Color change question

[Xoetix]

Pudge is significantly darker than Burt, and has this wonderful black/dark blue mottling on his back and wings.

Is that typical of babies before their first molt? I’m hoping it doesn’t change, but should I expect it to?

 

[Wardy]

Young birds feather colours will change during each moult until they reach maturity.

 

[Xoetix]

Aw I like his mottled look.

 

[Kiwi's Dad]

Aw I like his mottled look.

I like his molt too

 

[Zygodactylous]

Some of the markings on his wing feathers look like stress bars, and some looks like bronzing. Stress bars happen when a bird has a nutritionally deficient diet, an illness, or is in a stressful situation while growing the feathers (e.g. leaving the nest and going to a new home), making the feather have a line of fragile growth perpendicular to the shaft. It’s not uncommon in babies especially on a seed diet. Bronzing is almost always related to wear and tear (basically the optically refractive texture that makes the feather look blue/green wears away, leaving the feather dull/dark). It is very common in playful babies with their first set of feathers, but it can sometimes indicate a nutritional issue if new feathers grow in darker than normal, and it happens more easily to the fragile part of a feather with stress bars. If the feathers come in striped/mottled that way during his next molt, I would have him seen by a vet.

 

[Shezbug]

Your baby looks to have bronzing and typical baby stress bars to me. He may change colour or he simply may look a different colour as his new feathers will have no bronzing and hopefully many less stress bars.

Squeak (budgie) was such a different colour as a baby to what he is now- Burt's colouring is the same as when he was a baby but with no stress bars

 

[Mizzely]

Some stress bars and bronzing are normal for baby feathers. Here's one of my boy as a baby.

But that mottled look is a sign of unhealthy feathers afterwards, so as pretty as it may look, you don't want it to continue into adulthood

 

[Pixiebeak]

This is not normal or desirable. I'd been bite my tounge , as figured you were aware. And even with improved nutrition and improved life you won't see feathers change till they are molted out.

Could be was force weaned or rushed weaned. Is also under sized? Poor nutrition. Extreme stress. Or past or current low level health issue. If you haven't yet a health check is good idea.

Monitor and track weights . Best practices for life of parrot. Often first clue that something is off.

While some very minor bronzing can be seen in older feathers that haven't molted. Never to this extent. Hopefully its something you will never see again.

In some over preen or barber feathers burds you can see dark and ragged edges.

Myself I disagree that handling, rough play ever results in this. Mine i have hands on hours every day , touching tons . Never do mines feathers get like this

In my experience is always health, diet, stress. Seen in young ones often because of rush wean, petstore stress, poor nutrition during this time of rapid growth and changes.

But hopefully you will see gorgeous new feathers that shine after molt. Eith your good care and nutrition and happy home with a Quaker buddy, toys, stuff to do and chomp

 

[Pixiebeak]

Some stress bars and bronzing are normal for baby feathers. Here's one of my boy as a baby.

But that mottled look is a sign of unhealthy feathers, so as pretty as it may look, you don't want it to continue into adulthood

View attachment 416376

Yes this is normal as pictured. But looks like very very mild over preening

Tho even this i only saw after my chlamydia outbreak in which Phoebe was the least sick in my flock with only slight weight loss. Was treated as was whole flock. Since hers stays pretty flawless until molted. As did my blue male.

 

[Xoetix]

Some of the markings on his wing feathers look like stress bars, and some looks like bronzing. Stress bars happen when a bird has a nutritionally deficient diet, an illness, or is in a stressful situation while growing the feathers (e.g. leaving the nest and going to a new home), making the feather have a line of fragile growth perpendicular to the shaft. It’s not uncommon in babies especially on a seed diet. Bronzing is almost always related to wear and tear (basically the optically refractive texture that makes the feather look blue/green wears away, leaving the feather dull/dark). It is very common in playful babies with their first set of feathers, but it can sometimes indicate a nutritional issue if new feathers grow in darker than normal, and it happens more easily to the fragile part of a feather with stress bars. If the feathers come in striped/mottled that way during his next molt, I would have him seen by a vet.

How wild, I had no idea.

He came to my cousin from a breeder, so I wouldn’t be surprised by stress bars. I’d be surprised if there’s a nutritional issue - he’s never had seed, and has been on pellets since he weaned. Would there be another cause for it?

 

[Xoetix]

Some stress bars and bronzing are normal for baby feathers. Here's one of my boy as a baby.

But that mottled look is a sign of unhealthy feathers afterwards, so as pretty as it may look, you don't want it to continue into adulthood

View attachment 416376

Oh boo. I had hoped it was just a neat pattern that would stick around.

 

[Mizzely]

To me that is a baby that was not treated correctly by their breeder. They likely pulled the baby from the nest early, handfed poorly - either not enough in terms of frequency and/or amount, wrong temp, etc, possibly not in a brooder and the baby had temperature regulation issues, was forced weaned too early, etc.

My green cheek had bronzing on her feathers from a happy hut before I knew better and from rubbing on toys. But even then it never looked close to the amount of barring I see on your quaker. It's honestly some of the worse I have ever seen, not going to lie

Bronzing doesn't usually happen in stripes. I would say much of that is stress bars.

 

[Xoetix]

This is not normal or desirable. I'd been bite my tounge , as figured you were aware. And even with improved nutrition and improved life you won't see feathers change till they are molted out.

Could be was force weaned or rushed weaned. Is also under sized? Poor nutrition. Extreme stress. Or past or current low level health issue. If you haven't yet a health check is good idea.

Monitor and track weights . Best practices for life of parrot. Often first clue that something is off.

