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Parakeet Losing Its Feathers?

December 24, 2019

Parakeet Molting After Laying Eggs - woman holding a parakeet with bare spotsSo, my female parakeet, Rafiki, just recently laid 2 eggs with her mate Pikachu, male, and she is now molting. She has some bald spots on her breast area, and I was wondering if this was normal.

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Thanks for any and all help everyone!

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Bronze Post Medal for All Time! 107 Posts
December 25, 20190 found this helpful
Best Answer

Molting is a normal occurrence for birds. While your bird is molting you should keep it in a warm place and add some supplements to their diet. Your bird needs extra protein during this time. You can add some chopped boiled egg to their diet for extra protein. Also, yYou can find bird feed that is specifically designed to be fed to birds that are molting.

 

Bronze Post Medal for All Time! 105 Posts
December 25, 20190 found this helpful
Best Answer

Normally birds will do this after laying eggs. They use the features in the nest for the babies. Rabbits will pull out their own hair for the babies.

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All animals are different and there is nothing to worry about.

 
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7 More Questions

Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.

February 25, 2011

My parakeet loses his feathers and has a bald spot on the belly area. He is eating and acting normally. What possibly could have happened? We got him Thanksgiving of 2010. Thank you.

By gaboong from Fountain Valley, CA

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Bronze Feedback Medal for All Time! 168 Feedbacks
February 25, 20110 found this helpful

Have you noticed the budgie scratching itself a lot lately? Could be mites from some of the forums I've read for you.

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I'd take the bird to the vet and have it looked at to be on the safe side.

 

Bronze Feedback Medal for All Time! 180 Feedbacks
February 28, 20110 found this helpful

Please call an Avian Veterinarian and make an appt. then you will be sure of what's going on. Good luck.

 
February 28, 20110 found this helpful

I agree to taking your bird friend to the vet. Also, keets love to be held and played with. If his wings are clipped he could play outside the cage on a play stand. They love their daily baths too. Use a shallow saucer.

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Sometimes our avian friends pluck themselves when they are bored or unhappy. Other times it could require a vets attention. Try a slice of apple, or raw broccoli or carrot wedged between the bars of the cage. That should keep him/her busy.

It's worth a try. It works for my birds and i have 13 of various types. But first and foremost, see an avian vet.

 
February 4, 20120 found this helpful

Maybe your parakeet is molting. They have special food at the pet store when a bird is molting.

 
November 10, 20160 found this helpful

Why my parakeet has no feathers on its belly. Eats, and flies around in his cage fine

 
Anonymous
November 4, 20190 found this helpful

I can't afford the bill right now

 
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September 19, 2017

I have a parakeet that is molting really badly. I took it to the vet and was given oatmeal/steroid spray and have not yet seen an improvement. What else can I do?


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Diamond Post Medal for All Time! 1,246 Posts
September 19, 20170 found this helpful

Make sure that your bird has access to a birdbath, and try lightly misting its feathers with water once a day. If it consists, I'd go back to the vet, especially because what they gave did not work.

 

Gold Feedback Medal for All Time! 949 Feedbacks
September 20, 20170 found this helpful

Molting can be a normal happening but you must feel that your baby is beyond normal but what did the vet say?

  • Did the vet say this was normal and would soon heal and go away (until next year)? Or did they say it was more than that? If they did not give you a clear picture of what is wrong and how long it should last then it is time to either see the vet again (free of charge) or at least make a phone call and get a better answer - after all, you paid for an answer.
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  • Parakeets go through molting seasons pretty much throughout their little lives. Molting is the normal process that eliminates old, worn out feathers to make way for new ones to grow in, kind of like shedding in dogs and cats. Parakeets start molting when they're approximately 12 weeks old and will molt yearly after that.
  • Your parakeet should molt evenly, losing about the same amount of feathers on each side and shouldn't have any bald spots. It is normal for him to act a little crabby or sick during molting because it takes so much energy, but he should continue to eat, drink and preen himself.
  • Some things that might help: Keep him warm. Eliminate drafts and don't let the temperature in his room drop below 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Feed him a high-quality diet even when he's not molting. Good nutrition -- quality parakeet food along with fresh fruits and vegetables -- during a molt is crucial.
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  • Talk to your vet about a vitamin supplement to give him during molting season. If you don't typically provide your little one with a cuttlebone be sure to give him one when he's molting for extra calcium.
  • Spritzing your parakeet with warm water during molting season will help keep him comfortable as the shower will soothe his itchy skin.
  • Be sure he has a clean bath area available at all times. If he is not taking baths then try to change his bath area.

