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Feather Disorders in our Pet Parrot's

Feather Disorders in Pet Parrots

There are many different types of feathers:  contour; semiplume; filoplume; bristle; powder down; and neossoptiles. The process of growing them is a little complicated. Many defects arise from malnutrition, often due to lack of the amino acid components of protein and vitamin combinations. These have considerable influence on feather growth and development.

Trace elements, vitamins and amino acid are necessary for the growth of feathers.  If these substances are missing or only present at minimal levels in a bird's organism, it will cause some disturbances such as loss of feathers, re-growth of deformed feathers, or change in color of feathers. 

Determining the cause of feather chewing/picking/mutilating requires your ongoing observation and keen insight in order to adjust the situation to alleviate causing factor(s) as soon as possible.

First off you should rule out medical reasons:
- Endocrine diseases such as low thyroid levels, progesterone or testosterone imbalances.
- Metabolic - liver disease, kidney disease, air sacculitis.
- Breeding tension (the inability to satisfy breeding urges).
- Heart problems.
- Hyperthyroidism which causes black, brown and yellow feathers to become red, longer and more pointed. The feather veins have fringed or lacy appearance.
- Hemorrhages within pulp cavity.
- Absence of feather powder / oil (water repellent) The birds have one or the other depending on species.
- Residual feather stumps below the surface of the skin that need to be surgically removed.
Other problems which would require professional diagnosis include:
- Injury Or Trauma - if a bird falls from cage onto floor. It could of happened days before. May  result in a injure or scab. Birds have been clipped and fallen on tile or hard surface and split their keel bone.
- Heavy metal poisoning from many things: perching on shower rod or curtain rods (lead, zinc), metal bed post, swallowing, playing with  jewelry or , hardware, aluminum foil, cage paint chips can be swallowed and undigested, some china bowls are coated with zinc (someone may put water in it), sheet rock (the walls) has zinc and lyme.
- Baldness on head, neck or around eyes could be sinus related.
- Feather cysts.
- There could be  many, many more medical reasons, all of which need to be ruled out by an avian vet.

Once you have ruled out illness, there are many other causes to be considered.

Start a parrot journal to keep track of your bird's diet, nutrition and other potential problems.

- Diet is crucial. Learn what is in their feed mix and figure out what the bird has been eaten or bitten into.

- It may be nutritional or allergies.

- Sulfur Dioxide: A chemical preservative used in Dried Fruits to enhance color. In excess can cause allergies, itching, skin irritation, feather shredding or picking. Make sure your mixes have naturally dried fruits.

- Changes in feeding schedule can be disruptive.

- Your bird might be experiencing stress, from causes such as the ones in the linked article.

- It could be due to changes in the bird's environgment such as the weather, the presence or absence of a person, a new animal in the home or a familiar one that is no longer there, or  a piece of furniture. Analyze everything. It takes time for companion birds to adjust to changes. They may just be nervous in which case B vitamins and/or calcium may help.

- Disturbance from rodents, insects, wild birds flying outside the windows or other household pets may cause stress as can an over stimulating environment.

- See if the bird is uncomfortable with something you have placed near or in its cage, even a new color bowl or a new perch. Most birds are frightened of things until they see them for a short time. You may place the new objects on the floor or table beside the cage to give the bird a chance to adjust without feeling threatened. I find that placing new things on a hook on the wall beside the cage where they can't reach, lower than where they hang out so that they are dominant over the toys, objects etc., often helps.  I hang a toy for about a week and touch it when I am next to the cage. While I am watching T.V. I place it in my lap, twiddle with it and hang it back up. I do this with every toy and soon enough my little Senegal is playing with large macaw and amazon toys. They last longer, too. Do not place new things above their cages until they are familiar with the objects as they may feel threatened.

- Arginine deficiency may cause wing feathers to curl.

- Achromatosis (normal color of feathers change to another color) is caused by a variety of nutritional deficiencies in different species. During growth choline, riboflavin, lysine may be deficient. Example: cockatiels will grow yellow or white feathers, when they should be gray feathers. Timneh & African Grey's will grow red feathers where they should have gray feathers.

- A change in feather color from green to yellow is usually caused by a loss of structural blue color. This may be associated with essential amino acid deficiencies.

