Hey everyone,
So I'm asking about a parrot which isn't my own, but belongs to my girlfriend's family/parents. They didn't ask me to ask....they have a vet and will no doubt consult him but I'm just very curious and feel somewhat (perhaps oddly) invested in his well-being. I volunteered at petshops when I was younger to give the parrots there extra attention/care, and we used to have an amazon parrot when I lived in Guatemala as a kid, so I'm very fond of these animals
I'm far from an expert, but with a lifetime of experience keeping a variety of animals (reptiles/amphibians/birds/ferrets/dogs) I think I have a pretty decent general understanding of animal health and well-being.
I've met this bird on a few occasions. He's a really nice, healthy looking bird (perhaps somewhat spoiled!) who gets fed a varied diet including lots of fruits and veggies, though apparently he is somewhat selective/finicky about which items he picks out. There have never been any outward signs of bad health, certainly nothing like feather plucking going on (this animal gets ALOT of attention and stimulation, I can assure you). He just looks very....fresh and I daresay virile He's always real happy. Singing, talking, just doing what parrots do.
Anyway, the animal has recently developed some dull looking feathers towards the posterior end of its body. As far as I know the ends of feathers are 'dead' the way that our hair is...so just mostly composed of keratin or something like that. I can't imagine that they would suddenly become discolored, that way that a plant with a nutrient deficiency might...I figured maybe he's just molting his feathers or something, but I honestly don't know. I've included a few pictures to show the animal in-situ (and getting his nails filed ) to show that he looks, as far as I can tell, like a pretty healthy bird. Also one showing the dull feathers. Does anybody have any experience with this? Does this require some type of corrective action or will it probably resolve itself?
Thanks in advance!
Vincent
So I'm asking about a parrot which isn't my own, but belongs to my girlfriend's family/parents. They didn't ask me to ask....they have a vet and will no doubt consult him but I'm just very curious and feel somewhat (perhaps oddly) invested in his well-being. I volunteered at petshops when I was younger to give the parrots there extra attention/care, and we used to have an amazon parrot when I lived in Guatemala as a kid, so I'm very fond of these animals
I'm far from an expert, but with a lifetime of experience keeping a variety of animals (reptiles/amphibians/birds/ferrets/dogs) I think I have a pretty decent general understanding of animal health and well-being.
I've met this bird on a few occasions. He's a really nice, healthy looking bird (perhaps somewhat spoiled!) who gets fed a varied diet including lots of fruits and veggies, though apparently he is somewhat selective/finicky about which items he picks out. There have never been any outward signs of bad health, certainly nothing like feather plucking going on (this animal gets ALOT of attention and stimulation, I can assure you). He just looks very....fresh and I daresay virile He's always real happy. Singing, talking, just doing what parrots do.
Anyway, the animal has recently developed some dull looking feathers towards the posterior end of its body. As far as I know the ends of feathers are 'dead' the way that our hair is...so just mostly composed of keratin or something like that. I can't imagine that they would suddenly become discolored, that way that a plant with a nutrient deficiency might...I figured maybe he's just molting his feathers or something, but I honestly don't know. I've included a few pictures to show the animal in-situ (and getting his nails filed ) to show that he looks, as far as I can tell, like a pretty healthy bird. Also one showing the dull feathers. Does anybody have any experience with this? Does this require some type of corrective action or will it probably resolve itself?
Thanks in advance!
Vincent