Feather Problem - Galah

Hi everyone,

I am new to this forum. Apologies in advance if this post finds itself in the wrong part of the site.

I am the proud owner of what is now a two year old Galah. His name is Peanut. I purchased him from a reputable breeder nearly two years ago, in January. He was 3 months old at that time. About one year ago, his feathers started undergoing change. Many turned white. This led me to speculate that he was half-lutino. However, the aesthetic changes starting turning physical. His feathers have slowly degraded. He is losing them daily, and they are getting to be very scruffy. He has essentially lost all his tail feathers now, and doesn't have nearly enough flight feathers to sustain even a controlled descent.

Unsurprisingly, I am starting to worry. I took him to a vet about six months ago. The vet suggested dietary problems. Consequently, he's been put on a vitamin rich diet. This has been to no avail. His cage is big. It is filled with toys. He gets lots of time with us. He's happy. His appetite is good. There are no behavioural manifestations of ill-health.

I am now at a loss. I am wondering if anyone could help. I have done my fair share of research. The symptoms seem remotely indicative of beak and feather, but the progression of feather loss has been slow, and his health is otherwise good. Further, he has had zero exposure to any other animals. Therefore, there seems to be no basis to draw an inference for beak and feather.

I have attached some images for reference. Two of when he was a baby, and one of his current state.

I highly appreciate any assistance that can be thrown my way.

RoseBreastedCocky

What exactly are you feeding him?

It could be a possibility that he's over preening or rubbing up against stuff and that's why he's losing feathers/changing colors.

Can you provide us with some pictures of the feathers that fell out and a set up of the cage?

I'd be worried too, going by those pics. Where are you located, because he needs to see an avian vet, not just a general vet.

Hello, and welcome to the Parrot Forums family!

Yes, I can imagine that you would be sick with worry over this? Do you have any clearer pics of his current state?

And a few questions.
Is the vet an avian certified veterinarian?
What tests did he/she run before coming to the conclusion that the issue was likely diet-related?
What is Peanut's diet now, and what was it before your discussion with the vet 6 months ago prompted you to make a change over to a more vitamin rich diet?
Does he ever aggressively preen?
Do you know any of the people who brought home Peanut's hatch mates?

Thanks for your response, Jiannotto. I am feeding him a mixture of pellets, seeds, fruits and vegetables. Seeds are kept to a minimum because he tends to ignore the pellets when seeds are there. He also gets the occasional left-over junk food, such as pasta, red meat or chicken. Preening may be a possibility, but one of my concerns is that the new feathers are coming through oddly-shaped.

I will snap and upload those photos as soon as the sun rises this morning.

Hi Wrench and Anansi. Thank you both for the prompt replies! The vet was a general vet. I live in Melbourne, Australia. I'll book an appointment with an Avian vet promptly. The vet did not run any tests, she eyeballed it. Before I consulted with her, Peanut's diet was as it is now, minus the pellets, and with less regular fruits and vegetables.

The breeder is a breeder that one of my friends uses for his pet store. The pet store is a part of a large chain. I have seen a number of his Galahs in stores, and they've always been in stellar shape.

Yeah, if she eyeballed it you definitely need to find an avian vet. A condition like that deserves far more attention than a simple off the cuff diagnosis. When you find your new vet, he/she should definitely be taking blood tests, as well as testing for disease... most notably PBFD. I pray that is not the issue here, but I can't ignore the possibility since the feathers, as you've described them, are actually starting out malformed. Such can also happen with damaged follicles, but you've had him since nearly the beginning. You'd know if he'd had a history as a plucker.

The seeds should only make up a very small portion of his diet. like a treat. And red meat should never be given. Once in a while, baked or grilled chicken/fish can be offered. But beef and pork should never make the cut.

The problem could also be a congenital issue of some sort.

How are his droppings? Are they the correct proportion of green, white and clear? And if you have a gram scale, has his weight remained largely consistent?

Hoping for the best for you and Peanut. I love galahs, they are great birds.

Hi, I am truly sorry to see your RB2 like this. I am enclosing a link below which may answer some questions for you.

Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease (PBFD) in Birds

Please concentrate on the best AV you can find especially one that has experience of this disease and if you can dump the seed and the junk food and concentrate on giving her the best nutrition you can, loads of veggies it can only help.

Any pasta given should be whole grain. No red meat or pork as stated above. Seeds and red meat are high in fat and since living in a cage limits the excercise they are far from beneficial to birds. What pellets are you feeding him? Also how much light is Peanut getting?

