Posted by Mary N. on April 27, 19100 at 18:18:31:
In Reply to: twisted feather posted by lovey on April 27, 19100 at 17:14:49:
Hi Lovey!
Eclectus do not have a “hard molt” where they molt their feathers once a year. They molt some feathers throughout the year, with some more significant molts a couple of times a year. Under ordinary circumstances, feathers in the same location will tend to molt out at approximately the same time each year. If the far right tail feather molted out in February, for example, it will probably molt in February (or so) again next year.
The twisted feather you are seeing then, may not be one of those “scheduled” to molt at this time. Since you noticed it last December, it may be that it will not molt again until this December – depending on when it actually molted last year.
Is the twisted feather causing a problem for your girl? Is she picking at it or overpreening it or otherwise paying an inordinate amount of attention to it? If not, I would just leave it until it molts out naturally. If she is starting into feather mutilation (biting, chewing, barbering, pulling, etc) because of it, you might want to take her to the avian vet and have the feather trimmed (or whatever else the vet thinks is appropriate) so that the mutilation behavior is stopped as quickly as possible.
There are a couple of reasons why the feather could be sticking out.
Your girl needs more showers/humidity to help her keep her feathers in condition and to stimulate preening
Ensure your girl receives a drenching, lukewarm shower daily. If you cannot do this daily, do it as often as you can – at least 3 times per week with spray baths in between. This will stimulate your girl to preen and keep the feathers clean and supple. With a good shower regimen, she may be able to preen the feather back into place herself.
The feather shaft (quill) is bent or damaged
This could happen from a fall, during play – anything that could cause her feather to be bent back. She may be able to preen it flatter than it was when the damage originally occurred, but may not be able to preen it completely back into position. As long as it is not causing her any discomfort or other problem, I would just leave it to molt out naturally.
The feather follicle can only produce a feather that is twisted from the normal position
After she molts this feather, watch to see if the next one comes in twisted as well. If it does, it could be due to the feather follicle itself. If that is the case, but the feather doesn’t bother her, just bring it to your vet’s attention at her next exam. S/He may be able to do something about it, make recommendations, or at least determine if it is an item of concern or just one of those little cosmetic “things” to live with. I once saw a beautiful macaw that had one of his wing feathers consistently grow in completely upside down from normal because of the feather follicle. It looked odd, but it didn’t bother the macaw and his people thought of it as part of the macaw’s “unique charm”.
There are some feather issues that appear to be connected to diet. I would suggest that her diet consist of primarily veggies, fruits and grains, especially those high in beta carotene (particularly important to the health of skin and feathers) and fiber. These would be dark green leafy vegetables/greens, orange/red/yellow fruits and vegetables, apples, kiwi, guava, grapes, sprouted seeds, rice, corn, quinoa, cooked beans, etc. with the pelleted food comprising only a part of the overall menu. There is great nutritional information here at the Land of Vos site, including some parrot-delicious recipes to try!
Hope this information has been of help to you!
Al and Mary
Cabby and Chardy (SIE)
: Hi, My 2 year old red-sided female has been moulting.A couple of months ago I noticed that a feather on her wing was twisted. It sticks out all the time. It never lays flat against her wing. I figured that she was going to lose it. Her moult is almost over and it doesn't look like she is going to lose it. Should I be concerned? I did change her diet before I noticed it. She was on pretty bird pellets. I put her on pretty bird Eclectus pellets. She eats fresh foods and veggies every day. I guess it has been since December that I changed to the eclectus pellets. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks, Lovey