Broken Feathers On Parrots Back?

Sajil

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Hi there,
I recently got a green cheek conure who is now 7 months old. When i got him, he still had quite a few pin feathers as he was 15 weeks at the time, and he also had what looked like broken grey feathers on his back, but i just assumed they would go away as he got older.
However 3 months later, he still has them, although the feathers on his head seem perfectly fine and soft.
Hes a happy, playful bird and he doesnt seem to over groom. He is a bit of a picky eater. What could be the cause of the broken feathers and what can i do to make them grow normally?
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Hi Sajil.....
Please, please arrange for your bird to be checked out by a specialist avian vet as soon as you can. I am concerned about the feather condition there and want to ensure that there are no underlying health issues causing this, in particular I would encourage you to have the bird tested for PBFD.

What diet does your bird have and does this include fresh vegetables and fruit.

If you do not have a vet then please let us know which county you live in and we can advise you of the nearest specialist
 
:welcome: I agree with Tomsmum, also it looks like your bird has had some feather clipped, this could be causing stress and perhaps he is pecking at his feathers. Best to get him check by an avian vet.
 
Having a close look at your bird the feathers have been chewed. can I ask have you noticed any bits of feather in the cage when you clean it? ok I will recommend a avian vet visit Just to rule out any underlying medical conditions the feathers that are left all look formed properly. you may have to wait till his/her next moult before he will look better. at first I was thinking PBFD but on a closer look I do not think it is that problem but I will state I am not a vet and must advise you to have him/her checked for that condition. how often dose he/she get sprayed? Sorry for all the questions. Diet can also play a part but also keeping him occupied when he is in his cage can be just as important. hiding his food and using toys that make him search and stay busy. Ok I have seen this on a conure that was in an aviary but it was caused by another bird but my concern is he is still damaging his feathers so I do think he is over preened by his own actions.
 
Okay, so i have looked back at pictures of Vinny from when we first got him, and I'm mistaken, the broken feathers started appearing around the 3rd of november. He does spend the majority of the time outside of the cage and doesn't put too much of a fight when its time for bed, but it is possible he could be chewing on his feathers then.
He eats largely sunflower seeds, as that is the thing he beelines for always. He eats fresh pears and apples, and i provide him with corn, grapes and those seed mixture treats. Like i mentioned, he's a very fussy eater, so he does not touch things like bananas, leafy greens, carrots and most other things i have tried to get him to eat. I will add some more toys into his cage to provide him with further distractions.
Do you have any advice about how to get him to eat different kinds of foods? Because it has been something i have been worrying about for some time but he will simply throw them away even when i try to hand feed him.
 
New foods, always try first thing in the morning, and hand hold them for him if needs be. I do this with my Amazon with a warmed piece of steamed sweet potato first thing, so that I know he has had some Vitamin A. You need to try cutting down on the sunflower content, as although conures are active, the fat content is very high. Have you tried peas, either thawed frozen ones, or the fresh sugar snap peas, also strawberry, raspberry, blueberry.
 
Diet can be the problem in many cases keep the sun flowers as a treat or for training buy a good seed mix with out nuts and sunflower seeds. See if you can get some Johnson and Jeff lean and fit or similar mix.
 
Looks like feather snipping to me too (ie. he is snipping the feathers with his beak). As has been mentioned an avian vet should be your first port of call to rule out any physical cause.

I would stop the seed mixture treats... they are usually full of sugar (honey etc.) and not very healthy (empty calories when you want him to be filling up on fruit and veggies). Would he try mashed sweet potato if you pressed something he likes like corn on top? I got my Pionus to try other foods by putting things I know he likes on top of the food I wanted him to eat. Then gradually I would mix it in slightly.

Is he interested in what you are eating? If so you could share something healthy with him. Vit A is so important for the health of the immune system, mucus membranes, feathers and skin, so please keep trying with beta carotene (precursor to Vit A) rich foods like carrot, squash, sweet potato, sweet peppers, chillies, broccoli, papaya, mango, orange melon etc. Also try cutting veggies into different shapes. A bird might avoid carrot rounds, but love carrot sticks.
 
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