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plucking or molting?

achgo

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hey everyone! I’m new to owning a parrot, I’ve had my red belly for almost 5 months now. he’s recently been losing his orange feathers a little bit, and I’m not sure if he’s molting or if he’s been plucking? I’m worried that he might be ill but he’s been normal, just taking a few more naps during the day. he’s grown a little more green feathers so he might actually be a female? not sure, I’ve looked around the internet and there’s not much information for red bellies.

he’s about 7-8 months old so I’m pretty sure it’s a molt, but I need some reassurance that he’s okay lol.

sorry about all the questions! just not sure if this is normal for a red belly and I’m still new at this :) any advice is appreciated!

I attached a photo below!
 

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Ali

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First of all, (s)he is adorable! Looks like a really lovely bird. They are another bird that gets overlooked quite a bit, just like pionus unfortunately! I haven't really seen them over here much. May I ask what country you are in?

Looking at the picture, I would say (s)he is just in a molten. Lovely colours! He is about molting age (for the first molt) so I am 99% sure there is nothing to worry about!

I can't think of anyone to tag right now! Hopefully somebody can offer for sure advice.

Also, welcome to the Avenue, and I can't wait to see more picture of your little one and follow your progress!

Ali
 

achgo

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First of all, (s)he is adorable! Looks like a really lovely bird. They are another bird that gets overlooked quite a bit, just like pionus unfortunately! I haven't really seen them over here much. May I ask what country you are in?

Looking at the picture, I would say (s)he is just in a molten. Lovely colours! He is about molting age (for the first molt) so I am 99% sure there is nothing to worry about!

I can't think of anyone to tag right now! Hopefully somebody can offer for sure advice.

Also, welcome to the Avenue, and I can't wait to see more picture of your little one and follow your progress!

Ali
thank you so much, and pionus parrots are beautiful! I appreciate the message! I’m from the US, and they’re relatively common if you know where to look. there is definitely more emphasis on the more popular birds though.
 

saroj12

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I’m not qualified to give an opinion. I only have one red belly. sorry :)
@iamwhoiam has a flock of red bellies and might be able to help you. She raised several of the babies.
 

dollfish

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Do you see any feathers lying around? I recently freaked out about a similar thing but the avenue members were quickly able to confirm that mine was molting looking at the feather shafts. If they are hollow and without blood, your bird is most possibly molting. There may be chew marks on the shaft and it just means that your birb has been playing with them after they were dropped, I can tell from experience.
 

iamwhoiam

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He may be going through his first molt, moving from his baby feathers to adult feathers and coloring. Almost looks as if the orange is being replaced by grey and green feathers which would mean that he is actually a she. Can also still have orange coloration as a female but not as bright and solid as a male. I got good at being able to sex babies before the molt based on beak size and shape and head shape but hard for me to tell not seeing him/her up close and personal. Did your red-belly have a lot of orange on the forehead at one time?

What is your parrot's name? Very cute, btw. I LOVE red-bellied parrots.
 

achgo

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Do you see any feathers lying around? I recently freaked out about a similar thing but the avenue members were quickly able to confirm that mine was molting looking at the feather shafts. If they are hollow and without blood, your bird is most possibly molting. There may be chew marks on the shaft and it just means that your birb has been playing with them after they were dropped, I can tell from experience.
yeah, I’ve seen lots of the orange feathers lying around the cage so that’s what made me think it was a molt. I do catch it chewing the feathers too, it rolls them up into little feather balls haha. thanks!
 
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achgo

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He may be going through his first molt, moving from his baby feathers to adult feathers and coloring. Almost looks as if the orange is being replaced by grey and green feathers which would mean that he is actually a she. Can also still have orange coloration as a female but not as bright and solid as a male. I got good at being able to sex babies before the molt based on beak size and shape and head shape but hard for me to tell not seeing him/her up close and personal. Did your red-belly have a lot of orange on the forehead at one time?

What is your parrot's name? Very cute, btw. I LOVE red-bellied parrots.
thank you, that’s what I was thinking! he/she never had any orange in the forehead, but I’ll attach some more pictures if that helps :)

also, their name is lumpia! I‘m Filipino and the bird was super small when I first met them and it reminded me of a little lumpia roll.
 

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Kiwi & Co.

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also, their name is lumpia! I‘m Filipino and the bird was super small when I first met them and it reminded me of a little lumpia roll.
I love his/her name :swoon:
 
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iamwhoiam

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thank you, that’s what I was thinking! he/she never had any orange in the forehead, but I’ll attach some more pictures if that helps :)

also, their name is lumpia! I‘m Filipino and the bird was super small when I first met them and it reminded me of a little lumpia roll.
Lumpia is a cute name. When mine were babies I could compare them to each other and sex them by comparing the beaks, heads and coloration. I was totally off with the first two because the second baby was so much smaller than the one that hatched out first , although they both hatched out the same day. Also this was the first live clutch so nothing previous to compare them, too. Thought the little one was a female. Then they molted out and the intensity of the orange on both of them made it obvious they were both males. With the other clutches I was correct with my guesses except the last clutch baby #2 kept me guessing a bit. Was fairly certain that baby was female but then there was a lot of orange even after the molt so I wasn't 100% sure. I remember taking her and her sister to the vet once and the vet thought she was male probably because of the orange. The orange, however, is a lot lighter than her brothers.
I really am not sure with Lumpia. In photos 1 and 2 looks male but in photo 4 looks female.
How much does Lumpia weigh? My males are generally heavier than my females.
 

achgo

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Lumpia is a cute name. When mine were babies I could compare them to each other and sex them by comparing the beaks, heads and coloration. I was totally off with the first two because the second baby was so much smaller than the one that hatched out first , although they both hatched out the same day. Also this was the first live clutch so nothing previous to compare them, too. Thought the little one was a female. Then they molted out and the intensity of the orange on both of them made it obvious they were both males. With the other clutches I was correct with my guesses except the last clutch baby #2 kept me guessing a bit. Was fairly certain that baby was female but then there was a lot of orange even after the molt so I wasn't 100% sure. I remember taking her and her sister to the vet once and the vet thought she was male probably because of the orange. The orange, however, is a lot lighter than her brothers.
I really am not sure with Lumpia. In photos 1 and 2 looks male but in photo 4 looks female.
How much does Lumpia weigh? My males are generally heavier than my females.
the first two photos was when they were 3 mo. then 5 mo. and the last photo was taken last week (6 mo.); that might help out a little?
the last time I weighed them I remember about 127 grams.
 
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fashionfobie

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What a gorgeous little Lumpia :heart2:

Welcome to AA! I look forward to following your journey with your feathered buddy!
 
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iamwhoiam

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the first two photos was when they were 3 mo. then 5 mo. and the last photo was taken last week (6 mo.); that might help out a little?
the last time I weighed them I remember about 127 grams.
Have a smaller male who weighs about that much (maybe a bit more) and then a female who weighs that much whereas my other two females weigh a little less. I'm going to try to find the baby photos of my females. If I remember correctly they had very little orange on their foreheads as babies whereas the males had a lot more.
 
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