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Parrotlet molting?

36K views 28 replies 21 participants last post by  Mrs.JP3 
#1 ·
1. Whats the normal amount of feathers a parrotlet should be dropping or removing on a daily basis when not in a molt?

2. Whats normal during a molt?

3. What controls a parrotlets molting time and when during the year does it normally occur? ie summer, winter, spring, fall?

4. How many times a year does a parrotlet normally molt?
 
#2 ·
My guys vary every year. Sometimes a heavy molt and there'll be feathers everywhere! Other times it's a light molt and I'll maybe see 5 feathers/day- though sometimes it's hard to tell because I have more than one bird. Either way, my guys lose feathers daily, it's normal and not necessarily a molt.

P'lets can get grumpy and aggressive during a molt. So if that happens, I wouldn't worry.

My guys usually molt 1-2 times a year. Usually in the spring and fall. I'm not sure what controls the molting time, probably the change in time of daylight hours.
 
#6 ·
hi, my petie is molting. he has lost alot of feathers and new ones are coming in. my concern is that he has molted before but this time he looks a bit of a mess. his feathers on his belly are not smooth.

he is not acting ill. he is eating, chirping and talking. nothing different in his behavior - just the way he is molting. is this normal? is it because he is no longer a baby. he is 4 years old.

thanks
 
#7 ·
Sweetpea, went thru her first molt about 6 wks ago, and her tummy was very un even and I too was concerned but, as you said she didn't act sick. So, I just let it go, and she is now covered with her gorgeous green feathers once again. So, I imagine it's not too abnormal.
 
#10 ·
Hey everyone, I am a proud new parrotlet owner as of a few months ago. This is the first bird I've owned so I'm discovering new things as I go every day. My parrotlet is going through his first molt and I'm a little concerned because he's been going through it for over a month now. From what I've read this isn't always abnormal? It seems sometimes the molting can take several weeks, but I just wanted to make sure. Also, he has several new pin feathers lying hidden all around his neck and head and has for awhile. Beside the fact that they're not the most attractive things, I would think they would be really uncomfortable to him. He will let me scratch all around on them and he seems to enjoy it, but like I said I've been doing it for several weeks and they are still there. Is the best advice to just continue to mist him and give him daily scratches on them? Thanks for any advice!
 
#12 ·
He will let me scratch all around on them and he seems to enjoy it, but like I said I've been doing it for several weeks and they are still there. Is the best advice to just continue to mist him and give him daily scratches on them? Thanks for any advice!
I can guarantee you that he enjoys it--in fact, once he discovers that he can get preened by you, which is what it is, he will come to you for it and your bond will be as deep as it is going to get, since there won't be any eggs between you. If the latter should happen, please post here first before publishing in Nature or Science.

Since the pin feathers are still there, it may mean that you are not breaking the sheaths. Some of them will just rub off, but others are stubborn and need to be pinched between fingernails. You must do this carefully, but your bird will let you know if you pull too hard.
 
#11 ·
Hi j.hitchparrotlets, congratulations on your new parrotlet! It's quite the learning process, but you'll figure it out.

I can usually find a pinfeather or two on Navi no matter what time of year it is. And as those above posters have said, some molts are heavier than others. Don't worry about it unless he shows other signs of illness or if you start seeing big bald patches.

You're right, they do find those pinfeathers irritating, and you can imagine why. So what you're doing (scritches, misting) is great! Head scratches are also a good way to bond. Be careful around the darker parts of the pinfeathers though, those are the newer parts that still have a blood vessel (to nourish the growing feather) and nerve in them. They are really sensitive and I have been bitten with good reason for rubbing those the wrong way.

When the blood vessel recedes, the pinfeather turns white and this is the part that is ready to fall off. I like to help my bird by breaking these, but if yours won't let you then it's ok. They will eventually fall off on their own, and daily misting will help loosen them.

Hope that helped.
 
#16 ·
Some people are saying that their bird lets them rub their pinnies, but Jingle is not so cooperative. Is there something wrong or is that normal?

