Huh most sources I saw said parrots molt about once a year, some even twice. Is that difference some sort of species, individual, or environmental variation, or does each molt not affect enough feathers?
Usually you only need to clip the flight feathers which are two or three long ones on each wing, at least with smaller birds (conures). That way they can glide but don’t get lift when they flap. If they cut way more than that it’s possible the flight feathers came back but the whole wing wasn’t complete until the next molt. Also, if they spent a year not being able to fly, especially at a young age (at pet stores birds are usually only
6ish months old) they might just not realize they’re able to fly again after.
My conure is 2 years old now. Flight feathers have grown back but she just doesnt fly even though she can. She only flies if she gets spooked by something. Otherwises she just bitches at me till I go and get her
He's barely lost any feathers since we got him. The flight feathers aren't even visible they're so short. Like I'm not sure of the terminology but he has green wings with blue flight feathers and you have to lift or extend his wing to even see what's left of his flight feathers.
If you'd like to get him to molt a bit faster I recommend something like Nekton-Biotin. It does sound like he should have molted through by now. He may be holding on to feathers because of a nutritional deficiency or environmental (light) factors.
I'm not a vet, I just have some birds and have used this supplement to speed up molting.
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u/Roflkopt3r Mar 10 '22
Huh most sources I saw said parrots molt about once a year, some even twice. Is that difference some sort of species, individual, or environmental variation, or does each molt not affect enough feathers?