constant molt

[wilkiecoco]

Kiwi doesn't seem to have a molt once or twice a year, but seems to shed feathers constantly. Right now he is in a heavy molt - he shakes and the feathers are flying. He also has lost about three tail feathers in the last day. Is this normal? Could the cold weather be affecting him - meaning could he be losing more feathers because it is so cold outside and in the house?

There are no bald patches on him, just a small area on his neck where it seems less full than normal.

I also remember Linda mentioning a heating lamp (Aviantech or something?) she used but can't remember the name. I am thinking of getting it for him, as I am worried that the cold weather is too rough for him at night. Any help would be great! :)

[NickyBeth]

Mine seems to be stuck in that rut too. I'm in Florida...it's constantly 65-70 degrees at least (except for this freakish past 10 days) and mine sheds all the time. I'm just chalking that up to the fact that because it's warm, they shed what they don't need. Mine isn't suffering from anything that I know of/can see/has been tested for either.

My hair sheds constantly, so does my mother in law's. Other people like never EVER shed their hair...I figure it has to be the same way with feathers!!

[Chickobee]

Our birds lose feathers all year round but right now lots of them are molting so the feathers are everywhere. I was thinking maybe I should make lovie feather pillows! :whistle:

As long as you're not seeing bald spots and Kiwi seems healthy I wouldn't worry.

We don't use heat lamps but we do have a heated perch in each cage where the birds can warm up if they want to.

Unless your house gets below 55° at night or it is drafty I wouldn't worry about Kiwi being cold. Think about how warm and cozy a down comforter is!

We had quite a long cold snap here in the Seattle area before the holidays and all the puddles were frozen. Then when they started to thaw Dave saw flocks of birds taking baths in the freezing puddles. Yikes!!! Granted, these aren't birds from Africa, but it still had to be really COLD.

[wilkiecoco]

Chickobee and Nickybeth - thanks for the replies!

I think I may have found the culprit, although this is only speculation. I sometimes, not often though, use Poop off to clean some of Kiwi's perches in between his normal cage cleaning. This is the third time that I noticed the dropping of feathers after use. He definitely preens more, and in retrospect, he seems itchy. It was an "ah-ha!" moment!

He is back to normal now, one week post Poop off use. No more feathers flying around, at least no more than usual. I am going to stop using the cleaner for now, and see what happens. :)