Feather darkening

[snuffkin]

My almost one-year-old Hahns Macaw has started getting darkened, almost black looking feathers on his wing tips, is this discoloration? cause for concern or normal??

I've only noticed it in the last week or so, but i have no idea what to make of it.
His behavior seems normal and he's preening and bathing as usual. He also has a UV light above the cage.
His diet is Zupreem fruitblend pellets and fresh fruit and veg (broccoli, carrots, apple, peas, sweetcorn, red pepper, kiwi fruit etc) I also give his calcivet supplement in his water.

I called our avian vet but he said it could be a number of things and he'd have to see him - I thought i'd ask here first.

Thanks in advance,

[GlassOnion]

They're called stress bars, which are pretty self explanatory. I would get him off the Fruity pellets and switch to a better brand; I would highly recommend Harrison's and Golden O'bles.

Also, how much sunshine does he get? I would take him outside *IN A CARRIER* or a harness at least 3x a week, 20minutes each. Vitamin D3 from sunshine very important for feather/beak health and for proper calcium absorption.

[snuffkin]

I've been considering switching to Harrisons for some time but had been putting it off to be honest - I will order some today. Won't the diet change in itself be even more stressful?

He's outside two or three times a week when weather permits with an aviator harness so sunlight shouldn't be an issue but it's been quite gloomy these last couple of weeks.

[snuffkin]

He is a spritley, friendly and very happy parrot, these dark patches have come as a bit of a surprise, his behaviour has not changed, assuming it must be a nutrition thing

[GlassOnion]

Some birds show reaction to dyed foods, like Ekkies. Not sure if that could be it for your Macaw, but who knows..

[Grey_Moon]

As others have said, these are stress bars.

The causes are pretty numerous though so unfortunately can't necessarily tell you why exactly your little guy is getting them. Could be anything from diet issues, allergies, stress to disease (fungus and liver issues are two in particular). So I'd say just because he seems normal, remember that birds are prey flock animals and will hide illness symptoms until its too late, so please do contact a vet and get him looked at.

I would recommend another pellet over Harrisons, particularly if liver issues might be present as the high-potency as it is high in fat. I have found them not to be worth the hype or price, given that they're full of allergen-triggering/lower quality food (like corn, sunflower, soy and peanuts) and not entirely organic.

[snuffkin]

Thanks, yes definitely worth moving him over onto those, he has had these biscuits since he has been with us, would signs (due to this) only be becoming present now?
I have spoken to my vet, who is excellent he said it does not sound urgent and can look at him in a week...

[snuffkin]

Also...there seem to be a range of pellets, helping with different aspects, do you know which would be best for my little guy?

[jayebird]

Those don't look like stress bars to me...

Stress bars form while the feather is developing and are dark or blanched lines that run across the feather and shaft. They do not form on already developed feathers. Stress bars don't really tell you what is going on with a bird right now - they're like a record of something the bird was stressed about while molting or growing that feather (like a vitamin deficiency, change in environment, or some sort of infection, etc.) Stress bars are like the rings of a tree trunk...a record of how things were going at the time of growth. Stress bars are often accompanied by ragged feather growth - maybe there look to be a few on his tail feathers possibly? BUT, his primaries that the pictures focus on seem to be beautiful, good quality feathers and darkened tips aren't a typical presentation of stress while growing...especially if you just recently noticed that the color is changing on already completed feathers.

Here are some good pictures so you can get an idea of what stress bars typically look like:

http://www.anafricangrey.ca/forum/uploa ... _29479.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v117/ ... ssbars.jpg

http://pionusparrot.com/pionusforum/ind ... 3009;image

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VQsNVG1782M/T ... %2Bbar.JPG

...so any other news from your vet?

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For a pelleted diet: I've had good experience with Roudybush, but I still supplement with a fresh mash and Nutriberries (Lafeber's.) I would actually recommend Lafeber's pellets only because they're not extruded or heated to as high of a temperature so that the vitamins stay intact better. However, I have found that a lot of birds really like Roudybush and it's not at all bad so I say just go with the maintenance formula. You're right that some sudden diet changes can be stressful - but there are a few ways to switch to pelleted diets that won't stress your bird out. There's instructions for how to do this right on Roudybush's website and their pellet packaging, too

[GlassOnion]

Oh wait, when I commented, I couldn't see the pictures. Were they uploaded after you made this thread? Yeah, those don't look like stress bars. Roudybush is good, but if you look at the ingredients list, Harrison's, and especially TOPS and Golden O'bles, they contain many healthy things. Roudybush is just mostly wheat and corn with vitamins.