Why is He Ravenous?!

Cairo's our first bird, so while I've trawled through this forum, we're still clueless on some things.

It looks like he's molting - he's been dropping body feathers. For a couple of days, it was about 10 a day. Then it stopped for about a week, but now he dropped another 3 today. It doesn't look plucked (I checked the quill area).

That being said, he's acting like his standard 2 meals a day is not enough. He's been flying around, acting hungry. So I give him another serving every time he gives those cues. Lately he's been having 3-4 portions every day, and yes, I do leave fresh fruits/veggies for him to snack on during the day. And since he only eats fresh chop, I'm not too concerned about him eating so much of it since it is quite healthy.

Now he is 17 months old, but I also don't know if this is his first molt (I wonder if he's a bit developmentally behind physically since his black marks haven't faded from his beak). Could this be a growth spurt thing?

Is it normal for birds' appetites to pick up during molting? Is this a sign of health problem (I've only read to be concerned if their appetite decreases)? He's acting normal and quite happy (apart from occasional grumpy moods when he hasn't had his shower for the day).

If Cairo is moulting it takes a lot of energy to grow all those new feathers so yes he may eat more than usual

Same here - their appetite and preferences change a bit.


You having an ekkie complicates things- mine get to binge on crazy things in that period- you would not get away with (they have less sensitive digestive tracks).

You're in the US, yes? In case I haven't offered these to you yet, here are some links for vets.
Most of us swear by our avian vets in the event of health concerns. I don't know where you are, but here are some links. I only have USA info...
Certified Avian Vets
https://abvp.com/animal-owners/find-an-abvp-specialist/
If none are near you...
Avian Veterinarians
http://www.aav.org/search/custom.asp?id=1803
In my opinion, any of the vets listed here should be better than a regular vet.

I'm so glad you're reaching out and being so open-minded.

I’ve had it both ways with Parker during his annual molt. Sometimes he can’t get enough to eat, other times he really can’t be bothered. So yes, molting can definitely affect his appetite

I just leave food out at different locations all day. Nike only really sits down and eats twice a day but she will pick once in a while.

OP is in China for work I think....She is from the US though (I think)
EDIT: Singapore --thanks Chris!

she lives in Singapore.

Yep yep, thanks, guys! Am born and raised American (albeit mixed) but somewhat Singaporean now since I've been here so long with familial ties and all. We're with one of the two vets listed on the AAV - the only one who does blood tests, and she's great with him. Our only parameters are the availability of the tools/equipment for testing that we have here. She's just a little unfamiliar with ekkies, but she has parrots herself and respects the fact that he's on a fresh chop diet when local norm is pellet. In fact, when he was hospitalised, she made him fresh chop for his entire stay!

Luckily Cairo's been binging on his fresh chop (I'm having to run out on Christmas weekend to buy more ingredients before the shops close!), so I've just been adding rice and oats to bolster any minerals he might need. It's kinda hard to keep up with his pace - almost every 2-4 hours, he's asking for a fresh meal, which means I stop any activity we're in (fixing things, watching a movie, working) and fix him a new meal.

And you guys! When y'all said they lose feathers symmetrically, I had NO CLUE how symmetrical it really is! Cairo lost his first wing feather and, within half an hour, he dropped the other side! So fast!! And the fearless little boy just keeps flying around like nothing happened. It's a bittersweet moment that he's growing up, even his eye colour is slowly changing..

Guess I'll just be his (hu)manservant for the next few weeks

As long as you don't see any undigested food present in his droppings, and he doesn't lose any weight despite his increased appetite/eating, then I wouldn't worry too much about it. I would however be weighing him every single day, at the same time of day each day (first thing in the morning AFTER he poops but BEFORE he eats his breakfast is best), and then write it down with date, time, and weight to track it...I'm only saying this due to Cairo's recent illness and a lack of a diagnosis for what was actually wrong...You want to be sure that it's not something like PDD or Macaw Wasting Syndrome that was causing his illness in the first place, as a ravenous appetite with weight-loss and undigested food in their droppings are some of the main symptoms of these types of diseases. I'm sure it's not anything like this, as his behavior, personality, attitude, etc. are normal now, but you just never know...If I remember you do have a digital scale to weigh him with, so it's a "just in case" kind of thing for the time-being, due to what he just went through with no official diagnosis...

I don't remember, did your Vet run a test for PDD? How about ABV?