Darkened feathers?

[GreenWing]

Today I took Tiki to get her usual manicure (I don't know how to do it myself yet), and the store clerk commented that Tiki's feathers were darkened and that she was acting "stressed out" (Tiki didn't want to be handed by them to get her nails trimmed).

Tiki gets plenty of attention every day with a variety of fresh foods. Her cage is next to a window; although I'd like to take her outside with me as I do in the warmer months, this time of year in Portland it's really cold.

I'm going to take Tiki to the avian vet this week to make sure she's okay. Does anyone have anything to add/share about darkened feathers? I want what's best for my bird and I feel unease that she has darkened feathers.

[Michael]

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[GreenWing]

Thanks, Michael...







Thanks in advance...

[Michael]

Ok, they're not "darkening" they're showing stress bars. Are you sure these are new feathers and that the bird wasn't like this previously? Do you feel she was greener before?

When I got Kili, she had stress bars galore. Didn't know any better at the time. But by the end of her first molt, her plumage became really cleaned up.



Remind us of your feeding schedule, diet, weight, and weight range.

[GreenWing]

According to the clerk, who trimmed her nails a few weeks ago, her feathers were fine then and she saw the change only yesterday when I brought her in. Tiki weighs 106 grams and will be 1-year on January 20th. She gets a variety of food, she eats better than I do! Lol. An example of her foods: I would feed her a bit of organic banana with some whole grain cereal in the morning and dinner later, such as a bit of egg and apple or kale. Her pellet mix would be provided, too which is Sleek and Sassy mix, a local brand from Ashland, Oregon that has a mix of seeds, dried fruits and vegetables and some pellets. As you know I have recently been working on getting her on a feeding schedule but do you think that change is stressing her? I really can't figure out the reason behind the stress bars. She gets 13 hours of sleep but could use more sunlight; this time of year it is dark by 4:30 and she isn't outside with me due to the winter cold (and the wind from the Columbia river gorge adds to that chill). I set her on the window sill so she can get some light on her...

[Michael]

Ok, first of all birds don't usually get stress bars in just the span of a few weeks. It usually takes that long just to grow a new feather and they don't all come at the same time.

If you want my advice for the healthiest looking plumage (and thus most likely the healthiest overall bird) is don't bother feeding anything else but a high quality pellet. I know you think you're feeding the bird well by giving all this variety, but it in no way ensures that it is getting the nutritional balance it needs.

I've been feeding my two parrots almost exclusively Roudybush pellets in two very limited meals per day and their plumage is outstanding. I think there are a few other pellet brands that yield similar results to owners but this happens to be the one I go with. The pellet mix you are feeding sounds like junk because everything else mixed in diverts the bird from eating what is actually most healthy. From the way I understand your description of your food management routine, on one hand you are reducing total overeating so the bird is becoming less hormonal, BUT you are feeding a lot of junk food so the bird still isn't getting optimal nutrition.

The best thing you can do for starters is to get a high quality pellet. Transition the bird to it. Free feed it exclusively for about a week or two. Then go to twice a day unlimited feedings of just this pellet. And only after everything is comfortably settled there, we can talk about diluting things using all the other fun foods and setting up motivation.

I don't want to discourage you from seeing the vet (in case there is some underlying health problem hat isn't related to the food) but what it sounds like to me is that it's just an unhealthy diet and that the vet can't do anything besides recommending a pelleted diet (and I know which one they'll recommend because that certain company buys off all the vets). If your bird is still molting (you see a lot of colored feathers falling out regularly), I would really encourage you to make the swap now. If the molt is already over, then there is less urgency but it should still be done. I think it's ok to feed those sorts of foods to the bird in moderation as treats and for fun, but they can't be the basis of the diet. First you must establish a healthy criteria and only then can you venture away from that with all the fun foods, not the other way around.

[cml]

Stitch has quite dark feathers as well, particulary on the wings, he's looked that way since he was a baby. Its his baby feathers, and he hasnt had his first molt yet (he's 1.5years old so we are kinda waiting on him molting, Leroy has had his first [and very long] molt).

I asked the vet about it, when they had their complete health exam this last fall, and he said it wasnt anything to worry about and that he was sure Stitch would get brighter feathers with his first molt.
Both parrots are on a pellet diet with supplemental fresh foods a few times a week, as most of you know, and the vet was sure it wasnt stress related.

Seeing kili looked the same as a baby, maybe its related to young birds?

I know it can be stress related, or come from a bad diet, but I know niether is the case here, and Leroy's plumage is awesome after his first molt =).

[GreenWing]

Thanks, Michael. You've been such a tremendous help and I really can't thank you enough. I'm looking into purchasing the Roudybush now. I had no idea that pellets would be the most important aspect of feeding a parrot; I always thought fresh foods were. Should I get the same kind you give Kili and Truman? How many should I give to my juvenile bird? What kind(s) do you recommend for a young Sennie?

Stitch has quite dark feathers as well, particulary on the wings, he's looked that way since he was a baby. Its his baby feathers, and he hasnt had his first molt yet (he's 1.5years old so we are kinda waiting on him molting, Leroy has had his first [and very long] molt).

I asked the vet about it, when they had their complete health exam this last fall, and he said it wasnt anything to worry about and that he was sure Stitch would get brighter feathers with his first molt.
Both parrots are on a pellet diet with supplemental fresh foods a few times a week, as most of you know, and the vet was sure it wasnt stress related.

Seeing kili looked the same as a baby, maybe its related to young birds?

I know it can be stress related, or come from a bad diet, but I know niether is the case here, and Leroy's plumage is awesome after his first molt =).

Hmmm, that's possible. From what I remember -- and looking at her feathers in my profile pic -- her plumage was brighter during the summer?

[GreenWing]

CML, you were right on the money!

I took Tiki to the avian vet yesterday, and hours of driving and a hundred bucks later, you can say I am mildly annoyed with that store clerk who sent me on a wild goose chase.

TIKI IS FINE. In fact the vet said she had the healthiest dung of the day, lol. She doesn't have "darkened feathers" or even stress bars. She has yet to have her molt which she bypassed last Fall. Although we are flighting Tiki, who turns 1 year in a couple of days, she has not grown out her clippings because she has not had her molt.

*Facepalm*

[cml]

CML, you were right on the money!

I took Tiki to the avian vet yesterday, and hours of driving and a hundred bucks later, you can say I am mildly annoyed with that store clerk who sent me on a wild goose chase.

TIKI IS FINE. In fact the vet said she had the healthiest dung of the day, lol. She doesn't have "darkened feathers" or even stress bars. She has yet to have her molt which she bypassed last Fall. Although we are flighting Tiki, who turns 1 year in a couple of days, she has not grown out her clippings because she has not had her molt.

*Facepalm*

I am glad Tiki was fine, I am sure her feathers will be brighter with the molt. We just have wait for our little fellas to start molting !