HELP PLEASE

[lilgiggles1012]

My baby is six months old tomorrow and started molting two weeks ago but it looks like he is plucking a little bit on his belly. Could this just be from molting I dont know what to do..

[ranechild]

Where do you live? My Fats is 5 months in a few days... He's clearly been molting cause there are feathers a little bit everywhere. Our Quaker Parrot is definately molting because his flight feathers have been falling out, even just when he flies.

I'm in Baltimore, Maryland, US... I suspect that middle summer is an appropriate time for new feathers?

[lilgiggles1012]

Im from Maine. Its very light feather lose on his chest but its scary I dont want him to pluck.

[ranechild]

I wouldn't worry too much. If it goes on for much longer, go to the vet.
I took Fats outside in his travel cage yesterday for a little UV filled sunlight... his feathers looked very nice today. I don't know if it is related.

[lilgiggles1012]

Yeah Izzet has big pins right where that spot it. Its just super scary and it worried me.

[Skyes_crew]

The first molt of a baby ringneck happens around 6 months old. Doesn't matter what season it is although because of the breeding season it usually falls in the summer in the US. It's not a real heavy molt, does make them look a bit rough, but it's over quickly. The next molt will be at around 12-14 months. That is a rather large molt and lasts around 6-8 weeks, sometimes longer. After that, once a year your bird will have a molt going from spring into summer since you are more north in Maine. First sign of molting will always be a fluffy white down all over the cage. You only have to be a member for 5 days and have 10 posts in order to post pics. Then you can show us your baby

[lilgiggles1012]

He has a small bold spot in the from also that has a bing pin in that area thats why im so worried about him.

[Skyes_crew]

Photo for lilgiggles

[lilgiggles1012]

Thank you. Yes that is Izzet

[Skyes_crew]

Like I said to you in my email, he looks like a normal molting bird he's a cutie. Of course I'm partial to blue

[lilgiggles1012]

Ok thank you so much for your help. LOL yes hes is very very cute

[ranechild]

So, out of curiosity... Fats has molted a little bit here at 5 months... you say there is a big one at 12-14 months... does that include their flights? His wings were clipped when I got him and I've been waiting for his clipped flights to molt so he can fly.

[Skyes_crew]

Yes, that includes his flights and they will fall out rapidly as the new ones push through. You may have one or two stragglers that stay behind, but they will eventually fall out and they will not affect his flight. Molting for me, even though it is a huge mess in my house, is my favorite time of the year. It's like my birds got a brand new coat and look all shiny and new

[ranechild]

So, you know how alot of people are wearing feather jewelry... Would it be creepy to take Fat's feathers and make earrings or something?

[MissK]

I'm pretty sure you're obligated to do something like that. I'm going to make hair sticks with some feather dangles.

-MissK

[Skyes_crew]

I totally think you have to.

[moosepug]

Well, my little one just hit 5 months and lost a few little downy looking feathers...Some had color to the tips too...Nothing since though. Should I expect her to drop more for a first molting?

[Skyes_crew]

More will come. They will start showing up stuck all over everything. But it's mostly smaller feathers that they molt out now. Doesn't last very long.

[charlieIRN]

Even my bird is going through this stage. She is 14 months am not sure but molting heavily. My question is how many weeks will it take to regain new feathers ?

[Skyes_crew]

It can take up to 8 weeks when they have their first heavy molt. Offer her more mist baths to help with the itching. Here is a previous thread where molting was discussed with picture references

http://www.indianringneck.com/forum/vie ... =2&t=17092

[InTheAir]

Nila is having a big boy moult. He just turned a year old a couple weeks ago. We actually almost called the vet, as it's not moulting time of year here, but the new feathers are coming in beautifully.

He turns into Mr snuggles when he's moulting! Yesterday he was on my shoulder making a funny noise, when I finally managed to see what he was doing he had his head in scratch position so the back of his neck could be rubbed. He's also mr short-temper, scratch him wrong and he growls like a rottweiler!

[ranechild]

So, Fats was hatchd March 11th... He here is a picture of the feathers I picked up from his cage and on the floor in the last 5 days.... Um, he lost a tail feather!
\
I also wanted to ask about the dark spot in the end of the tail feather... Would that be a stress mark? It's got a greenish hue.
These marks are on some feathers, even some on wing feathers... which is why before I got him I asked around whether anyone thought he'd have a turquoise factor... the verdict was no at the time.

[Skyes_crew]

Can you do a close up of the tail feather? And also wow!!! My boy is at least 6 weeks ahead of fats and he hasn't dropped a tail. Lucky oh and can you also give a pic of fats in his current molt state?

[ranechild]

Here are two pictures of Fats after his tubby. They have flash, but he still looks green-ish in real life when he's wet. When he's dry, you can see a little tuft of white on his belly... I felt a big pin feather on his back near the rump.



Here's the feather for closer examination:
The whole feather--and I cast a shadow on it tehe...

Close up with flash

Close up no flash (zoomed)

[Skyes_crew]

Ok...now can you give me pics of his head chest and tail while dry?

[MissK]

Rocky's got alla y'all beat. He's already getting his tail feathers back in!

Incidentally, I rolled him, huge cage and all, into the kitchen doorway, where he's been helping me stay on task in the sink today. Who knew that's what I needed to keep me out of the living room! And a good thing. I made several cakes and roasts in the last few days and was having a little motivational trouble getting to the mess.

-MissK <=== Such a slacker, prefers to play with animals all day.......

-Ranechild, I could buy that for a stress bar, but no worries - it happened before he came to you, and is not an indicator of current care, but of circumstances occurring as the feather formed.

[ranechild]

I'll get dry ones tonight... I just happened to have wet ones available right now

[Skyes_crew]

Hamlet has a few stress bars too. I think most babies born in captivity are going to be stressed in some way. I read back over your old thread just now and unless there was a miracle lol there is no way for him to be a turq violet. The blue green hue along the barb and towards the bottom of the tail feather is normal when wet and especially under a flash. Some very reliable breeders in the forum taught me that His overall color looks consistent with a violet blue to me

[Skyes_crew]

Rocky's got alla y'all beat. He's already getting his tail feathers back in!

Incidentally, I rolled him, huge cage and all, into the kitchen doorway, where he's been helping me stay on task in the sink today. Who knew that's what I needed to keep me out of the living room! And a good thing. I made several cakes and roasts in the last few days and was having a little motivational trouble getting to the mess.

-MissK <=== Such a slacker, prefers to play with animals all day.......

-Ranechild, I could buy that for a stress bar, but no worries - it happened before he came to you, and is not an indicator of current care, but of circumstances occurring as the feather formed.

Haha MissK...Skye has had her new tail feathers for two weeks.

[MissK]

Oh my goodness. We just won't tell him. He was so proud.

-MissK

[ranechild]

Make that two tail feathers!


Here's a dry picture---having trouble staying still

[Jen&Bug]

Aww first moults are cute. Save those feathers somewhere! We keep an envelope with major feathers from Bug and Rufus's moults, which have served different purposes over the years. When we got married, my mum took the feathers we had saved at the time and made a little wreath for me to carry with my bouquet, because of course the birds couldn't be there on the day. It was pretty special.

[Donovan]

I can't seem to tell when my bird is molting. Seems to be all the time.. every couple of weeks I come home to see the little fluffy feathers stuck to the side of his cage. He always looks pretty good though.

I do suspect he is molting for real right now though because in the span of about 5 minutes he lost two large feathers while just flying around. Now his tail looks like a pair of scissors. I guess I'll know for sure in the next couple of months if his ring gets any darker....

Which.. the ring thing is kinda weird too.. at first it started out very faint.. like a female.. back when I wasn't sure... then I started noticing that parts of it were getting darker. The ring is more noticeable now, but since he's still under 2 years old it's pretty light still. He has enough ring that I call him a "He". I'm looking forward to seeing it get really dark under his throat just under his beak. It actually breaks there still.
So since he's lost some feathers and I've suspected him of molting for the last month or so I'm guessing the ring is about to get considerably darker pretty soon.

Anyway, back to the original point... I can't tell when he's molting. He has never looked like crap since I got him. (benefits of youth?) And he seems to lose little feathers all the time. Is my indicator really looking for the loss of the large feathers?

[Skyes_crew]

If they were the large tail feathers you just concluded a fall molt. Not a big molt but still a molt. I suspect because he's both indoors and out it throws off his cycle a bit. The big molt will always follow breeding season with a smaller one coming in the fall.