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Pictures Molting questions

CallieCadmoor

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So Eros, my sweetheart lovie, will be 10 months old on Saturday 5 November.
He has had small molts since I have had him. He usually eats a lot of him mineral block and cuttlefish before hand.
But this passed week he has been dropping feathers like mad! Everytime he flies he drops one or two feathers and he flies a lot! I have gotten a bit more worried as it isn't just small fluffy ones, they're flight and tail too but more than a few. And he hasn't had any cuttlefish.
These are just a few from the passed couple of days.

20161030_193334.jpg

I know every bird is different but what is a "normal" molt for a lovebird? How many feathers are too many? We are in Spring so maybe that?
 

Lady Jane

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Such pretty colors too. Looks like he is having a major molt. Just keep lots of protein in the diet to help with re growth. There is a very good supplement sold on Amazon called Featheriffic. Its in powder form which gets sprinkled over food. I used it and the new feathers on my birds were so shiny and healthy. Is he grumpy?
 

CallieCadmoor

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Okay so today I found a whole lot of tail feathers in Eros's cage... He has 7 tail feathers left:confused::( and while he sat on my arm and floofed himself, he lost more normal feathers and a wing one! Surely that is too many??? He is very unbalanced while he flies now:crycry:
Should I take him to the vet??:sad4:
 
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CallieCadmoor

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Oh gosh thank you @Macawnutz !!! Eros is my first ever 100% "baby" so everything I haven't heard or seen about is distressing:unsure1: I'm such a worry wort... But to hear of another birdy who goes through it is very reassuring! :laugh-bounce:
 

Macawnutz

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Okay now that is a lot of feathers!!! And the colours are gorgeous! Must be such a handsome guy:xflove:

He molts very heavy, sometimes I come home and have 30-40 feathers in a day. Never looks bald but gets a very stumpy tail. My other BG and my military molt the same way. Heavy for about a week then taper back to done.
 

Macawnutz

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I would also like to say that your heavy molt does not surprise me as your molted feathers are loaded with wear and stress marks. Very common for babies but if he is eating good now he has a lot of feathers that need replacing. :)
 

CallieCadmoor

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I would also like to say that your heavy molt does not surprise me as your molted feathers are loaded with wear and stress marks. Very common for babies but if he is eating good now he has a lot of feathers that need replacing. :)
How can one tell what wear and stress marks look like? So I know what to look out for?

I've been trying to change his diet but he was raised by his parents at a breeder and went straight onto millit. The pet shop I got him from (they are wonderful and keep all their birds in spacious, not crowded flight cages and make sure they are very well looked after) was trying to get him onto fresh goods but he point blank refused. I'm getting him to have nibbles of fresh foods (broccoli, sprouted lentils and sweet potato have had the best results albeit a small beak full once in a blue moon).
I have pellets now as well which he is gradually having a tiny bit more and more of (I wish it was more:sad4:)
This is the diet I'm trying to get him onto:

CHOP
¤ Carrot
¤ Brocolli
¤ Nuts
¤ Butternut
¤ Ginger
¤ Rocket
¤ Chilli
¤ Celery
¤ Peppers
¤ Radish
¤ Corn
¤ Pellets

SPROUTS
¤ Sunflower seeds
¤ Red lentils
¤ Brown lentils
¤ Mung beans

BIRD BREAD

HANGING FOOD
¤ Apples
¤ Oranges
¤ Whole wheat pasta
¤ Sweet potato
¤ Brocolli

Is that enough to stop damaged feathers and have a healthy sweetheart??
 

Macawnutz

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Do you see all the black marks on your feathers? Those are stress bars. It's not uncommon for babies to be littered with them, no worries for you.

Always try to feed the best possible diet he will eat but don't worry about more stress bars. Unless they are sick or on a very poor inconsistent diet you should not see the stress bars again.
 

CallieCadmoor

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His new feathers don't have it. I actually chose him because of those on his tail... He was getting stepped on by his three siblings and sort of looked up at me while I walked past and I just felt a "click". I guess stress is our common point... But I will make sure he never gets them again!
Thank you very, very much for your help:D:laugh:
 

BeeBop

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Yes, I would have to agree this is a normal molt, all birds are different but its completely normal to loose a bunch of feathers. Molting birds will also have lots of gray pin feathers which can sometimes be itchy and make them irritable. It can be hard to get birds to eat veggies, some are very picky. You can try if at all possible to feed veggies first thing in the morning and then seeds so that they will be a bit hungry and more inclined to try new foods. You can also try putting a mirror next to their food bowl because they will think there is another bird eating with them so they will be more interested. Try different veggies, some birds like crunchy foods whereas other like soft veggies. A few suggestions are: lettuce, cucumber, bell pepper, broccoli, cauliflower, etc. Good luck with your lovebird! :)
 

CallieCadmoor

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Molting birds will also have lots of gray pin feathers which can sometimes be itchy and make them irritable.

When will the pin feathers come in? He had a couple when his face was going red but that was back in June. He has none now and luckily isn't very irritable although incredibly determined to trim my nails?:blink:
 
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