Molting bird worries me

Hi long time since i last wrote: I have a young ringneck about 19 months old, he has a couple of habits i would like to discribe to you:-
1. This bird continually preens himself lately, and has lost a large number of feathers (downey and larger tail feathers)it's like he has flea's and although he is not keen on water I have sprayed him lightly with water to try and alleviate the itch, he also seems to have been on a molt for the past 3 months is that possible. I live in SA so at the moment the weather is really hot (22 - 32deg C). I have had him at the avarian vet here, and although I was told that this bird was molting I just wanted an opinion of people who actually have a day to day love of these creatures, and not some cold clinical thought. I feel that it's an answer to pacify me. Am i being silly?

2. Does the cage have to be covered at nite, if the room is in total darkness?

3. When or how can i tell what sex this bird is, without the trauma of blood taking?

4. "He" has a sweet nature and loves to be out of the cage and has a nice enough disposition that I feel confident enough to let a 5 yr old play with him, under supervision of course, would this be a factor into the sexing of this bird - Females being nicer etc?

5. Can caged birds get bird flu, there is a suspect outbreak about 1000km from where I am, and I tend to put him outside when I am not at work, and I'm concerned that if this moves closer to me I need to take precautions with him.

 

Hi birds constantly go through a molt apart from during the winter.
A molt can last for months and the preening is no need for concern unless he is actually pulling out his feathers to the point he is bald.

Mites are another reason that a bird will over preen itself and a vet will be able to tell if it is mites, But since your vet says it just a molt then i would keep an eye on it and see how it goes..

There is no need to cover the cage at night i do with mine at the same time everynight and this gives them a routine of when its bed time and quiet time.

I do not know how to sex ring necks as far as i am aware DNA blood testing is the only way to check..

The theory that females are nicer than the males is an old wives tale, I have male cockatiels that are sweeter than the female and vice versa it just depends on the bird and how they are brought up.
If you are wanting your 5 year old to be able to play with it then i would suggest only allowing it to sit on the childs finger or shoulder for now.

Its best if the 5yr old is the one that gets the bird to come to there hand.

As for the bird flu there is a risk of him/her catching bird flu if he is allowed outside as all it takes is an infected bird to land on his cage or fly by and poop and it land in his cage that the virus will be spread.
If you suspect bird flu in your bird See a vet ASAP.

Hope i have been of some help

Mike

 

Molting solved, now food hassles

Hi, thank you for your insight into the molting, it makes a difference in knowing these things. The next problem is food. I have him on fresh veggies and fruit and I had him on seeds, my vet has told me the seeds are a no no as a meal but can be given as a treat and that the pellets are of a better nutritional value, but he hates the pellets and would kill for his seeds, I have tried to do as the vet has informed me, and have been at this diet for the past 3 weeks and he does not seem to be taking to pellets. I was also given some mixture by the vet (a type of porridge) and told to mix with either water or a bit of apple purity to encourage him to eat this, well he looks at it and then at me and has this expression on his face that reads (not suitable for this forum) and will absolutely not touch it. I give him a bowl of seeds for 20min in the afternoon and he absolutely gorges himself, I really want to do right with him but he really seems unhappy (my opinion). Although he is still his cheeky, chirpy self and just learning to talk I feel that this is putting a halt to his progress (19months old). How will I determine if this bird is of a healthy weight or that he is becoming "anorexic"

 

None of my birds eat pellets so i would just stick to his seed diet there is nothing wrong with the seeds, A normal vet does not have much knowledge of Birds and so can not tell you what is best for them.

An Avian vet is best.
Keep him to what he knows as a sudden change in his diet can make him ill.
I give my birds fresh fruits and vegtables daily too and they love it.
So if you think he is not happy go back to the method you were feeding him before.

Mike

 

The vet who i took him to is an avarian vet, so this is one of the reasons why i am confused to what i am supposed to do, this bird is THE most important thing in my life and as a single person he has my total focus, so maybe I am oversensititve to him or just being neurotic. I also can feel the breast bone on this bird is that right? I read somewhere that if you can feel the bone it's a sign the bird is a tad thin.

This bird has fresh fruit and veggies every second day and if I'm eating something at night (pasta etc) then i give him, and then bones if I eat.

 

If you can feel his breast bone then he is dangerously underweight.
Put him back on his seeds and see if he picks up as it sounds like he has starved himself because he does not like the pellets.

Like i say my birds willnot eat pellets so i have kept them on seed.
I also feed fruit and vegtables, Pasta, Boiled egg, Rice, this is all good for them, Never Feed anything that has been fried or cooked in oil as this will cause him to become overweight and cause serious problems.

Me personally would keep him the way he was when i first got him.
You know your bird better than anyone and you see him everyday so you will be able to pick up if there is something not right.

See how he goes back on his seed and see if he starts to gain weight if he needs it keep topping up his food dish a couple of times per day.

Also hang some millet spray in his cage this should only be given 2-3 times per week as it is very fatty and he will become overweight on it as all birds love the stuff and do not know when to stop eating it.
You can buy it from any good petstore.

Mike

 

Molting is healthy and normal for a bird to do. :y_the_best: