Do these feathers look chewed?

[Aidenwb]

I've recently come into the possession of a 2 year old Black Cap Conure. He had a rough start to life in a small cage and only fed seed. He's been with us for about 3 weeks now and has been going through a moult. My only concern is that there are a few feathers on his stomach (above the banded leg) that I'm not sure if they are chewed on or just damaged.

 

[Aidenwb]

An additional note. The feathers with the broken barbs are directly where his leg band sits when he climbs or hangs on the side of his new cage.

 

[charlieboy]

Hmmm that's a really good question :0 I'm guessing it's probably because of the band, but I'm not very knowledgable in chewed feathers, nor bands lol!

 

[Kodigirl210]

@Aidenwb - it’s possible they may be chewed but it’s also possible it’s just damage. It’s hard to tell from the pics but it looks like his feathers overall are a little dull and out of sorts. That could be totally due to the diet he was on. If his feathers aren’t the healthiest then it would easy to believe that they just aren’t holding up to the stress of being rubbed against things. Also, if you’ve observed him and didn’t see any over-preening-then I would go with damage over picking. Hopefully he adjusts to eating a way better diet with you & his feathers bounce back quickly. Either way, he’s an absolutely adorable little guy & I wish you loads of luck & happiness with your new partner in crime lol

 

[Aidenwb]

He doesn't seem to overpreen but his tail feathers were in pretty rough shape when he came to live with us. After a fair amount of research I'm leaning towards a vitamin A deficiency from him diet as his overall feather quality is fairly poor. He's taken to pellets fairly well, eats lots veggies/fruit, and gets grains and beans as well. So hopefully it continues to improve.

 

[Kodigirl210]

I’m not sure where you are located but if you can get him outdoors in some natural sunlight that will also help his feathers perk up more quickly, even if it’s just 15 minutes a day. Unfortunately the tail may continue to be a mess until he molts. And it sounds like you have him on a wonderful diet now. It’s a good thing conures love to eat lol! I’m sure under your care all will be well

 

[Aidenwb]

I'm in central Canada and it's currently -30 Celsius so he's restricted to inside for the time being unfortunately.

 

[Begone]

His today great diet combined with a lot of love and bath will make him a very happy family member.
Thank you for giving him a home!

Press carrot juice to him if you thinks he has low levels of Vit A.
And I don't think that his feathers are in bad condition at all.

 

[webchirp]

A vet can tell you during the initial vet exam by looking at their choanal during the exam.