Losing feather :(

[Angela_2]

Hello there, it's my first ever post in here so please if i post this issue in wrong place let me know^^*
So. I got my first parrot, a young ringnecked parakeet but his feathers isn't in good condition, i have him for only month until now(still don't know if he's a male of female but i will talk to him so until he grow up enough so i can figure out then). in first week( August 4 )there a lot of inner feathers, white fluffs in the bottom of his cage but there's no broken or bloody feathers, and his head doesn't look well also. now this is happening again,after a month. i feed him veg and fruit daily but his head and chest don't show any improvement.
what shall i do? i feel real sad for him
beside i'm not sure about his age but i think it might be 7 month or less.
i want to know everything about ringnecked parakeet molting. how long does it take, how heavy can it be, when it will be over and so on ^^*
Thank you very much ^-^

 

[Shezbug]

Hey there! Welcome to the Avenue

The healthier they are the more often I believe they are likely to moult.
Are you seeing new pin feathers on his head? I am asking about the head as it is often much easier to spot the pin feathers on their heads than it is to spot them on their chests.
There really is not a definite answer regarding how long it takes them to moult as they will sometimes go for a long time and sometimes it is over as soon as it seems to have begun.

You say you feed him fruit and veg..... what else is he eating? Pellets too?
Has your baby dropped any other feathers or just the down (white fluffy feathers) feathers?

I am trying to think of which of our members own RN's. When I finally get through this brain block and can remember who then I will come back and tag them to the thread for you

 

[Gokha]

Hi!
Zazu looked very similar when he had his first molt.
I got scared when I saw bald spots on his head, but then I started seeing pin feathers
I believe Zazu’s molt laster for around 1.5-2 months? And he’s still changing small feathers on his wings, so it can go on for quite some time.
But I need to mention that his fallen feathers grow back in pretty fast

 

[Angela_2]

Hey there! Welcome to the Avenue

The healthier they are the more often I believe they are likely to moult.
Are you seeing new pin feathers on his head? I am asking about the head as it is often much easier to spot the pin feathers on their heads than it is to spot them on their chests.
There really is not a definite answer regarding how long it takes them to moult as they will sometimes go for a long time and sometimes it is over as soon as it seems to have begun.

You say you feed him fruit and veg..... what else is he eating? Pellets too?
Has your baby dropped any other feathers or just the down (white fluffy feathers) feathers?

I am trying to think of which of our members own RN's. When I finally get through this brain block and can remember who then I will come back and tag them to the thread for you

Oh my ;-; thank you very much for helping me by finding RN's owners, it really may help ;^;
Also yes i see little of pin feathers in his chest as well as his head, he drops other feathers, from his chest and tiny green feathers of his wings also
i feed him mix of seeds that came with him, (sunflowers seed, corn and other seeds that i can't name
thank you again ^-^

 

[Angela_2]

Hi!
Zazu looked very similar when he had his first molt.
I got scared when I saw bald spots on his head, but then I started seeing pin feathers
I believe Zazu’s molt laster for around 1.5-2 months? And he’s still changing small feathers on his wings, so it can go on for quite some time.
But I need to mention that his fallen feathers grow back in pretty fast

Hopefully they are it's been a month and i don't know what to do, i'm worried about him
Thank you tho ;^;

 

[Shezbug]

If it has only been a month of moulting then you may be finding dropped feathers and new pins growing in for some time yet. Do not panic about the moulting, it is nothing to worry about. Some days when my birds are moulting the room looks like a bird literally just exploded with all the little fluffy feathers every where

 

[Shezbug]

@Gokha other than you I am still drawing a blank for IRN members. @cassiesdad but he is still recovering and has not been on for a while now.

 

[tka]

@painesgrey also has an ringneck

 

[Ripshod]

i have him for only month until now

When a bird's diet improves with a move to a new home we often see a sudden burst of moulting like this. It's nothing to worry about, he's likely been holding back his moult while he was on a poor diet.
If you want to help him you can boost his protein a little to cover his feather growth needs. Cooked quinoa is great for this. Boiled egg white is one of the best sources but you have to restrict the amount you give.

 

[Angela_2]

If it has only been a month of moulting then you may be finding dropped feathers and new pins growing in for some time yet. Do not panic about the moulting, it is nothing to worry about. Some days when my birds are moulting the room looks like a bird literally just exploded with all the little fluffy feathers every where

yeah i see. Thank for your help *^*

 

[Angela_2]

When a bird's diet improves with a move to a new home we often see a sudden burst of moulting like this. It's nothing to worry about, he's likely been holding back his moult while he was on a poor diet.
If you want to help him you can boost his protein a little to cover his feather growth needs. Cooked quinoa is great for this. Boiled egg white is one of the best sources but you have to restrict the amount you give.

Oh i see, that explains much 0.0
i'll try again with boiled egg but tweety doesn't love it much but i'll do my best for that.
Thank you very much ^^

 

[expressmailtome]

@Monica has an African ringneck not an Indian ringneck, but is very knowledgeable.

 

[Monica]

As others have already said, the severity of a molt and length can vary from bird to bird. Ringnecks are one species known for having bad molts. That is, they look like a disheveled mess. Baths can help as well as a healthy, varied diet.


