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tail feathers breaking???

Posted: Tue Mar 16, 2010 6:54 am
by gregt
i have a 7 month old pastel blue that i hand reared from 4 weeks old,the tail feathers keep breaking about two thirds up from the tip,they grow back look good for a short period then break off again,does anyone know of this..cheers guys.

Re: tail feathers breaking???

Posted: Tue Mar 16, 2010 11:05 am
by smallworld
Hi, though calcium and thyroid problems can cause weak feathers, the thought that hit me was PBFD. Its possible that their feathers break easily if they've this disease.

I dont want to alarm you and there are other reasons but is it possible that your bird may have have this disease? I really hope it isnt but you might want to check it out with a vet.

Re: tail feathers breaking???

Posted: Tue Mar 16, 2010 3:53 pm
by gregt
hi thanks for the reply.that was my first thought too but its been with other birds that are in good feather..is this possible or would they all have it??will check with a vet though..cheers greg

Re: tail feathers breaking???

Posted: Wed Mar 17, 2010 1:04 am
by smallworld
Hi greg,
its possible that those other birds were healthy carriers of the disease or were not yet exhibiting symptoms at the time(if it is PBFD). The disease affects birds under the age of 1 year rapidly because they have a weaker immune system than their older counterparts. The latency period in adults can be longer. It all depends on the immune system. In any case you better hurry to check it out with a vet. Because if it is PBFD, you will want to quit exposing newer birds to the carriers and everything will have to be sterilized. Also I should tell you that the prognosis for a bird with PBFD under the age of 1, in terms of life expectancy is not great.

I do hope that your bird just caught his feathers in his cage or has a thyroid problem or a metabolic problem of some sort...

All the best!

Re: tail feathers breaking???

Posted: Wed Mar 17, 2010 8:40 pm
by Melika
Does your bird have "night frights" or is in a smaller cage where the feather get bent? Or perhaps a perch in a place that bends his feathers?

Some birds will bite off crooked feathers. Sometimes cage-mates/play-mates will bite of the tips of each other's tails as well.

In a vitamin deficiency you would be seeing feather problems all over their body. And I believe with PBFD you would be seeing feather loss (with no regrowth), not just the end of it? Or abnormal feather development and not just in one feather.

Re: tail feathers breaking???

Posted: Wed Mar 17, 2010 8:47 pm
by gregt
hi melika he is out or the cage during the day and goes in at night,i have notice he seems to be chewing his feathers a lot and when they break he holds onto them chewing and playing with them,his cage set up is ok plenty of room havent noticed night frights nothig really scares him tho. cheers greg

Re: tail feathers breaking???

Posted: Wed Mar 17, 2010 8:50 pm
by Melika
Sounds like he might be overzealous in his grooming habits.

Does he have any preening toys? Sometimes they can help distract him from preening his own feathers.

Re: tail feathers breaking???

Posted: Wed Mar 17, 2010 8:58 pm
by gregt
mmm,he really only chews the tail feathers off..im not sure wat you mean by preening toys tho..sorry he has ropes bells etc and branches to chew but most of the time hes on the curtain rod..cheers greg

Re: tail feathers breaking???

Posted: Wed Mar 17, 2010 9:08 pm
by Melika
Here is a good article, also addresses safety concerns for preening toys.
http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww37e.htm

Toys with lots of little itty bitty ropes/feathers to preen instead of their own feathers like some of these are examples:
http://www.chopperstoys.com/CatalogPickPluckPreen.html

Re: tail feathers breaking???

Posted: Wed Mar 17, 2010 9:16 pm
by gregt
ahh gotcha now..thanks for that..yeah hoping its nothing too serious will take him 4 a checkup too tho just to be sure..cheers greg.

Re: tail feathers breaking???

Posted: Thu Mar 18, 2010 12:48 am
by smallworld
Yes please do take him to a vet as soon as possible. Though it is possible that it is nothing serious, it is always better to be safe than sorry.

Re: tail feathers breaking???

Posted: Sat Mar 20, 2010 3:37 pm
by Melika
Tsume used to bite off his crooked feathers- and put a curl in Hane's tail once too!

Any news from the vet?

Re: tail feathers breaking???

Posted: Sat Mar 20, 2010 11:38 pm
by smallworld
Yes do let us know how it goes :) I hope everything went well!

Re: tail feathers breaking???

Posted: Sun Jun 06, 2010 6:47 pm
by gregt
hi every one,an update on astro,he is doing really well now.we gave him some toys and upd his fruit and veg.the vet said there was nothing wrong so it was a nutritional problem.his tail has stayed in good shape for a while now,more than i can say for his toys..thanks everyone.

Re: tail feathers breaking???

Posted: Mon Jun 07, 2010 5:54 am
by smallworld
Good to know he's A.O:k :D But its funny though because the other birds were fine with the same diet.