Molting?

[ZephyrTK]

How can I tell if Emmy is molting or about to molt?

I am only seeing 1-2 pin feathers anywhere on her. However, she is in very rare form lately. She is fidgety beyond belief, has tried chewing any part of my skin that is imperfect off of me and has been screaming incessantly. She is also acting a little weird about coming out of her cage at times (she will run away or will put one foot on my finger and grip the side of her cage with her other foot and beak.). She is also taking water bowl baths more often than usual. I am not seeing any feathers fall off of her or in her cage.

Is she going into a molt? Is she hormonal?

 

[94lt1]

My sun is and has been constantly molting since we got him.. he was 5 mnths old and mostly green with some orange... now he's got yellow and gold and all sorts of shades of those colors exploding on him. He's 7 months old now..

On my birds you can feel the pins when you scratch them deeply.. infact if you hit a pin he they will nip at you usually and let you work it out for them..

She could be hormonal.. how old is she?

My sun has also been running from me some times... and dodging my hand when I go to pet him.. but that's also how we play... he dodges my hand and then runs over and pounces my hand and gently nudges my fingers until the stop moving...

Then he'll look away, I'll move my fingers and he screech and flap his wings and run a way..he's a trip

 

[MollyGreenCheeks]

There is a clear difference between losing an occasional feather and molting. Birds will lose some feather year around as they get damaged and some general wear and tear. Molting is the seasonal process of replacing the majority of a birds feathers in an orderly fashion.

As for the personality change, if Emmy is beginning a true molt then this could be a cause but I think it may be more. When my Green Cheeks molt they enjoy bathing more and don't like to be handled as much unless it's very delicately. Their molting does not seem to cause any other noticeable changes.

It does sound like it could be hormonal. Keep in mind that just like people, parrots go through periods where they want to be left alone, may not want to talk, etc. Make sure Emmy's getting proper nutrition and clean water several times daily and the cages/living area are kept clean.

If you have real concern that something may not be right, I'd recommend a vet visit.