8 Month old Parrotlet primary wing feather fell out

Skeet&Tasha

New member
Sep 29, 2021
4
6
Florida
Parrots
A blue pacific parrotlet named Skai (but we call her Skeet)
Hi everyone,
My 8 mo old parrotlet was sitting on my shoulder while I was doing some things around the house, and I noticed that she was nibbling on a large primary feather that I'm guessing she likely pulled out!!!!! OMG! She was holding the feathered part with her foot, and was fooling around with the shaft.

Her wings were last clipped 4 months ago on the day I purchased her , before I took her home, by the breeders. I could tell it was one of the clipped primaries as the feathers ended in a straight line.

There was no blood on the feather or on her, and she was not in any pain.

This is the first time I have seen her molt (or possibly pull out) a primary wing feather... and I am just worried sick over this ? Is this normal? I have been looking in my books and resources, but can't find much about this. I really thought the clipped feathers 'grew back" over a longer period of time, I did not think the primaries would molt or fall out.

She preens herself often, and I do find little tiny fluff feathers around but nothing really out of the ordinary. There are no spots on her body where she is blatantly missing feathers or anything. I just notice she likes to preen them quite a bit. And hoping that is normal too.

She eats a mixture of pellets, and parrotlet mixed food over which I cut the tops of broccolli (so the little sprouts separate and fall and look like little green buds) which she likes to eat daily. I also give her quinoa, oats and whole grain rice. Is it maybe a dietary thing?

If anyone has any thoughts or advice about the mystery feather... please let me know!
 

LaManuka

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Hi Skeet&Tasha, welcome to the forums!

This sounds all very normal to me, the clipped feathers do moult out naturally and a brand new one will grow from the follicle eventually. Not sure how long it takes in parrotlets but in a similar sized budgie it usually takes about 4 to 6 weeks to regrow. Not unusual that the bird will play or beak the fallen feather for a bit but they usually lose interest in them fairly quickly.

Love to see some pics of your little guy too!


Welcome to our virtual international flock, I'm pleased to have you aboard! :D
 
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Skeet&Tasha

Skeet&Tasha

New member
Sep 29, 2021
4
6
Florida
Parrots
A blue pacific parrotlet named Skai (but we call her Skeet)
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Hi Skeet&Tasha, welcome to the forums!

This sounds all very normal to me, the clipped feathers do moult out naturally and a brand new one will grow from the follicle eventually. Not sure how long it takes in parrotlets but in a similar sized budgie it usually takes about 4 to 6 weeks to regrow. Not unusual that the bird will play or beak the fallen feather for a bit but they usually lose interest in them fairly quickly.

Love to see some pics of your little guy too!


Welcome to our virtual international flock, I'm pleased to have you aboard! :D
Hi LaManuka!
Thank you so much for responding!
I was doing some readings on other threads and someone mentioned dry air and I realize on my own skin the air in here is super dry so I will look into purchasing a small cold humidifier for the room Skeet is in most.
glad to know it’s normal though thank you so much! I was terrified ! And she’s looking at me like “what’s wrong ?” As she’s just GOING at the feather and playing with it 😂

thank you for your warm welcome and prompt response

5A7984C5-CE51-4F81-8840-BDA241863F22.jpeg

Hi Skeet&Tasha, welcome to the forums!

This sounds all very normal to me, the clipped feathers do moult out naturally and a brand new one will grow from the follicle eventually. Not sure how long it takes in parrotlets but in a similar sized budgie it usually takes about 4 to 6 weeks to regrow. Not unusual that the bird will play or beak the fallen feather for a bit but they usually lose interest in them fairly quickly.

Love to see some pics of your little guy too!


Welcome to our virtual international flock, I'm pleased to have you aboard! :D
 

LaManuka

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Aug 29, 2018
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Queensland, Australia
Parrots
Fang ({ab}normal grey cockatiel), Valentino (budgie), Jem (cinnamon cockatiel), Lovejoy(varied lorikeet), Peach (princess parrot)
Aaawwwwww, she's gorgeous, and you're most welcome! You'll probably find she'll shed a few more of those primaries in the next few days or weeks which is a good thing because those primaries do need the structural support of other feathers around them.

We love anxious parents like you around here - it means you care! 🙏 (y) Hope you will stick around and share more of Skeet's adventures with us :)
 
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Skeet&Tasha

Skeet&Tasha

New member
Sep 29, 2021
4
6
Florida
Parrots
A blue pacific parrotlet named Skai (but we call her Skeet)
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #5
Aaawwwwww, she's gorgeous, and you're most welcome! You'll probably find she'll shed a few more of those primaries in the next few days or weeks which is a good thing because those primaries do need the structural support of other feathers around them.

We love anxious parents like you around here - it means you care! 🙏 (y) Hope you will stick around and share more of Skeet's adventures with us :)
You have saved me a lot of worry! I’ve been reading (and this forum for many years but never joined (I had a lovebird and sun conure years ago) but I never noticed them shedding the bigger feathers 🪶🤔
(They must have hid them from me lol!)

Honestly tho… if another feather fell out tomorrow I would have gotten really really worried so thank Goodness I posted and thank goodness you’ve told me what to expect.

I’ll be sure to give her some extra cuddles tomorrow when she wakes up .
And I will definitely be reading and sharing on the forum!

Thanks laManuka! 🙏🦜👀🪶
 

IndySE

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May 5, 2016
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Southern California
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Kermit, ♀ GCC (Green Demon)
What a cute parrotlet <3 sounds like a normal molt to me.

Fun-fact - when parrots molt their wing feathers (and I believe tail feathers), they generally do so symmetrically. Her next shed feather will likely be the same location but on the other wing! They do so naturally so they don't quite literally fly in circles :)
 
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Skeet&Tasha

Skeet&Tasha

New member
Sep 29, 2021
4
6
Florida
Parrots
A blue pacific parrotlet named Skai (but we call her Skeet)
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #7
What a cute parrotlet <3 sounds like a normal molt to me.

Fun-fact - when parrots molt their wing feathers (and I believe tail feathers), they generally do so symmetrically. Her next shed feather will likely be the same location but on the other wing! They do so naturally so they don't quite literally fly in circles :)
That is really cool I did not know that!!! But you are right because I noticed the other day on the left wing her primary 4 and 6 have grown new full length feathers to replace those that have shed and on the right side it’s primary 4 only for now … I’ll keep watching!
these are such amazing animals
 

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