Features molting wavy parrots

Owners of domestic parrots periodically face the fact that the bird begins to lose feathers and down. Those who have a lot of content experience usually don’t worry too much about this. But newcomers a large number of feathers in a cage and throughout the apartment can puzzle and even scare. In most cases, changing plumage is a natural and necessary process. But it happens that molting in budgies has a pathological character.

From the article you will learn about the process of losing feathers in domestic parrots and how to distinguish natural molting from signs of disease in birds.

For wild and domesticated birds, the process of dumping feathers is very necessary. Old plumage wears out and gets polluted over time. And although the birds clean their feathers, it is still not possible to keep them in proper condition for a very long period. Without molting, most birds would simply lose their ability to fly over time.

After the feather has dropped, a new feather cover grows quickly in the birds. He is more healthy and strong. The color of the individual also becomes brighter. In addition, in the process of molting, the upper layer of the skin of the birds is also updated. And this is also very important for the health and hygiene of the individual.

In the wild, bird feathering is associated with climate and seasons.

In parrots kept at home, the change of feather is not so tied to the season. The bird in the apartment is not affected by climatic conditions, therefore, molting can take place at any time of the year. In wavy parrots, as well as in other species, the plumage is dumped 1-2 times a year.

Even in one individual, feather cover changes can occur at different times of the year. This process is influenced by many factors: nutrition, housing conditions, the state of health of the parrot, possible stresses, as well as the frequency of egg laying in females.

In adult parrots, the process of changing feather cover lasts from one to one and a half months. But the first molt in chicks under the age of one year lasts much longer, sometimes up to 5-6 months.

In wild and domestic birds, there are two types of natural molting: seasonal (periodic) and juvenile.

• Seasonal feather reset occurs in all adult individuals annually. If the molt does not begin in a natural way or is not intensive enough, the parrot may begin to pluck its plumage by itself. As the process progresses, the amount of the down and feather dropped is reduced, and the pet acquires a new feather cover.

• Juvenile molting cubs of birds survive only once in their life, being not yet mature males.In individuals less than six months old, a temporary cover grows, calculated only so as not to freeze in the nest. It consists mostly of down and very short plumage.

With the passage of time comes the need to acquire strong feathers. After all, the grown-up baby will soon have to leave the nest and begin an independent life. Therefore, at the age of 3–5 months, in most nestlings of birds, including children of budgerigars, an active release of down and feathers begins.

Juvenile molt lasts much longer than seasonal. Pooh can fall within 3-4 months, and sometimes up to six months. In this case, the chick, unlike an adult parrot, can become completely naked for a while. Visually, this is not a very pleasant picture, but it is impossible to avoid the first molt, since it is associated with the onset of sexual maturity of the individual.

Usually, by the age of 8–10 months, the feather cover of the young parrot completely changes, and it becomes possible to test the wings in flight.

A small amount of loose fluff or small feathers in a cage or apartment can be observed almost constantly.

The following symptoms indicate the beginning of a natural seasonal feather discharge:

• dandruff appears on the skin of the bird;
• feathers on the head and neck become non-smooth, disheveled and clearly thinned;
• the pattern on the back and wings fades, becomes indistinct;
• your feathery sometimes actively plucks down with its beak, tries to scratch its foot;
• numerous white columns appear on the skin;
• the parrot may suddenly become aggressive, behave unusually;
• the bird breaks its usual daily routine, the parrot does not sleep well, or, on the contrary, is too sluggish during the period of wakefulness;
• feathery can refuse a habitual feed, the amount of consumed food considerably decreases;
• the bird tries to retire, hides, does not make contact.

Since the habitat of a homely wavy parrot is completely dependent on the owner, it is important during the molting period to make it as comfortable as possible. In the natural environment, birds have more opportunities to find the means to reset the feather as quickly as possible and with less inconvenience. For example, wild birds can independently find the food that contains the necessary at the moment nutrients and microelements. Birds also use branches and trunks of trees in order to rub against them and accelerate the loss of old down and feathers.

It is also important to ensure that it receives additional vitamins and minerals from the feed.

• Should maintain a stable temperature in the apartment. Eliminate drafts in the place where there is a bird cage.
• When the feather cover is changed, the parrot's skin is irritated and dry. Therefore, in the room during the molting period, it is necessary to provide additional humidification of the air.
• Place several branches in a cage. About them, the parrot will be able to rub and speed up the resetting of the feathers.
• In the period of molting in many individuals of parrots sleep is disturbed. Therefore, try to reduce the number of irritants in those hours when your feathered pet usually sleeps.
• It is believed that during the seasonal change of the feathers of the parrot should not be let out of the cage due to the fact that it will fall during the flight. This point of view is not entirely correct, since the discharge of feathers from the wings occurs gradually and symmetrically. Due to this, birds in the wild retain the ability to fly.

The same sequence of resetting the feathers is inherent in domestic parrots. Only in the midst of the molt, the feathery can control its maneuvers in flight a little worse. But it lasts very short.

In rare cases, the parrot flatly refuses to bathe himself during molting. Then it is necessary at least once a day to spray it with a stream of warm water or to spray it over the cage using a spray bottle.

There are ready-made special feeds on sale, on the packaging of which is marked “for feeding during molting”. They should form the basis of the menu for several weeks while the parrot is changing feather cover.

Also in the diet of feathered to include:

• vegetables (pumpkin, carrots, beets);
• berries (currants, grapes);
• fruits (pears, apples, bananas);
• greenery;
• foods containing protein (low-fat cottage cheese, eggs);
• top dressing with mineral elements (chalk, crushed eggshell, sepia).

The intense loss of feathers to domestic birds is not always natural and healthy. It happens that a parrot molts due to any disease or pathological disorders.

The owner should be wary if:

• the regular molt of the budgerigar came too fast and is already the third or fourth in a year;
• the adult individual is very “bare”, and the new plumage is growing very badly;
• the parrot pulls out its feathers too much with its beak for several days;
• along with the loss of feathers and down there is a complete rejection of food, the bird is very sluggish and disinhibited.

Pathological conditions of domestic parrots, requiring treatment to the ornithologist:

• The so-called French molt is not natural. The bird's feather cover falls almost completely, and the new plumage does not grow. The disease is most susceptible to young chicks that have not reached puberty. However, it is not uncommon for adults to suffer from French moult. The causes of the pathology are currently not fully understood. It is believed that the process may begin due to violations in the diet of the birds and an acute long-term shortage of essential trace elements.
• Because of stress or fright, parrots can begin to pluck themselves. It is traumatic and causes great suffering to the feathered one. Typically, the pathology itself passes when adjusting the conditions of detention.
• Scabies caused by parasites can also cause intense feather loss. With knemidocoptosis, exposed areas of the body turn red and become lumpy. The disease is cured with the help of drugs and strengthening the immune system with vitamins.

On how the molt looks like a wavy parrot, see below.