Molting

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Molting
Molting happens about once a year, they get cranky, itchy and are down right uncomfortable. Plus they look terrible. Lots of baths helps.

What Causes Parrots To Molt?

What causes birds to molt has intrigued scientists for years. Parrots have the same molt mechanisms that all birds share. It is a very complex process that has been difficult to sort out and fully understand.

Some birds live in harsh climates or depend on food sources that are only available periodically. These birds have evolved to have their molts at exactly the right season - when food is plentiful, their babies have flown away and the weather is mild. Parrots are less exacting because they come from areas where the temperature is tropical all year long and food is always available. But the basic mechanism of parrot feather molt remains the same.


It has only been in the last few years that the process has begun to be understood. Normal molt has nothing to do with temperature or new feathers pushing out old ones. It has everything to do with a natural hormonal rhythm that all birds maintain.

Will My Parrot’s Personality Change While It Molts?

If your parrot lives indoors in artificial light and molts only an occasional feather, its personality will not change. If your parrot has gone through a normal summer breeding cycle during which its sexual hormones surged, it will quiet down and become less aggressive during its subsequent molting period.

Many parrots become less active and moody while molting. Your pet may not be as affectionate with you as it normally is. Parrots will scratch themselves more as the new contour and head feathers sprout.


Does My Parrot Require Special Care During Molt?

Feathers make up a considerable portion of your birds weight and take lots of energy to regenerate during molt. So, next to the rearing of young, your pet’s nutritional and metabolic needs are greatest during a full molt. Molt is also a period when stress to the bird’s body is increased.

Your parrot should have no problem undergoing a normal molt, if it is fed a balanced diet. Molt is often the time when large parrots fed unbalanced, sun flower and safflower seed diets or small parrots fed primarily millet, run into trouble. That is why I suggest you feed a name brand pelleted parrot diet.

Be sure your pet’s environment is not excessively hot or cold.

Most parrots enjoy being misted off with a spray bottle all year long. But they seem to especially enjoy it during molt. Be sure your pets toenails are not over grown because the bird will be scratching itself as the itchy pin feathers begin to mature.

Normally, mature parrots are pair-bonded to a mate, who helps groom and remove the feather sheaths from new feathers the bird can not reach. You can gently roll these new head and neck feathers with your fingers to accomplish the same thing.

There will be a lot of extra dander and scale that you will need to vacuum up. It is also helpful to install an air filter.