I have not had my african ringneck from when she was a chick. Based on information I was able to gather, she's quite likely a wild caught imported bird, so age alone is unknown other than she's 7+ years old now. When I first got her, she was a freaking mess! All of her tail feathers had been broken off, her wings were a mess as well as some of her body feathers. Over time, her feathers have greatly improved and she has a nice, long tail now!

 

[Angela_2]

As others have already said, the severity of a molt and length can vary from bird to bird. Ringnecks are one species known for having bad molts. That is, they look like a disheveled mess. Baths can help as well as a healthy, varied diet.


I have not had my african ringneck from when she was a chick. Based on information I was able to gather, she's quite likely a wild caught imported bird, so age alone is unknown other than she's 7+ years old now. When I first got her, she was a freaking mess! All of her tail feathers had been broken off, her wings were a mess as well as some of her body feathers. Over time, her feathers have greatly improved and she has a nice, long tail now!

Wait..is there African ringneck !! i thought only greens are Indian. i hadn't know
Oh i see, i should be more patient and wait over time to see if his feathers will improve
Thank you ^-^

 

[painesgrey]

Agreeing with what others have said - my IRN has very heavy molts occasionally where it looks like she exploded in her cage. Unless you're seeing huge spots of missing feathers, especially gaps in the down feathers with skin exposed and no indication of new feathers coming in, I'd say you're just experiencing the joys of a ringneck molt.

Sometimes they just look a mess, and you have to wait for them to sort themselves out.

 

[Monica]

Wait..is there African ringneck !! i thought only greens are Indian. i hadn't know
Oh i see, i should be more patient and wait over time to see if his feathers will improve
Thank you ^-^

The Indian Ringneck is actually a subspecies of the African Ringneck. However, African Ringnecks did not gain popularity like Indian Ringnecks did due to lack of color mutations. Indian Ringnecks have just been more popularly bred, especially with color mutations, that it was easier to establish them as "pets".

It's not exactly clear when looking it up.... but.....

African Ringneck - Psittacula krameri krameri
Indian Ringneck - Psittacula krameri manillensis

Ringneck Parakeet (Alexandrinus krameri) | Parrot Encyclopedia

Colourization Adult: P.k. krameri: male: in general green and yellow, black chin and wide black stripe across lower cheeks, pink collar around hindneck

www.parrots.org

They are quite similar in appearance, however the African Ringnecks have a darker beak. This is the easiest way to tell the two subspecies apart.


Pictures of the one I have, when I first took her in are here.

Pictures - Foster Bird

This bird was picked up from an animal shelter and I was asked to take the bird as the gal (she does rescue & rehome of small breed dogs, cats, guinea pigs, birds, pot belly pigs, etc) who had the bird just didn't have time to train the bird and was going on vacation. I do not have any info...

forums.avianavenue.com

Unless you notice actual feather destructive behavior (plucking, barbering, mutilation, etc), it's just a bad molt at this time. FDB behaviors are quite uncommon in young birds as well.

 

[Angela_2]

The Indian Ringneck is actually a subspecies of the African Ringneck. However, African Ringnecks did not gain popularity like Indian Ringnecks did due to lack of color mutations. Indian Ringnecks have just been more popularly bred, especially with color mutations, that it was easier to establish them as "pets".

It's not exactly clear when looking it up.... but.....

African Ringneck - Psittacula krameri krameri
Indian Ringneck - Psittacula krameri manillensis

Ringneck Parakeet (Alexandrinus krameri) | Parrot Encyclopedia

Colourization Adult: P.k. krameri: male: in general green and yellow, black chin and wide black stripe across lower cheeks, pink collar around hindneck

www.parrots.org

They are quite similar in appearance, however the African Ringnecks have a darker beak. This is the easiest way to tell the two subspecies apart.


Pictures of the one I have, when I first took her in are here.

Pictures - Foster Bird

This bird was picked up from an animal shelter and I was asked to take the bird as the gal (she does rescue & rehome of small breed dogs, cats, guinea pigs, birds, pot belly pigs, etc) who had the bird just didn't have time to train the bird and was going on vacation. I do not have any info...

forums.avianavenue.com

Unless you notice actual feather destructive behavior (plucking, barbering, mutilation, etc), it's just a bad molt at this time. FDB behaviors are quite uncommon in young birds as well.

Yes i notice the difference in beak color!
he's eating and playing, so yes hopefully it's just a bad molt as you said ^^
Thank this mean a lot to me ^^

 

[Lucas2019]

feed him mix of seeds that came with him,

not an expert since I am new with birds and I know the basic and still learning, but don't they need a regular pellet diet? or is it different with ringneck ?

 

[Angela_2]

Agreeing with what others have said - my IRN has very heavy molts occasionally where it looks like she exploded in her cage. Unless you're seeing huge spots of missing feathers, especially gaps in the down feathers with skin exposed and no indication of new feathers coming in, I'd say you're just experiencing the joys of a ringneck molt.

Sometimes they just look a mess, and you have to wait for them to sort themselves out.

Oh i see. It's my first ever bird and i want to take care of him in the best way. So i was kinda freaking out when he starts molting but now after i read all these replies i should wait and make sure he's comfortable ^^*
Thank youuuuuu

 

[Angela_2]

not an expert since I am new with birds and I know the basic and still learning, but don't they need a regular pellet diet? or is it different with ringneck ?

I don't have pellet yet , i plan to buy them so, i'm feeding him with fruit, veg and seeds until i offer supplements and pellet