Pictures panicking...

[outmaww]

Went on a three-day trip recently where I couldn't take my tiel. I left her with a friend, who came and visited to take care of all my pets (dog, tiel, and fish). She spent about an hour a day interacting with my bird, made sure her water was changed, fed her. She followed my instructions and kept the dog and bird apart (to my knowledge).

I came back and didn't notice anything wrong immediately, my bird seemed absolutely overjoyed to see me. She immediately came to me and interacted excitedly for a few minutes before she settled down and started preening. And I mean a lot. Tons upon tons of shimmery feather shafts. She's in the middle of a molt right now, so this didn't seem too strange to me at the moment, although I did note how much it was. I considered that maybe she didn't want to preen around my friend who she didn't know very well.

About ten minutes later, I went to get food and put her on her little kitchen perch. She looked at me like "How dare you" and tried to fly to me. She faceplanted (luckily from only about a foot in the air) and seemed completely disoriented and confused. That's when I noticed how stubby her wings looked, and I went and looked around her cage.

She's lost nine flight feathers in the course of three days. Her wings are noticeably shorter. She can't fly anymore. I am PANICKED. Like totally freaking out. How stressed would she have to be to lose nine flight feathers? Two of them were new feathers as well that she'd been growing from her molt. One of them was bloodied at the end, like she had a fright and knocked it out, but the others looked like they just fell out cleanly.

Please help, I have no idea how to react to this, I'm extremely worried about her. Picture of the feathers below (sort of bad quality, sorry).

 

[outmaww]

The reason I note the shaft preening is because I'm wondering if she's already growing in new feathers to replace the ones she's lost. I feel like I know so little about feather growth; if anyone has any resources, I'll gladly take them.

 

[Shezbug]

My budgie has had terrible frights a few times where he’s banged his wings in between cage bars and lost all his flights. They grew back fairly quickly

 

[outmaww]

My budgie has had terrible frights a few times where he’s banged his wings in between cage bars and lost all his flights. They grew back fairly quickly

You were right, her flight feathers are growing back in rapidly. I can see them when she stretches.

 

[Shezbug]

You were right, her flight feathers are growing back in rapidly. I can see them when she stretches.

Glad to hear all is going well

I have noticed when Squeak (My budgie) has knocked all his out like this that they seem to grow in faster than when they are just naturally molting. I don't know if t just seems that way or if it is fabulous nature making sure an animal that should be in the air is not grounded for long.

 

[Kassiani]

My Cherry-headed conure, Opie, had a fright once and lost several tail feathers. It is horrifying to see, I agree! His did grow back fairly quickly, too. I hope your sweet tiel will be right as rain very soon.