So about these feathers...

[Leanna]

Milo has had black markings on his feathers since I got him. There have been improvements but only in new feathers. His new feathers have no stress bars thankfully. The black markings have not lightened or improved with his new more biologically appropriate diet and weight gain. I was just curious if I have wait till he molts to see any significant improvement or if I should be seeing results now. My vet says it could be do to me petting him too much but I'm unsure about that.

 

[RedFoxBlackSox]

Someone who knows about this will pass by- just wanted to bump your thread and also say that your bird is just darling <3

 

[BirdField]

I have no idea what this could be but it reminded me of another thread (on a different site) of a baby ekkie with black feathers that are more extremely dark than your Milo's. I have no medical knowledge of what this could be and I can't say this thread is completely accurate either but it just reminded me of it. Hopefully this helps.

 

[painesgrey]

Stress bars and other feather abnormalities happen as the feather is developing, and will last until the feather is molted and a new feather takes its place. You won't see any changes in feather condition until a molt, unfortunately. Good nutrition is usually the best way to see results, though if he continues to have marred feathers after a molt, you'll need to check back in with your vet to see what other causes there may be.

 

[Leanna]

Okay that was what I thought, but I wasn't sure. He was two new tail feathers coming in, so hopefully those will give me a better picture of how I am doing nutrient wise.

 

[Leanna]

So here's the update: the skinny black feathers are the original ones he came to me with. The thicker ones came in in the last couple of months. Excuse the splits in the new feathers, he's been playing rough.

This one is probably a better example. I'm unsure about the yellow at the tip, but the new feathers are a great deal wider than the old ones.
This is just him trying to pull off a lollipop heist. He was unsuccessful as it's only a wrapper. But you can see he still has dark marks on his feathers on his body.
And him confronting me about the wrapper being empty.

 

[Leanna]

What do you think about the yellow tips? Has anyone experienced that before?

 

[fashionfobie]

Yellow feathers can be a sign of liver aliments. However this is typically presented as baring. The tips being yellow is probably related to your subspecies.

These links might be helpful.
Identification of Subspecies of the Eclectus Parrot - Graham Taylor (Australia)
BIRDS OF A DIFFERENT FEATHER


Cheeky little boy running off with your snack.

 

[Leanna]

Thank you! I was looking for a reference for what his tail feathers were supposed to look like.

 

[EkkieLu]

He's still pretty young! Do you know what he weighs?

 

[Leanna]

He's 275 grams but he's 3 inches shorter than what he should be so the vet thinks this is right for him. Apparently, he's the smallest eckie he's ever seen. Our thinking is that he was improperly fed and that stunted his growth.

 

[fashionfobie]

He's 275 grams but he's 3 inches shorter than what he should be so the vet thinks this is right for him. Apparently, he's the smallest eckie he's ever seen. Our thinking is that he was improperly fed and that stunted his growth.

Poor little guy.

 

[Milo]

The yellow tips on the tail are normal for most subspecies.

The black feathers are probably related to nutrition. You see it sometimes when young birds are tough on their feathers and the pigment wears out, but it’s not common for the whole bird to look like that. It looks like the new feathers are coming in nicely though.

 

[Monaco]

Do you have any updates about Milo? He looks so sweet!

 

[MyDjango]

Howdy! I have a young eclectus and saw your post about Milo's feathers when he was young. D'jango is going through the EXACT same thing! I went to two vets and they were not very helpful other than to say he needs to finish moulting (which he's been doing since November and so far hasn't even started moulting his primary feathers yet, and he's 9 months old today). I wondered how Milo's feathers are doing after his moult and how long it took him to finish moulting all of his feathers, including primaries. Could you kindly give advice on this? I'm sure it's not diet related since his diet is mostly fresh veggies, the occasional fruit, and Birdtricks (Tops) pellets.