galah moulting?

[strudel]

I tried searching but didn't come across the info quickly....

When are galahs supposed to moult? My girl seems to be losing feathers at the moment (middle of summer and REALLY hot). Do they moult in summer and how often do they moult? Once a year? More?

 

[Jayyj]

As far as I know and trying to remember from a book I read several years ago, wild galahs moult once a year over about 150 days, so it's a long slow moult in which they're always in full flying condition.

Alice has a main moult that goes in fits and starts, starting in June and finishing around September, but for some reason she also has a mini moult in January. She's also had feathers that have lasted well over a year as she took well over a year to completely grow out her wing clip. I predume moults are triggered by seasonal conditions so I guess it's natural things get a bit mixed up when they live indoors with us.

 

[Betrisher]

Dommie does something similar. He moults at the end of winter, but it's a long, slow process and is sometimes repeated toward the end of summer. Right now, his poor old head is a-bristle with pin-feathers and do you think he'll let me scratch them for him? Not on your nellie! Of course, if you go to pat him on the head, you're just as likely to hit the end of a pin-feather and he hates that. Vairy occasionally, he'll allow me to pinch and scratch at the rotten feathers and when he does he just about purrs with contentment. Next time I try, though, you can depend he'll be at me with beak blazing! Go figure!

Forgot to add: the Beaks seem to moult twice too. Their main moult is at the end of winter, when they drop their tails and primaries in dribs and drabs. Then, by the middle of summer, all the contour feathers and secondaries are shed in what seems like a secondary moult. The Lovebirds just moult once. For a few weeks, there'll be gorgeous little jewel feathers all over the place and then suddenly it stops. Just like that.

 

[strudel]

Thanks, unless there's something wrong with her, I think she's definitely moulting. Apart from the dropping feathers, I saw some new feathers coming through all red which I gathered are these "blood feathers" I'd seen mentioned. She doesn't seem to like getting patted on her head as much when she's got a prickly head, I gather it's uncomfortable for her. Her beak is a safe patting zone at the moment. (I said in OP that it's the middle of summer, obviously it's not, it's towards the end).

I've never really noticed her moulting, although that's probably because she was in her outdoor house and she's been indoors with us.

 

[Jayyj]

Yeah, the red spikes are blood feathers. They should go white then you can help break them up a little - but hit one that's not ripe yet and you'll know about it. Water sprays help in moult season as well, the only time Alice seems to enjoy them.

 

[chucka]

Hi Strudel im in WA too up the top in port hedland and my galah is still molting she seems to molt from november to march, some months heavier than others

 

[OOwl]

For what it's worth, my guy is molting, too, and he has been all winter. Well, as much as a "winter" we get here in the deep South.