Stacey W. relates:
Hi! I have a beautiful 2 1/2-year-old caique named Sir Herbert (Herbie for short).
And he has been exhibiting increasingly excessive scratching over the past months.
Sherry S. writes:
HELP! I have a Greenwing Macaw who is almost 30 years old. He has been with me since he was 2 years old. I have been told Greenwings regurgitate more than other breeds.
It seems he is especially bad this year and it’s been going on for months.
Mary W. relates:
We’ve talked about the differences between molting, preening, and plucking in a post found here.
Molting is misunderstood and usually viewed as nothing more than a nuisance.
We have 10 birds in our home.
That means they’re going to shed between 50,000 and 70,000 feathers combined, annually!
Feathered factoid: Ducks have 10,000 or more feathers and swans have upwards of 12,000+.
Bonnie D. wrote:
I have a question for you.
The reason for my switching to Hagen Alternative Formula was because it had no soy or corn.
But I noticed that it has peanuts in it.
I was always told by my vets that the greys shouldn’t have peanuts (or too many) because it decreased the calcium in their bones.
What is your take on that?
I’ve combined several questions in this post, all related to feather care, you know those hundreds (thousands) of lighter than air floating things around your home, under the birdcage and on the floor.
Feathered factoid: small pet birds like budgies can have 4000 – 6000 feathers.
Larger parrots can have upwards of 8000 feathers (we count them coming out of the shop vac).
Waterbirds like ducks and swans have upwards of 10,000 feathers or more.
Brandi T. seeks cockatiel advice:
Hi! I’ve been reading and learning from you guys for the last 8 years.
So I’m really hoping you have some advice for me!
Recently we’ve adopted a female cockatiel, Roxy.
She came from a high profile hoarding case here in Michigan.
She’s one of over 200 animals who lived under garbage, in cages of twenty plus birds, most of which were eating their mates and young.
Lisa K writes:
I have a very hormonal lovebird.
Very. Hormonal.
To the extent that he is wearing the feathers away from his body from rubbing against his perch and his tail is all scraggly from grabbing it with his foot to balance himself.
At first, I was taking him to the “best avian vet in the state” who wanted to give him monthly shots at $45 a pop.