Thanks,
Catherine
Hi Catherine!
As Jingle is still young, he doesn't yet trust you to help with his pinnies. The world is really big and scary for a parrotlet, and it takes a long time before they trust enough to let their human help them with pin feathers. Read up on Bonding and Training, and for now focus on teaching him to Step Up onto your fingers. To help with pinnies, the bird has to put its head in a VERY vulnerable position, and that is very scary. You wouldn't tell all your secrets right away to a new kid in class, and Jingle is the new kid unsure of who to sit with and what is safe. Spend time just hanging out, talking to him or singing to him. It sounds silly, but birds think in song, so they really love when you sing or whistle to them no matter how bad your voice is. Work to help him feel safe by watching his feathers to read his emotions. Generally, when his feathers are fluffed he is happy and when they are slicked and he is standing tall he is very scared. He will probably do something really funny at the sound of plastic, running water, pill bottles, or something else - he will fluff his feathers and make a million mini chirps. Don't worry when he does that - they all have obsessions with things, and they love those things. Tumi's in love with crinkling plastic! :D
 
#18 ·
Hi Catherine,

My bird, Kiwi, is 11 years old and I have never been able to help her with her pinnies. I can rub her head and "preen" her normal feathers, but she freaks out when I try to touch a pinnie. Maybe I have never learned to do it right - I don't know. But as cuddly Kiwi is and as much as she trusts me, pinnie preening is out of the question. She does a good job herself so it is fine with me. Just a tad insulting ... Which is my own issue, not hers. 😜
 
#19 ·
I don't know how to get a bird to like that if they don't just let you. I know when Melody is not in the mood for a scratch I better back off. Other times she loves loves loves her Scritches. I can see really well and I have small fingers with nails so I just started picking at the pins during head scratches and she lets me do it. I just rub between my fingers or use one nail and the tip of my other finger to roll the white part off, i dont pull at them. She will even stay still when I'm picking at one. I look real close to make sure I don't mess with one that is still dark near the base, and if I accidentally get a sensitive one she squeeks and then looks at me like "not that one!!" And I just say sorry and she turns her head for me to go right back to picking. Hubby has bigger fingers and he can't see so he will never be able to do it.
 
#21 ·
In captivity some molts can last for a while, and the molting cycles can be thrown off more or less, but anytime I see Sky having an issue with her feather condition I give her extra baths and that seems to help resolve the issue. The thing to watch out for are whole patches of feathers missing or bare skin, as has been said, because that can be the result of neurotic plucking, which can be a problem with some birds.
 
#24 ·
I'm not sure about the belly, I'm still going through my first molt with Melody too. I have not seen her belly look as bare as that but she does have the little "line" down the belly where the Feathers kind of part, I know that is normal.

As for the wings, I don't think they really have alot of down up there under them. Melody never has, there are little bare "wing pits" LOL that sounds so silly but for my bird anyway it's normal. Same for right under the beak when she lifts her head up for scritches and the neck when she's stretching it tall. I call it her chicken neck its so funny looking.
 
#25 ·
I agree with Violet, the bald patch is a little worrying. Judging on how low it is, it may not even be from plucking, but from rubbing up against toys/perches (an *ahem* hormonal behavior). The lack of pinfeathers present in the bald patch leads me to think it's not from molting...

Keep an eye on her when she preens, and make sure he's not actively ripping feathers out :] Buuuut, seeing the location, I'm thinking it might be from rubbing up on her 'favorite' toys. I could definately be wrong though, it's just a long shot guess.

The only bald patches that exist normally are as Violent said, wingpits (lol!) under chin, aaannnd during heavy molts, around the neck as well (but pinnies are usually abundantly present).

If you're ever in doubt, a vet trip will dispel all your worries and give you peace of mind! <3
 
#26 ·
Even when Melody has lotts of pinnies her little chicken neck shows when she preens her Feathers right under her neck, I think it's most obvious because she is stretching it up to reach them. It's so funny looking, its like the head fluff, then her little chicken neck, and the chest fluff. :D
 
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