my conure seems to suck at preening

[Alex Nico]

Photos included. He didn't want to sit still for the pictures though.
Hi! I've had my yellow-sided green cheek conure for over a year now, and he's always had these black spots on his feathers (mostly on his shoulders/wings). At first, I assumed it was an issue in his diet, so I did a lot of research and fixed what he was eating, but the spots never went away. He then molted but the black spots still made an appearance. I then assumed he was just over-preening, but he never seemed to be stressed or bored so I concluded that wasn't the issue. I did more research again and thought maybe the air was too dry. I bought several humidifiers (both cool and warm mist) and started bathing him two times a week instead of once a week. Again, the spots persisted. I did some thinking and thought maybe he just sucks at preening? The spots seemed too prominent to just be bronzing but not enough to be a genuine health issue. I'm not sure and I thought I'd ask others for advice. I noticed he tries to preen me but instead of being gentle like I've seen other birds being, he grinds his beak and ends up breaking my hair. My hair is bleached though and also not feathers, so maybe it's just too brittle. He seems to preen himself the same way. Maybe he's just grinding off the color? Maybe it's the lighting so I bought him full-spectrum lighting and placed it above his enclosure. He is just starting to molt so it could go away with the molt. I'll see a vet if they still show up after his molt.

 

[elitys]

My new green cheek has this problem to. Black spots and breakage where the spots are. I assumed it was diet, and that it would go away after her molt, but if the issue still persists after a diet change, I'd like to know more about it as well.

 

[elitys]

Well, I don't know how much this applies to your situation, but my GCC visited the vet today for her first health check. I asked about the black spots, and the vet said that it was likely due to stress/trauma, and that the feathers should come in fine with her next molt. This is entirely understandable considering my green cheek came from the pet store where I work, and what the animals go through before they get there (and sometimes while they're there) is pretty traumatic, definitely warranting some visible stress on the feathers.

I'm not sure if this is really applicable to you, but maybe it could be stress related. If the bird isn't getting enough sleep, or if there are loud family members or animals in the house, that could maybe be causing it? Anyway, just thought I'd share.

 

[Shezbug]

If they grow looking that that colour then it’s likely diet or stress related. If they were a nice colour then turned that colour over time it will be bronzing.
Just out of curiosity- how much do you handle your bird? And- how long since his last moult?
Those feathers look like the bronzing I see on some of Burt’s head feathers just before he drops them. His head bronzes so much more than the rest of him because I touch his head more often.

 

[Alex Nico]

Well, I don't know how much this applies to your situation, but my GCC visited the vet today for her first health check. I asked about the black spots, and the vet said that it was likely due to stress/trauma, and that the feathers should come in fine with her next molt. This is entirely understandable considering my green cheek came from the pet store where I work, and what the animals go through before they get there (and sometimes while they're there) is pretty traumatic, definitely warranting some visible stress on the feathers.

I'm not sure if this is really applicable to you, but maybe it could be stress related. If the bird isn't getting enough sleep, or if there are loud family members or animals in the house, that could maybe be causing it? Anyway, just thought I'd share.

thank you so much!! it would make sense that it's from stress because he started his molt in the pet store and finished it after I got him. Thank you for sharing, I really appreciate it.

 

[Alex Nico]

If they grow looking that that colour then it’s likely diet or stress related. If they were a nice colour then turned that colour over time it will be bronzing.
Just out of curiosity- how much do you handle your bird? And- how long since his last moult?
Those feathers look like the bronzing I see on some of Burt’s head feathers just before he drops them. His head bronzes so much more than the rest of him because I touch his head more often.

It's hard to tell if they grew that way or if they showed up. He only has them on his shoulders but the rest of his body has a different feather type. The rest are more fluffy while these are dense (I assume for flying). I handle him daily as soon as I wake up to sunset. He's only in his cage if I'm out of the house or if one of us is sleeping. His last molt started at the pet store but ended at my house. That was 10-11 months ago. Thank you for responding!