Red tail...?

[robopetz]

Hi all,

I have been handfeeding a baby lovebird since he/she was 3-4 weeks old. Now 5-6 weeks old. His/Her tail is growing out to be red. The first half inch of the tail feathers are like lime green/blueish and then the rest of it is just plain red. I have never seen, heard or read about red tails on lovebirds and cant find anything by google'ing it. Thoughts?

Ill get yall a photo here soon. They (lovebird and sun conure) are sleeping right now as they just had a feeding. Thanks!

 

[MonicaMc]

Sounds like possible red suffusion, however it would show up on other feathers as well, if that were the case. Photos would greatly help.

 

[robopetz]

Ive never heard of red suffusion before, thank you. I need to look that up. Here is a photo. Its not the greatest but it was quite difficult having camera in one had and only on hand to hold Benny and try and show you his nice feathers. Heres what he let me get lol

 

[robopetz]

Sounds like possible red suffusion, however it would show up on other feathers as well, if that were the case. Photos would greatly help.

Thank you! Its no wonder I couldnt find anything, I was just searching the wrong wording for it hahaha. This is very interesting. Its just like the red african grey I saw posted over in the greys section.

 

[MonicaMc]

Should have mentioned it, but I didn't... That looks normal!

Peace | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Lutino Peachface Lovebird | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Peach faced lovebird.( Lutino variety) | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Bird-O (1992-1998) | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Long-tailed Lovebird | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Tail Feathers | Flickr - Photo Sharing!


You can kind of see the colors in the above photos. The below feathers are even better!

All sizes | Tail feather display | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Lovebird feathers | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
http://pics.davesgarden.com/pics/2010/11/23/htop/cf69c4.jpg



Red suffusion is not the same as red factor. Red suffusion is the result of a health problem.

 

[robopetz]

Health problem? Oh no, dont scare me. Ive already had to take my sun conure Charlie to the vet last week and it turned out he had a throat infection. Pls tell me more(as I google that now). Charlie is doing great, he goes in for a follow up next week.

Those are great photos btw and thank you for sharing them. Very nice!

 

[MonicaMc]

Red suffusion is caused by a lot of things, and you can't always pinpoint the cause.

However, your lovie does not have red suffusion! That's just the normal color of the tail feathers, so no need to worry!

 

[robopetz]

Whew! So then a red suffusion is the whole body thats red or majority of it right? Sorry im learning as we go with this.

I read on a site that its caused from a bad diet or bad liver. And the problem is resolved itself once you already see the feathers. Once they go through a molt those red colors to appear back. Again thanks for all the info.

 

[MonicaMc]

Honestly, red suffusion could be caused by more than a bad diet and liver issues. Sometimes it resolves itself with proper diet and supplements, other times the birds die. Some birds feathers will return to normal, however the bird itself is not normal. I've seen this in a green cheek conure.

Here's red suffusion in a lutino peachface
http://www.angelfire.com/rings/ringcage/kuya/thumbnails/400x300/Red_Suffusion.jpg

Red suffusion progression in a normal peachface lovebird. Unfortunately, even with testing, the owner was not able to figure out why her lovebird had red suffusion, and her bird ended up dying (she was put under to get blood to test for PBFD, but died while waking up, accidentally getting aspirated). All her organs tested normal and she tested negative for PBFD. Before this lovebird passed away, she became even more red, started losing feathers and weight.
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c268/baby_geek/ZoeyFront.jpg
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c268/baby_geek/ZoeyBack.jpg

And photos of a green cheek conure. No one knew for sure what she was when her owner first got her, and I was the only one who assumed she was a normal green cheek conure. This particular conure feathered out normal, but acted "drunk' any time she tried to fly, so had to be clipped for her own safety. Hopefully, the images work
http://board.birdchannel.com/Uploads/Images/55c00433-d563-4c20-b0a4-4183.JPG
http://board.birdchannel.com/Attachment581.aspx
http://board.birdchannel.com/Attachment582.aspx
http://board.birdchannel.com/Uploads/Images/c97a47fc-3017-47fc-83a9-696b.JPG
http://board.birdchannel.com/Uploads/Images/21b81bba-e1c7-44fa-9c1e-1fc5.JPG
http://board.birdchannel.com/Uploads/Images/5b625f7a-e951-4603-a672-a063.JPG


Red suffusion can affect the entire body or only parts of it. Usually, if the red disappears, this means that the bird will probably survive. However, if the bird keeps gaining more red feathers, and never loses them, it's typically an indication the bird will die "soon." Soon could be several weeks, months or even a couple of years.

I've also seen red suffusion in princess parrots, although there may be two versions of it... some will molt in red during breeding season then molt out to normal colors in the off season and the birds are unaffected. However, the other red suffusion (i.e. health problems) can also affect the feathers. Below is an image of a red suffusion princess parrot with confirmed liver failure/disease
http://www.auspigeonco.com.au/melbournebirdvet/photos/large/(21).jpg



Liver failure, if it affects the feathers, will make the feathers turn yellow, red or darken (if the other two colors are not present).



Red suffusion = not a mutation and cannot be reproduced, unless it's a genetic defect

Red Factor = mutation and can be reproduced



It's good to know what to watch out for, but at least you wont have to worry about your lovie for now!

 

[robopetz]

You definitely done your homework on this subject. I thank you so much for informing me on this. Just earlier today I thought it was nothing. Now I know, and know what to look for. Awesome info!

 

[MonicaMc]

Welcome.