Scruffy "ugly" chest feathers???

[Guest]

Hi,

 

For the past few weeks I've noticed that Tequila is looking a little "ugly" around the chest area.

 

I've taken him to the vet who says that he's just being a bit rough with his feathers. I was given a mineral supplement to mix with his water.

 

The look of his feathers hasn't really improved. Could this be the start of his molt? Or should I take him to see a different vet?

 

Here's some pics. Any advice will be appreciated. Thanks!

[Inara]

Inara was a rough preener when I first got her. Her feathers looked very similar. Over time, they molted out and as she matured more, she has become much better at preening and feather care, and her feathers are beautiful now.

[JeffNOK]

It looks like a bit of chewing and overpreening. It isn't too bad. Have you tried spraying with aloe juice? My CAG Gracie had a small feather picking episode a couple months ago and aloe spray and more sunshine helped a lot.

[kins2321@yahoo.com]

Good advice from jeffNOK. Babies are learning to trim themselves, and often don't look pristine when done. If you think your bird is over trimming, encourage a different activity. I have never been able to recognize a molt with my grey. My Amazon... a different story! We were always on DEPCON 3 when Kiki was molting! Our Amazon! Sophie always initiated the alert! Sophie has overtimmed a few times, but more like you are seeing. Just learning Nancy