I would check the droppings to see if they're watery and constantly change the cage lining to monitor dropping and check for any signs of vomitting. Also can we get a good picture of the beak?

Thank you for joining the forums!

I cannot imagine a more comprehensive approach than what Stephen (Anansi) has advised. While we always hope feathering issues are dietary, genetic, or mechanically environmental, a thorough avian veterinarian workup is crucial.

Please keep us advised of Peanut's progress! Hoping for the very best of news.

Yeah, I'm hoping it isn't PBFD. An avian vet is definitely necessary but hopefully this could just be a matter of dietary or environment. It's also possibly that some follicles could be damaged due to scratching up against stuff. Do you shower Peanut at all? Also how dry is it where you live?

Hoping for a good outcome for you all...

Hi all,

Overwhelmed by the helpful responses. Thank you all. I have booked an appointment with an avian vet for 9 November. I will keep you all updated.

His droppings are well formed. Nothing to distinguish them from a cockatiel I used to have, including size. Seeds will be minimised or cut from now on, and no more lamb cutlet treats will be given. He is a smaller Galah, so I will be giving him more fruit to keep his weight up. The Pellets are called 'Nutri-Blend' by Vetafarm.

He gets plenty of time outside his cage. He only really stays in there when he wants to. The doors to his cage are generally open. Gets plenty of sunlight, too. Gets heaps of love, and gives heaps of love.

I've attached images as requested.

I can't tell whether his beak is peeling in that picture or not.

Mind me asking where did you get the cage from and what brand it is?

It kind of looks like those cages from Amazon with no real brand? Does anyone else with more knowledge know of exposure to toxic metals may cause this?

RoseBreastedCocky said:

Hi all,

Overwhelmed by the helpful responses. Thank you all. I have booked an appointment with an avian vet for 9 November. I will keep you all updated.

His droppings are well formed. Nothing to distinguish them from a cockatiel I used to have, including size. Seeds will be minimised or cut from now on, and no more lamb cutlet treats will be given. He is a smaller Galah, so I will be giving him more fruit to keep his weight up. The Pellets are called 'Nutri-Blend' by Vetafarm.

He gets plenty of time outside his cage. He only really stays in there when he wants to. The doors to his cage are generally open. Gets plenty of sunlight, too. Gets heaps of love, and gives heaps of love.

I've attached images as requested.

Click to expand...

Hi, so nice to see this. Just a small point that veggies are more nutritious than fruit, which should on the whole and should be fed as a smaller portion than veggies. You can of course add things like quinoa, wholewheat pasta, brown rice to the veggies. By experience Galahs will always go for seed first so perhaps feed a very small amount at the end of the day as a treat. Everything crossed for little Peanut.

jiannotto9492 said:

I can't tell whether his beak is peeling in that picture or not.

Mind me asking where did you get the cage from and what brand it is?

It kind of looks like those cages from Amazon with no real brand? Does anyone else with more knowledge know of exposure to toxic metals may cause this?

Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure the original poster is from Aussie, and that cage is an AviOne cage, which on this side of the Tasman at least (NZ) is about all we have to choose from in terms of quality. My two, my Mum's and my MIL all have AviOne.... I could be wrong here but if that is the case it won't be the cage.

itchyfeet said:

jiannotto9492 said:

I can't tell whether his beak is peeling in that picture or not.

Mind me asking where did you get the cage from and what brand it is?

It kind of looks like those cages from Amazon with no real brand? Does anyone else with more knowledge know of exposure to toxic metals may cause this?

Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure the original poster is from Aussie, and that cage is an AviOne cage, which on this side of the Tasman at least (NZ) is about all we have to choose from in terms of quality. My two, my Mum's and my MIL all have AviOne.... I could be wrong here but if that is the case it won't be the cage.

Click to expand...

Yeah OP is Aussie. The cage does look a bit crowded so it could be possible that Peanut is damaging feathers on the toys. Once again a vet is the only way to know for a fact if it is medical, something to do with the diet, or environment.

I definitely hope it's not PBFD.....How often is peanut getting a bath?

Hey guys. Apologies for the delay in getting back to you all. The cage is from the pet store, I really can't comment on brand, unfortunately.

Honestly, we haven't bathed him in a really long time. He's never really enjoyed it, so we haven't imposed it on him. Should we do it anyway?

Appointment is tomorrow. I'll let you all know what the Vet has to say. Very anxious.