ScooterNScotty Hyacinth Macaw
Join date : 2011-05-24 Age : 63 Location : Southern California My Birds : Scooter
* "Normal" male Green-cheeked Conure
* (hatched 3/2010)
Scotty
*male Cape Parrot
*(HD unk ~2008)
Blanco (Caballo Blanco)
*Whitefaced male cockatiel
*(HD unk, found 4/2012) Posts : 2248
| Subject: Do malnourished birds have a heavier molt upon improvement? Wed Aug 08, 2012 4:03 pm | |
| Blanco has been molting like gangbusters ever since we moved. At first it was flights and tailfeathers, then down and crest, now we're back to the big feathers.... everyone has been molting, but I'm beginning to wonder if he's going through them all a second time.
I seem to remember that Scooter did something similar when we first had him home. I put it down to lighting influences as he seemed to stabilize after I put in full spectrum lighting on a timer, but now I wonder if restoring good nutrition is a factor, since that is common between the two of them.
Anybody have any experience with this? | |
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henpecked Hyacinth Macaw
Join date : 2011-05-18 Age : 67 Location : NC/Fla My Birds : Jake hen YN (his)
Stacy hen YN (hers)
Kia male Panama
Kong hen Panama
Nitro male YN
Micky male Red Lored
Binkie hen YN
Many other Amazons Posts : 1372
| Subject: Re: Do malnourished birds have a heavier molt upon improvement? Wed Aug 08, 2012 8:40 pm | |
| I'd say it's a good chance better diet brings on a heavier molt. A malnourished bird can't reproduce feathers like a healthy well feed bird. Nature seems to have a way with things like this. If the nutrition is lacking maybe only a limited amount of the feathers are replaced . Then good ole Deb comes along and saves the day.
I also think many birds have major and minor molts during the year. | |
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