Bald patches are not part of molting. A bird who is losing a lot of feathers, leaving behind bald spots needs to be checked for the cause. Illness, parasites, boredom, malnutrition and dry conditions can all lead to bald spots. He is probably pulling out his own feathers. He may just need more exercise, better food or more water for baths, but he could also be ill.

 
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February 4, 2012

Our female parakeet keeps laying eggs (we have a male but he doesn't get in her cage). She is losing her chest feathers. She doesn't seem sick and she doesn't itch. Could you please help us? Thanks.

By Don

Answers

February 5, 20120 found this helpful

Maybe she's acting like chickens do... is trying to build a nest as she doesn't have supplies for that, so she 's using de chest feathers.
I remember as a child the chickens of my mother did so to make the nest warm.
She lay eggs and want little ones. Maybe if you gave her a nest plus pieces of wool, grass, little things to build a nest.

Eliane

 

Bronze Feedback Medal for All Time! 102 Feedbacks
February 5, 20120 found this helpful

Too much light. Too many hours. Like a commercial chicken. Egg laying chickens get at least 14 hours of light a day. A dark cover on cage but i don't know how is best to cut back the hours. All at once or slowly? Also she will need vitamins as she is depleted. Vet needed as perhaps too much calcium could harm and not help. Call a bird vet please before you lose her.

 

Gold Post Medal for All Time! 846 Posts
February 6, 20120 found this helpful

This is called a brood (incubation) patch and is completely normal. Since the male is not in the cage to breed with her simply remove the eggs as soon as they are laid. I learned about brood patches when I had a couple of finches (Romeo and Juliet) quite a few years ago. Here's more information about it so you won't worry that something is wrong with her:

birding.about.com/.../broodpatch.htm

 
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March 7, 2019

My female bird is losing feathers around her back and is beginning to lose them around her neck. She is currently on her 9th egg and made a huge mess in her mating box. I need to know if she's sick or just stressed.


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Gold Post Medal for All Time! 677 Posts
March 8, 20190 found this helpful

Birds have periods where they molt, or lose their feathers. I wouldn't worry if I were you.

 

Bronze Feedback Medal for All Time! 226 Feedbacks
March 8, 20190 found this helpful

You will need to take her to the Vet to be sure. Does she have anything new in her environment that may be stressing her? Is she getting enough play time and stimulation? That can be a big stressor for birds.

 
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November 10, 2014

My parakeet loses her feathers every day, but doesn't seem to have a bald spot. She's energetic and and is playful more than my male parakeet. Why is she losing her feathers?

By Sara G

Answers


Bronze Feedback Medal for All Time! 128 Feedbacks
November 12, 20140 found this helpful

I think you'll find if she's wet you may see the bald spots. If it's summer where you are then it's pretty natural for birds to drop feathers. Other than that if she's scratching a lot she may have mites - you will need to buy a mite spray for both birds. More info can be found it you Google " parrots feather drop" or general parrot breeding & care.

 
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November 29, 2014

My parakeet is losing feathers and has a kind of long beak, but the other parakeet seems just fine. Their cage is next to an energetic canary. Please reply soon I am really worried!

By Eve

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July 12, 2014

We have a pair of budgies and one started pulling out its feathers and the other one was fine. Then a few weeks later the other bird started pulling its feathers out. What do we do?

By Ashlee B

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