Blackened Feathers On Green Cheek Conure

[Miles]

Hi!
I have a 17-month-old Green Cheek conure. His feathers are blackened on the tips quite strongly. I have read many things about what could be causing it, from diet to over-preening. I've changed his diet from mostly seeds to Roudybush Mini Maintenance Pellets, which he loves. His weight is good. He's active and spunky. I have read that a lot of petting can cause this, and Miles is an extremely cuddly bird and loves to be petted and scratched. He also preens habitually when he wants cuddles, which is very cute because he literally lets me do anything with him during these times.
Is this something I can remedy without compromising the cuddling and petting, maybe by changing his diet? Also, is there a reason for concern regarding this, or is it a pretty minor issue?

 

[foxgloveparrot]

Hi, welcome to the forums. Pictures would help a lot. If you are worried, consult with your avian vet.

 

[Laurasea]

This is usually stress and over preening. Things could be great now, but the feathers won't change till the molt out, and grow new ones in.

It has zero to do with petting.
I cuddle and pet mine all day long .

A good diet should also have parrot safe veggies and leafy lettuce green's, with fruit more on the berries side and only a couple if times a week. Mine love all veggies like bell pepper, red chili pepper, romaine, Swiss chard, green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, cooked sweet potatoes.
Peas I use frozen and just thaw sbd serve. Everything else is fresh. Never use canned.

Offer spread out on a plate or use bird skewers to hang up, even pushing them through cage bars. Expect a lot if waste. Justv serve in addition to his normal diet. Dont give up if doesn't eat them right away, sometimes it takes months. Even my budgies love every veggies I offer.
My last picture in this thread show I offer them sometimes

Enrichment ideas, share yours

I'm often posting how I use ceiling hooks abd heavy weight fishing line to create what I call an aerial gym. I attach foraging stuff, stuff to chew, and treats to find to keep my flock busy. So now I will share examples to inspire you. Hopefully you all will share yours to inspire me too! this...

www.parrotforums.com

 

[Miles]

This is usually stress and over preening. Things could be great now, but the feathers won't change till the molt out, and grow new ones in.

It has zero to do with petting.
I cuddle and pet mine all day long .

A good diet should also have parrot safe veggies and leafy lettuce green's, with fruit more on the berries side and only a couple if times a week. Mine love all veggies like bell pepper, red chili pepper, romaine, Swiss chard, green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, cooked sweet potatoes.
Peas I use frozen and just thaw sbd serve. Everything else is fresh. Never use canned.

Offer spread out on a plate or use bird skewers to hang up, even pushing them through cage bars. Expect a lot if waste. Justv serve in addition to his normal diet. Dont give up if doesn't eat them right away, sometimes it takes months. Even my budgies love every veggies I offer.
My last picture in this thread show I offer them sometimes

Enrichment ideas, share yours

I'm often posting how I use ceiling hooks abd heavy weight fishing line to create what I call an aerial gym. I attach foraging stuff, stuff to chew, and treats to find to keep my flock busy. So now I will share examples to inspire you. Hopefully you all will share yours to inspire me too! this...

www.parrotforums.com

Alright, thanks! I want to try the chop idea. Miles is due to molt the end of this month, so I'll wait and see if the blackening disappears.
I'm glad petting isn't the problem, because it would break my heart (not to mention his!) if I had to stop petting him!!!
Speaking of which, what is the deal with the "don't touch them anywhere but their feet" crowd? I couldn't imagine owning a bird and not touching them. I could sort of understand why not touching them, but I couldn't do it. Miles begs me to touch him all over, and very occasionally it does stimulate male behavior, but I stop at that point and give him a break, switching to playing peekaboo or doing a recall session to get his attention off whatever it is he's trying to do.
Is this truly a problem in general, or is it something individuals must deal with...individually?

 

[Laurasea]

Never heard about feet only touching...
Don't pet down back, that does stimulate them.
Its best to just pet head neck