How often do they molt?

ingrehd · Jul 13, 2013

How often do Zons molt?
Morgan seems to be going into a molt for the third time this summer. There's alot of white feathers at the bottom of his cage and I'm starting to see a few green ones fall out. There's no bald spots or blood on the green feathers so I am assuming that he's molting again.
He's 100% converted to zupreem pellets now (yay!

)
Could all these molts be a result of this diet change? He's been on seed mixes his entire life so pelleted food is something completely new and foreign to his 15 year old body.

cnyguy · Jul 14, 2013

My YCA George used to molt twice a year, in early summer and mid-winter, each molt lasting about 6 weeks. Not all Amazons, or parrots in general, stick to the same schedule. My Quaker parrot Ralph usually has one slow molt a year, lasting up to seven months. A friend's Severe Macaw molts gradually all year. The white or gray down feathers typically do get shed all year long; I don't think I've left the house in the last 43 years without having some stuck to me somewhere.

henpecked · Jul 14, 2013

The change to a healthier diet will cause them to molt, for sure. because we keep our fids inside( and screw up their biological time clock) they don't molt like they would in the wild. usually wild amazon have a major and minor molt each year.

Pajarita · Jul 15, 2013

Henpecked is correct but you can get them to molt the same as in the wild if you keep their endocrine system healthy and attuned to the seasons (which you do by keeping them to a strict solar schedule and reducing protein intake during the resting season -winter). They have their main molt this time of the year (a bit early for the last few years because of global warming) and a very minor and short one at the beginning of January (about two weeks after the winter solstice when their bodies 'register' the lengthening of the days).

Zons require A LOT of produce and a small amount of protein, especially birds that have been free-fed seeds for years (like yours) so pellets are not the best option for them (you don't know how much protein you are feeding because none of the manufacturers tell you).

Mayden · Jul 15, 2013

Pajarita said:
Henpecked is correct but you can get them to molt the same as in the wild if you keep their endocrine system healthy and attuned to the seasons (which you do by keeping them to a strict solar schedule and reducing protein intake during the resting season -winter). They have their main molt this time of the year (a bit early for the last few years because of global warming) and a very minor and short one at the beginning of January (about two weeks after the winter solstice when their bodies 'register' the lengthening of the days).

Zons require A LOT of produce and a small amount of protein, especially birds that have been free-fed seeds for years (like yours) so pellets are not the best option for them (you don't know how much protein you are feeding because none of the manufacturers tell you).

Birds usually molt twice a year, but as someone mentioned before - it varies bird to bird! We live in a cooler country with 'short summers' *sigh* and that will change Merlin's molt pattern to someone's senegal who lives in a hotter part of America.

Glad he's on pellets now, well done on the conversion!

Pajarita, could you make a thread about diet and your aversion to pellets. You seem pretty against pellets from your current posts and would just like to see your take on things without distracting from other members threads

How often do they molt?

ingrehd

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cnyguy

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henpecked

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Pajarita

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Mayden

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Adjustment phase?

Chiken bones fod dinner???

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