Lorikeet First Molt

My baby rainbow lorikeet (4months) is going through his first molt, he is extremely irritated, doesn’t want to play and bites very painfully (he has never done so before this). Very alert and crabby at anything that moves. He use to love his spray baths bit now he is just angry at everything. He use to jump to his cage door when he sees me cause he wants to play, now he nips me if my hand gets too close. Is this normal behavior? if not, are they anything I can do to help him feel better?

It's okay-- they (parrots) do get cranky or sensitive to touch (sometimes both) when molting. Try and make sure you just keep it non-stressful and as positive as you can from HIS perspective...Treats he likes, less contact if he likes etc.


I have never owned a lorikeet- but what you described is true of many molting parrots. There are lorikeet owners on here who know much more than I do in that respect and I am sure they will chime it shortly.

Hi BirdDisaster, welcome to the Forums to you and your lorikeet! What is his name by the way?

You can expect crankiness from your bird during moulting. If he's not interested in playing just let him be, it's normal. He may quickly switch from being interested in playing to giving you a swift bite if one of those sensitive new pin feathers is disturbed, so do be mindful of that. You can also help by gently removing the sheaths of new feathers in places your bird cannot reach, like the back of his head and neck but again, make sure this is done on his terms. Most lorikeets LOVE a bath and this will also help loosen those sheaths on new feathers and make them easier to remove. If you are misting with a spray bottle, just make sure the spray is not directed into his face, rather aim above the bird so the mist falls like a gentle shower of rain.

Once again, welcome aboard, and we are looking forward to seeing some pics of your baby!

http://www.parrotforums.com/technical-support/6287-how-post-pictures.html

(This is a very subtle hint )

Hey, thanks for the advice! The little baby has been named Truck/Truckie by my younger sister. He has been rather unpredictable behavior lately, I don’t seem to know what he wants, he wants out of his cage, but gets angry and bites the chair and headphones in anger(?) I can’t tell whether he is enjoying playing with them or just very angry with them as he was very angry squawks while biting his toys and other objects. I place a blanket over his cage to partially cover it and put him in dim light, he calmed down a bit, is this okay to do?

He has gotten his bath! Not quite interested, but I decided to get him clean anyways, he doesn’t seem to mind the water that much. Hopefully he’ll feel better soon, as he nips and claw grip are getting a little painful, and he can’t seem to decide on what he wants at the moment, but I suppose the molting is annoying him, he doesn’t want to be touched at all.

Pic will definitely be shared soon! It’s night right now, so Im leaving the baby to get as much sleep as possible.

You shouldn't cover them at all until bedtime--as in, at lights out, as you leave the room- unless your bird is in transit and super scared of travel (which is optional), in shock after an injury, or very sick (in some cases).


They are super sensitive to light and light cycles regulate their hormones, mood and immune health.
Covering during the day startles them and messes up their light cycles, so it works for a short time, but if it's done enough it can make the behavior worse and be harmful to their hormones/health/mood etc

If he isn't biting you, it's probably not anger, but could be defending himself if he sees those objects as a threat-- parrots DO like to show off and bite objects though. Careful with what he bites though (for health reasons).

My bird goes crazy over hats, sunglasses and socks! Gets super showy and then takes them and does this weird routine of slamming them around.

This is a nice basic behavior abd then general bites info
https://lafeber.com/pet-birds/bird-behavior/