Conure tail feather gap??

Teekyo

New member
Oct 10, 2016
2
0
Bryan, Texas
Parrots
Kiwi - Pineapple GCC 💚
Hiya. I've had my gcc Kiwi for I guess maybe four months now, and today while she was out I noticed a strange gap in two of her tail feathers- one of which is a main long one and the other one of the smaller underneath. I am very anxious and protective of my baby and so it immediately sent me into a panic. She's never been a plucker before and she is on a diet of Harrison's pellets and daily fruits + veggies- her last checkup was in July/August and she was very healthy, bloodwork and everything came back fine. She is very active and acrobatic in her cage and I wonder if this could be the result of grinding it through the cage bars or something more malicious? I have never caught her plucking but I am gone for ~6 hours of the day. Everything else looks fine, full feathers, no other gaps, and she usually comes out for a few hours every day except for a day here and there when I am exceptionally busy (even then I'm usually in the same room). Should I be worried/have any of you seen this before? Should I take her to a vet or wait and see if it worsens? I am really worried and could use some advice.
 

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MikeyTN

New member
Feb 1, 2011
13,296
17
Antioch, TN
Parrots
"Willie"&"Lola"B&G Macaw,
"Dixie"LSC2, and "Nico" Scarlet Macaw.
I highly doubt there's anything to worry about, how old is she right now? Young birds tend to be harsh on their tail feathers.
 
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Teekyo

Teekyo

New member
Oct 10, 2016
2
0
Bryan, Texas
Parrots
Kiwi - Pineapple GCC 💚
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She is just under eight months old- she was born in late March. I sure hope it's nothing and I'm just being paranoid. :S She is my first bird, and I want to do good by her haha!
 

MikeyTN

New member
Feb 1, 2011
13,296
17
Antioch, TN
Parrots
"Willie"&"Lola"B&G Macaw,
"Dixie"LSC2, and "Nico" Scarlet Macaw.
Don't be shocked if she breaks them all....I rarely seen any young birds not messing up their tail feathers. Even some adults are rough with their tail feathers. One of my macaw, his tail feathers are all bent or broken, he's constantly on the bottom grate trying to get the dog's attention and being naughty shredding papers. I give up on keeping his tail feathers in good condition.
 

SailBoat

Supporting Member
Jul 10, 2015
17,646
10,008
Western, Michigan
Parrots
DYH Amazon
Fully agree with the Posts you have already received regarding young Parrots and tail feathers. Its a wonder they are able to keep as many as they so with all the activities and miss-steps they are constantly doing.

So, no reason too worry! Your baby is just going through tear the tail feathers-up stage.
 

GaleriaGila

Well-known member
Parrot of the Month 🏆
May 14, 2016
15,045
8,742
Cleveland area
Parrots
The Rickeybird, 38-year-old Patagonian Conure
Oh, wow, I just finished saying this in a thread above asking about tail problems..

"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHH, this is one of my pet peeves with my bird. His long, beautiful, bronze tail always used to seem ruffled or dirty. By rearranging perches and placing snacks high off the cagefloor (to reduce his scrubbing around down there) and just in general plotting ways to keep his tail pretty, it's not usually a problem nowadays. Still, I often do battle with him to clean or smooth his tail.
So, if this is just a messiness problem, maybe that might help.
Hopefully no other health or behavior problem is at work."
 

Flboy

Well-known member
Dec 28, 2014
12,598
4,101
Greater Orlando area, Florida
Parrots
JoJo, 'Special' GCC, Bongo, Cinnamon GCC(wife's)
Your baby is fine! My JoJo uses his tail feathers as a back/head scratcher! He is just under 4 years old. Our Bongo, almost 9, keeps his tail pristine!
 
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