Molting or plucking??

[ILOVEKIWI]

Hello everybody
Everything was very normal, Kiwi started to preen very normally and I wasn't really worried so I left the room for a couple minutes and when I came back I found a feather. I started to panic, because I thought he was plucking and I worried about what I was doing to stress him out. While I was desperately google-ing what I should, what I was doing to stress him out, and just to make sure he was actually plucking. Then I was reminded of molting. I'm really not sure if he was molting or plucking. I'm still very worried about the possibility plucking.

So I was holding the feather while I was doing some panicked research, Kiwi came over and started to preen the feather looking at ease. I haven't heard of any other stories lf birds doing this. Is this normal?? Also then he started playing with it and kind of broke it/destroyed it. I'm really really worried and I'm taking him to the vet late in the evening hopefully. Do any of you have any suggestions, know what to do right now, or basically anything?

Any help would be appreciated.

I found this website https://www.cuteness.com/article/signs-parakeet-molting that reminded me of molting, I do think he's molting but still I don't really know and I'm still taking him to the vet regardless, just to put my mind to rest and make sure he's ok.

Thank you
Edit: He took a bath in his water bowl today and while I was drying him with a soft towel and stroking his head I spotted a pin feather, yup I think he's molting
(Also I can't take him to the vet any time before that or else I definitely would )
And he's 4 months old I adopted him when he was 1.5 months old (what the breeder told me)

 

[WhiteFlight]

Greetings,

Avoid panicking. Review, assess and engage. Recommend preventing your bird being a source of stress. Please advise if the feather was damaged prior to him destroying it.

Meisha shows little interest in spent feathers. Overall, our birds engage in recreational destruction. Recommend that discharged feathers be removed from his environment, preventing the opportunity for him to play with them. My experience with feather destruction has been with the damage occurring to an intact feather. Not a discharged feather. Recommend providing toys and other safe items for him to destroy.

Meisha does not have a dedicated molting cycle, perhaps influenced by artificial lighting. She cycles out feathers independently. The situation might be different for your Kiwi.

 

[ILOVEKIWI]

Please advise if the feather was damaged prior to him destroying it.

It was a little damaged, ruffled up and stuff (I can elaborate further if needed) Not like his other feathers.

Meisha shows little interest in spent feathers. Overall, our birds engage in recreational destruction. Recommend that discharged feathers be removed from his environment, preventing the opportunity for him to play with them. My experience with feather destruction has been with the damage occurring to an intact feather. Not a discharged feather. Recommend providing toys and other safe items for him to destroy.

I will.

Avoid panicking. Review, assess and engage.

I agree completely, I'm trying my hardest to stop.

Recommend preventing your bird being a source of stress.

Isn't really him mostly me, I love him too much that I freak out over the little things, because I know how fast these things can turn bad. Most of the time he helps me w/ my stress


Thank you!

 

[Scott]

Feel free to upload images of your bird and we'll take a look. None of us are vets or techs but have combined experience that may set your mind at ease.

Hopefully not plucking, but check out this well written discussion: http://www.parrotforums.com/behavioral/52217-plucking-search-answers.html