home lighting....I have always been extremely interested in the hows and whys of the working of the circadian clock.....

Always remember if things don't seem right, contact a vet.....

Edited October 17, 2012 by Jayd
forgot to put a whole sentences in..duh

[Ray P]

Hi Penny

Cricket has what I call a on going molt. She never has a big loss of feathers at any one time.

She has been with us for four years in December and 2 to 3 feathers a month is about all we ever find.

As far as eating one day she will eat every thing in sight and the next day she is picky and this is also with her treats.

She always likes to cuddle with me and she has never been a noisy bird. Corky makes a lot more noise than Cricket.

I know I am not much help on this but Cricket dose not fit the mold of a average amazon.

[Luvparrots]

I have had Louie for 2 years now and he does not really molt oodles of feathers but will lose one or two now and then. I have a whole bunch of his beautiful long feathers for which I hope someday to find a purpose. Sorry, can't be more help but Louie also is just a happy go lucky zon with a friendly personality. Looking forward to seeing if he stays this fun loving guy when he turns 5.

[kins2321@yahoo.com]

I wish I could help you. Kiki does nothing quiet! She has molted a few times, and has been crazy. When she is molting, we all know it. Nancy

[pjbmom]

Hi, Fig my yellow head amazon molts twice a year. He looses alot of smaller feathers, mainly his green ones but once in awhile his colored ones are on the floor too. His feathers on top of his head come in and they look funny like sharp pins but they are not sharp. While molting he is very loving. You can always tell, he will say yaaah yaay , walk on bottom of cage bobbing his head saying yaah yaah > I know he wants his head scratched. This is also when he is the friendlist and will play alot with me. Started about a month ago less feathers now so he must be almost done, he will molt again in spring.