One of the toughest things for parrot owners, most especially those new pet parrot owners, is relying on the sense of sight when managing the health condition of pet parrots. In the wild, it is common for sick parrots to be the usual target of some predators. They use their feathers to hide the appearance of their disease until they feel well. In time, as their disease still continues, they become more inactive, and usually, their wings begin to sag. Their perching may become unsteady, which are all signs of very unhealthy birds.
Things to Observe in Your Parrot’s Feathers
There are two things to observe that will provide us a strong proof of the bird’s health turning point before it gets to that point. The first thing is to keep an eye to the parrot’s weight and also observe the consistency of its droppings. The weight loss and poor feature of its droppings may indicate the two signs of illness in our pet that cannot conceal from us. By observing these two areas, it will prevent you from coming home one day, so surprised finding that your pet is already puffed up and perched on the floor from its enclosure. It is essential to catch what might be its illness before it gets to this tough point.
To be knowledgeable with the looks of the feather of your pet is a big help to you as a pet parrot owner. Generally, the feather may not tell you directly that your pet may feel sick, but they can at least show some hints that there is something that’s not right and may assist you in tracking for an upcoming disease to your pet parrots.
What To Consider When Observing Your Parrot’s Feathers
The feather of your parrot may always be dazzling and glossy. They look and even feel healthy if you groom them carefully. However, if your pet is not meticulously clean to its feathers, then it can be considered as a symptom of illness. If your pet parrot is clean, it will lay out some oils that produce from the parrot’s preen gland, which assists in cleaning them. The venture of diffusing the oil utilizes the barbs and realigns them. By the use of these procedures, the dirt and also some debris will be removed from the parrot’s body.
On the other hand, if your pet is not preening itself, its feathers may eventually become irritated or can look like disarrange feathers, and they may even look like a dirty. You may observe some dried fecal things that are around the vent that is not be taken away by your pet. In this part, you are required to take your pet to the vet. But even if your pet is caring for its feathers, there are still some other symptoms that will bring you to the point that there is a possible problem.
Most Usual Feather Problems Found in Parrots
1. Dull in Color
If you notice that the feather of your pet may look like something dull, then the common culprit is sunlight exposure. Most pet owners, who don’t have outdoor aviaries available, usually depend on the full spectrum lighting to mimic natural sunlight. However, if your pet parrot has full access to the sunlight or a full spectrum of lighting, then the absence of vitamin D3 that supply may in time become a health problem. Vitamin D3 is required for the immersion of calcium when it comes to the bird’s diet. Calcium is considered to be essential to the parrot.
2. Brittle or Dry Feathers
The feathers of the parrot can be soft and flexible, and if you touch it, and you may not feel it dry. The dry feathers may specify a humidity issue in your home. It can be a result of the dry or itchy skin that may cause plucking in birds. Or it may eventually dry out the beak passages that may generally become an infection if it fails to address. You may observe your own hair or even your own skin if they feel dry. Usually, a humidifier will assist, especially in the season of winter which is the driest.
3. Dark Color Feathers
Dark feathers might mean that there is an overconsumption of fat in the bird’s blood. It is one of the results of the parrot’s poor diet, but this also shows some issues, and when it’s become more serious than usual, then you should take your parrot into the vet right away. Cause sometimes, this may be the result of the discoloration that your pet may need a medication that is required.
4. Discoloration
The feather of your pet parrot may have discoloration, like the black tips on the bird’s feathers, or simply the looks of feathers that are not a usual part of the normal color of the kind of parrot you have. For instance, your parrot has yellow feathers, whereas it should be green or red feathers.
This problem is another result of dietary problems, which will signify that you need to work on your parrot’s food diet, and you cannot just put it away easily. You may also consult your vet regarding this matter. Sometimes, dietary problems affect the bird’s liver, and the feather became discolorations, and this may be a symptom that there are ongoing problems that your pet may experience.
5. Feathers that Look Oily
The oily feathers may indicate something that is other than liver problems. The liver is known to be a developmental organ, but some areas that are scarred or it may be destroyed by the disease are sometimes beyond fixing. If there is more tissue in that state than healthy tissue, well, you vet cannot do some miracles, but they just assist you in furnishing some care to increase your pet’s chances.
6. Stress Bars
These bands tend to become discolored and basically become weak lines that usually run crosswise through your pet’s feathers. In some young parrot’s, they are usually the result of the environment temperature during the progress of the feather that grows as the first set, and with proper care, their feathers may still grow normally.
With older parrots, they show more serious difficulties, most especially for those without receiving the right amount of care. It’s usually caused by a dietary problem. Sometimes, it is a result of the parrot suffering from emotional stress. Antibiotics that a vet recommends may sometimes be the problem.
7. Molting
Usually, if the old feathers that require replacing get mold out, that is a natural process in parrots. However, if you experience any of the above issues, the molting process might take to be an essential level. The looks of a healthy, as well as new feathers, show that you are on a good track with your pet parrot, or there is some work that is not yet finished.
With the exception of any issues like those mentioned above, the usual factor in your pet’s feather health is its diet. A pellet or a seed only diet is not sufficient to continue the health of your pet, and then sooner, malnutrition will take place.
Video Source: Youtube
Conclusion
Now you’re more confident to assess the condition of the feathers of your parrot. It is possible to distinguish if your parrot is healthy or not through its feathers. However, you need to know the signs. Make sure that you always inspect the physical changes as well as behavioral changes in your parrot to ensure the health and safety of your pet parrot.
