Time Period on Molting?

[oliveislove]

It seems like Olive has been molting for a while. There are little feathers all over the house. i was wondering
a. when it ends.
b. can it never ends?
c. i can see her white feathers on her chest and the green ones seem to be dwindling. is this a problem
thanks. i d not know a lot about molting

[chapala]

Since Cello is my first Parrotlet and he hasn't molted yet, I don't know the answer! But if they are like other birds, the molts vary, and sometimes are longer than others. I've had Cello four weeks tomorrow, and have yet to see one feather in the cage, but that is a very short time. Our Grey and Macaw seem to molt at some level (light to heavy) much of the time! Lots of downies, and the occasional big feather.

Just keep an eye on her to make sure that the green feathers start coming in, and that she isn't plucking. Question for others - is plucking rare or not so rare in Parrotlets?
Reta

[oliveislove]

thanks for that. it is usually down feathers. well. all of it is down feathers. and when the new feathers come in (question to anyone) do they always look like spikes coming through the skin, because it looks painful i am not sure. like it is all covered at the top, it is green, but it is not flourishing.i do not know how else to describe it but any comments would help

[LyndaM]

Since Cello is my first Parrotlet and he hasn't molted yet, I don't know the answer!
Chapala, Cello is a great name!

[sanchmargar]

does it look like a porcupine? Petie looks like a porcupine when his new feathers come in. It's kinda cute. I do help break up the quills so that his new feathers can come out. I use my nails and he stands still for me. It's sorta like another birdy preening him.

[chapala]

He can take care of all his new feathers but those on his head. Normally a mate or buddy would preen the casings off the head feathers. Many birds appreciate help from us humans though we are far more clumsy with fingers than they are with beaks! Just be careful that the new feather is no longer tender, or it will hurt your bird. You can pinch the very top of the "pin" to start breaking the casing off when it is a white color, not dark which means there is still a blood supply. Go slowly and your bird will let you know what feels good.
Reta

[drab91]

Yeah the pin feathers are normal when you only have 1 bird.. When you have a pair you can't see them as often because the other birdy will take care of them pretty quickly, I feel so bad because Mavric doesn't let me help him.
It sounds like it is his first molt so it will last a bit.. but I hear they can last a couple months.. Mavric has been molting for quite a while...

But it definatly should end or there is an underlying issue..

[Pado]

Question for others - is plucking rare or not so rare in Parrotlets?
Reta

Reta - I believe Parrotlets are one of the species prone to plucking. Art has a great thread on this topic: Art and his wife Ellen have an 8 year old pluck'er and they have gone through many avenues in regards to it. In the thread their Vet recommended a bird behaviorist (post #116) - all the info is in the attached thread. I believe in one of Arts posts (not sure if its in this particular thread or not) he mentioned that Parrotlets are prone to plucking.
http://www.talkparrotlets.com/showthread.php?t=596&referrerid=0

Oliveislove - I hear its rare for a very young bird to pluck unless there is an underlining medical issue. If you could post a picture of Olive, members may be able to better judge if she may be plucking or just going through the regular molting process.

[oliveislove]

ill try to get a pictrue up as soon as possible (if i figure out how to do it).... but i will get it eventually

[oliveislove]

the best i could get... and they are very blurry

http://s248.photobucket.com/albums/gg196/oliveislove/
i hope the link works. if it doesn;t let me knows and i will try to fix it... please let me know, honestly, if it is plucking or not. god i hope it is not.

[Kathy]

The link brings us to the album itself, but it's privatized - it prompts for a password. I think you can publicize it if you go back into options and change that feature.

OR

Just link us directly to the URLs of the pics you want us to see :)

[oliveislove]

http://s248.photobucket.com/albums/gg196/oliveislove/

now lets see if that works.
thanks kathy...