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Extremely long feather?

Gav

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I've been trying to Google what the heck this is about but I can't find anything. One of the amazons has a really long feather growing out of her wing and it's past the length of her tail now. Anyone heard of this before? She didn't have this when we first got her, but we put her on a much healthier diet than what she used to have.

Sorry for the bad picture, but she won't let me behind her. The yellow is the approximate length of the feather. It's extremely unsightly and we keep making fun of her for it, but what I'm really looking to find out is if this is a sign of anything internal going on that could be a problem.
 

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Tazlima

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No idea, but following with great interest!
 

Destiny

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I can't really see the feather in that picture.
 

Clueless

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Was she clipped when you got her?
 

Gav

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Was she clipped when you got her?
No clipping at all. Feathers were very scraggly and with stress bars but nothing unusual (they're rescues). They haven't molted yet since we've gotten them so they still aren't in top shape, but their colors have gotten more vibrant. It's just been in this past month her feather has grown nonstop. At first we thought it was loose and about to fall out, but now it's at the length where there's no lying to ourselves that the thing is still growing, haha.

It's like the long tail feathers of a rooster.
 

Clueless

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Never seen that. There's a traveling vet that used to have pictures of odd things.

Google Scott McDonald and see if he has anything.

Sorry, I'm pressed for time right now or I'd do that.
 
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Teckechick

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Gav

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My mind is pointing me at Cushing's disease, but that's from my experience with horses. It'll cause their fur to grow excessively, but of course that's just a shot in the dark and I don't know if birds can get it, but that's what has me concerned that it could be an underlying disease rather than just a silly genetic mishap.
 

Hankmacaw

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I don't have any idea. Hank and Jasper both had funny feathers - ones that grew sideways or that were weird colors, but nothing that was extra long.
 

Clueless

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Okay, found an article by Dr. Colin Walker "Birds of a Different Feather". There's a sentence that says "In galahs, hypothyroidism can cause the wing covert feathers to develop a pink wash and grow abnormally long."

Thoughts?
 

Macawnutz

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My greenwing had a continuous growing feather. It grew like hair from the shaft and we would have to trim it to keep her from stepping on it. This feather did not have a shaft down the center like yours but would molt every year or two and regrow the same.

In this instance with just one feather affected I wouldn't be searching for a condition. I would keep an eye on it and trim it if it's bothersome and just talk to your vet next time you see him.
 

Clueless

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My greenwing had a continuous growing feather. It grew like hair from the shaft and we would have to trim it to keep her from stepping on it. This feather did not have a shaft down the center like yours but would molt every year or two and regrow the same.

In this instance with just one feather affected I wouldn't be searching for a condition. I would keep an eye on it and trim it if it's bothersome and just talk to your vet next time you see him.
In post #5 the op stated there was a second feather starting to do the same. I would agree though to ask the vet.
 

Gav

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I caught her breathing hard/funny on a couple occasions too, and I'm still paranoid there could be a connection. I'm just the foster home for these birds but I've kept the rescue in the loop and they're considering what to do about it. She was fairly recently (couple months ago) at the vet and they ran all kinds of tests but didn't find anything. Hoping it's a fluke and not the onset of something new.
 
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