While some very minor bronzing can be seen in older feathers that haven't molted. Never to this extent. Hopefully its something you will never see again.

In some over preen or barber feathers burds you can see dark and ragged edges.

Myself I disagree that handling, rough play ever results in this. Mine i have hands on hours every day , touching tons . Never do mines feathers get like this

In my experience is always health, diet, stress. Seen in young ones often because of rush wean, petstore stress, poor nutrition during this time of rapid growth and changes.

But hopefully you will see gorgeous new feathers that shine after molt. Eith your good care and nutrition and happy home with a Quaker buddy, toys, stuff to do and chomp

He was vet checked a few days after being brought in - blood work, fecal, etc - everything came back as normal as it gets. I can’t say if he was force weaned, and unfortunately I don’t have the breeders contact info to ask (though I’m not sure he’d say yes anyway), and he’s been on pellets since coming home, and has never had seeds. I check everyone’s weight weekly, and every week is either a small gain or the same as the week prior, no weight loss. I’ve not seen him over preen, if anything I feel like he doesn’t do it enough, though now that Burt seems to have adopted him he’s getting regular cleanings

 

[Mizzely]

Stress bars happen during feather development. Bronzing happens after the feather is developed; its from the ridges on the feather getting worn down and disrupting the visual illusion of color. No amount of diet changes will correct it until they molt out

 

[Xoetix]

To me that is a baby that was not treated correctly by their breeder. They likely pulled the baby from the nest early, handfed poorly - either not enough in terms of frequency and/or amount, wrong temp, etc, possibly not in a brooder and the baby had temperature regulation issues, was forced weaned too early, etc.

My green cheek had bronzing on her feathers from a happy hut before I knew better and from rubbing on toys. But even then it never looked close to the amount of barring I see on your quaker. It's honestly some of the worse I have ever seen, not going to lie

Bronzing doesn't usually happen in stripes. I would say much of that is stress bars.

Just once I want a pet that isn’t coming to me with issues

Ok, pretty mottled look is bad. Dang it.

I can confidently say he’s been on a good diet since he left the breeder. I’m still working on introducing fresh veggies, so far the only thing he’s nibbled on is zucchini (and apparently it can ONLY be quartered and then sliced, any other method gets me fussed at).

He’s either gained weight weekly, or is the same from the week before - there’s not been any weight loss.

His vet check came back clean and normal.

I do have him out and play with him daily for a number of hours, though I don’t think anything can be considered “rough.” He is clipped (from the breeder, not me) and does like to take off and flutter a good little distance, I don’t know if that counts for rough play.

I did feel like he was small for the age the breeder had told Amanda, but not being familiar with quakers myself I couldn’t confidently say one way or the other, so force weaning is possible.

I feel like he’s been well taken care of, though now I’m concerned I’m missing something

 

[Zygodactylous]

He was vet checked a few days after being brought in - blood work, fecal, etc - everything came back as normal as it gets. I can’t say if he was force weaned, and unfortunately I don’t have the breeders contact info to ask (though I’m not sure he’d say yes anyway), and he’s been on pellets since coming home, and has never had seeds. I check everyone’s weight weekly, and every week is either a small gain or the same as the week prior, no weight loss. I’ve not seen him over preen, if anything I feel like he doesn’t do it enough, though now that Burt seems to have adopted him he’s getting regular cleanings

It sounds like you’re doing everything right by him! Just keep up the good work and reassess during his next molt. Especially since he had good blood work, I personally would just watch and wait if this were my little guy. Like others have said, he does look to have gone through some stress or inadequate nutrition in the past, but you can’t change that, so just keep on being the conscientious bird caretaker you are for his future.

 

[Mizzely]

Just once I want a pet that isn’t coming to me with issues

Ok, pretty mottled look is bad. Dang it.

I can confidently say he’s been on a good diet since he left the breeder. I’m still working on introducing fresh veggies, so far the only thing he’s nibbled on is zucchini (and apparently it can ONLY be quartered and then sliced, any other method gets me fussed at).

He’s either gained weight weekly, or is the same from the week before - there’s not been any weight loss.

His vet check came back clean and normal.

I do have him out and play with him daily for a number of hours, though I don’t think anything can be considered “rough.” He is clipped (from the breeder, not me) and does like to take off and flutter a good little distance, I don’t know if that counts for rough play.

I did feel like he was small for the age the breeder had told Amanda, but not being familiar with quakers myself I couldn’t confidently say one way or the other, so force weaning is possible.

I feel like he’s been well taken care of, though now I’m concerned I’m missing something

His feather condition is 100% from the breeder, nothing you've done.

 

[Xoetix]

Stress bars happen during feather development. Bronzing happens after the feather is developed; its from the ridges on the feather getting worn down and disrupting the visual illusion of color. No amount of diet changes will correct it until they molt out

Ok. And looking back at the pics from when he was first brought home to now, that makes sense as the feathers have gotten darker since then. It happened so gradually I didn’t even notice.

 

[Mizzely]

Ok. And looking back at the pics from when he was first brought home to now, that makes sense as the feathers have gotten darker since then. It happened so gradually I didn’t even notice.

It is easier for feathers with stress bars to get bronzed because they are weaker and not as resilient. You can see a stress bar in the middle feather here; that banding is literally were the feather is weaker because of a "stressor" that occurred during the development process. Left two feathers were from my green cheek Right a healthy feather from my quaker.

 

[Shezbug]

Burt was very well fed and raised and abundance weaned but his feathers had quite a few stress bars which I know bothered his breeder. We had been dealing with numerous power outages in the area and most of them went for 24 hrs, some longer so Burt and the other babies developed stress bars.