My Senegal molted maybe?

[shnoopydoo]

Hi all. First time user. I hope someone can help me. About a month to maybe 6 weeks ago my little Senegal Ozzy Did what I thought was a molt for the first time in his 13 years. All of his chest feathers fell out and back feathers, and now he is a little downy fluff ball. He still has his wing and head feathers. Shouldn't his feathers have grown back now if it was a molt? Maybe a nutritional deficiency maybe? He eats veggies, protien, and seeds. He's not crazy about fruit, except apples and grapes. He is not itchy or pulling out his feathers. He is his normal little nutjob self. Any ideas?? I'd take a picture of him, but my camera is dead and my cel takes crappy pics.

[cml]

Molting takes place over several weeks, and you dont really see that they've lost feathers (other than on the bottom of the cage and in our cage, all around the house.)

He is not itchy or pulling out his feathers.

Sounds like he might have started to pluck himself during night time. As you said, this can be a nutritional problem, an illness, or a psycological problem.

He eats veggies, protien, and seeds. He's not crazy about fruit, except apples and grapes.

Sounds like you are doing quite a good job with the diet, I would try to switch over to a base of pellets though, and still feed veggies multiple times a week. Seeds, in the long run and if they are the main diet, arent very good for parrots!

If its night time plucking, you can try a diet change, other than that I recommend a vet visit as plucking very often has a medical reason rather than a psykological one.
You can also put the radio on when you are out of the house, and add foraging toys and fresh branches for your parrot, to keep him entertained (this to try to tackle a possible psycological aspect).

Also, do try and post a picture, its much easier to tell from that!

[marie83]

If he is a downy mess it doesn't sound like a moult, or at least not a normal one.
Regardless of whether or not he is plucking I think at this stage you need to see a vet because they reckon 70% of all plucking is caused by a medical or nutritional problem and obviously if they are just dropping out then there is definitely something not right.
In the meantime whilst your waiting for vets it's definitely worth looking into anything that may be causing behavioural issues like changes in the house, you appearence or his routine that may have set him off plucking when your not around. Changing his bathing routines, giving him extra toys, encouraging foraging, putting a radio on a timer for when your out etc.
It will also help the vet decide if its a nutritional issue straight away if you take a list of what you give him, how much he eats, what brand, how often etc. For example I give Harlie fruit and/or veg every single day but she never ever touches any and I've tried every method under the sun to try and get her to eat it.

Good luck and keep us updated.

[pollyparrot]

I just wanted to add that if it was a sudden occurance you might also consider whther something might have scared your senegal at night. I know of a green-cheeked conure at a school that plucked over a weekend and I would not be surprized if he/she was frightened by mice or other vermin during the night.

[shnoopydoo]

Well it's been a couple of weeks since I first posted, and his feathers are FINALLY starting to grow back. And I guess I wasn't clear in my first post, his feathers did not fall out all at once, it took a couple of weeks. I have added a supplement to his water, that might be helping too.