- Feather color may change blue to black, green to gray to black that in birds that are sick or malnourished.  Color change is associated with altered keratin structure in the spongy layers that prevent normal light scattering.  Melanin granules in the middle of the feather, if present, would absorb all wave length of light, giving the visual effect of black.

- Deficiencies in the B vitamin riboflavin, have been associated with abnormally yellow-colored feathers in cockatiels.

- Stress lines, which are transverse lines of color defects in the feather vanes, are the result of periods of inadequate nutrition during feather growth. Bird may be eating or taking a feather supplement but under stress will not absorb. Wait till next molt

- The black along the tips of the feathers resolves with a change in diet (from seed to formulated diet) or a correction of chronic active hepatitis (which results in problems with the liver.)

- Birds with deficiencies of carotenoids may develop muted feathers or skin colors.

- Copper deficiency can interfere with melanin (pigment) production and cause dark colored feathers to become lighter.

- If copper intake is too high, the levels of vitamin C and zinc will drop.

- Consumption of hard water may upset zinc levels.

- Room temperature and humidity matter. Bird's body temperatures range from 104 degrees F for large birds to 112 degrees F for small birds like finches. Birds will acclimate to a variety of temperatures, but until they do, it can cause stress.

- Feather picking may be initiated by dry, flaky and pruritic skin, which in turn can be caused by nutritional deficiencies, particularly deficiencies of vitamin A, sulfur-containing amino acid, arginine, niacin, pantothenic acid, biotin, folic acid. Low humidity can also be a cause of retained feather sheath.

- Deficiencies of minerals such as calcium, zinc, selenium, mangnese & magnesium may be associated with brittle frayed feathers and dermatitis.

- Pantothenic acid deficiency causes the formation of ragged feathers.

- The appearance of malformed, short, stunted, broken, bent, dirty, stained or unusually colored feather should be considered abnormal. Possible causes are: organopathy, toxins, malnutrition, bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites (blood or intestinal), boredom, anxiety, lack of sleep, psychosis, sexual frustration, hormonal, or molting abnormalities.

- Molting is usually gradual and feathers are lost and replaced in an orderly fashion.

- Feather chemical composition: 91%  protein –  1.3% fat – 7.9% water  Be sure to supply a feather supplement when bird is shedding their feathers (molting). Pro-Feda is a great product. Birds need minerals, protein, & amino acids that are deficient in their food.

- Thyroxine is important in the initiation of a molt.

- Increases in humidity and heat will also facilitate feather loss and the molting process.

- Clinical signs such as feather chewing, feather plucking and possibly foot chewing are thought to indicate pruritus. However, systemic disease and behavioral problems are thought to be more common causes than allergic disease.

- Other causes of feather picking include: Giardia (an internal parasite); bacterial infections; or improper wing clipping.

- Enzymes or hydrochloric acid insufficiency leads to yeast overgrowth in the intestines. This can lead to plucking.

- Other dietary requirements increase during molting or feather growth include vitamins such as Vitamin A or its beta carotene precursor. These are particularly important for birds with yellow or red plumage coloration, as these colors are directly produced from this source.

- Birds need as much as 8-12 hours of sleep each day.

- Lack of exercise  (cage is to small).

- Has the bird with feather loss been screened for zinc or lead poisoning?

 

 

About the Author

Help with my cockatiel he doesn't seem to be able to fly and his feathers seem to be falling out?

I acquired a cockatiel just over 2 months ago he was handed into my work and nobody claimed him i've kept birds before but this one is causing issues.

He's very aggressive towards me and although he seems in good health eating drinking etc. he is losing feathers and when he gets out of his cage he doesn't seem able to fly he just does alot of flapping

Your cockatiel has had his wings clipped. That's why he can't fly. Wing clipping makes taming easier, makes the bird easier to catch when its out of the cage, and makes it less likely for the bird to become injured (since he can't fly into any objects).

As for the feather loss, he is either molting or plucking his feathers. Molting, or feather loss, is normal in all pet birds. Most cockatiels and other pet birds molt 2-3 times a year. He should get new feathers in several weeks. If the feathers don't grow back, then there could be a problem. If he's plucking his feathers, that could be due to stress, poor diet, or an illness. Feather plucking is best treated by a vet.

When Feathers Fly