| Sherri |
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Reply with quote | #31 |
First of all, it could be stress. The oddest things stress these guys and girls... right down to moving their favorite perch. But having said that.... here's some info on feather development and stress bars...
The black areas of his feathers are on the tips, so whatever was the cause (most likely nutritional), it was primarily when the feathers were first forming, then resolved.
Baby feathers (of birds in general) are typically duller in color and softer (i.e. not as strong) than feathers will be when he molts for the first time. This is because baby birds must grow all of their tissues (bones, skin, organs) and feathers all at the same time in a very short period of time. This process requires alot of nutrition to support it, and sometimes babies do not get enough to keep sufficient nutrition going to all parts of the body. The body directs nutrition to the most important areas, which means some other areas may get less.
But typically speaking, once he has completed most of his growth and reaches the juvenile stage (vs. baby), he will no longer need to grow every part and tissue from ground zero...he will start to molt his feathers a few at a time. Since he will also be on a good diet in your home, his new feathers will have plenty of nutrients to be strong and brightly colored. You may even notice, as he starts to molt and replace his baby feathers, that he has a mixture of bright and dull feathers...the dull ones being the baby feathers, and the bright ones being those he formed and molted in after his baby stage was over.
Then, when all of the baby feathers have molted away and replaced by bright new feathers (parrots do not molt all at one time...they molt several feathers each month -some months alot more feathers than in others - and a complete molt of the plumage for an Eclectus typically takes a year), he will be a beautiful bright green (which shade depends on the subspecies).
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| Lisa |
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Reply with quote | #32 |
my ekkie is an 8 month old male. he does not have normal coloration. he has a very broad band of red around his neck. i have searched the internet and other than a random mutation i cannot find out any info. does anyone know anything about this??? |
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| Frank |
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Reply with quote | #33 |
Black areas on eclectus feathers can be caused by a low level of vitamin D. Our avian vet told me that the vitamin D levels in the majority of parrots that she tested (including eclectus) in NYC was low. You can visit an avian vet that can test your parrot companion's vitamin D level. Discuss the results. If it's low then you can ask your vet to help you with a solution (i.e., sun light, adequate "avian" light, etc.) to address the cause. There are parrots, including eclectus, with black areas around otherwise colored feathers that have been diagnosed with low levels of vitamin D. When the D level is raised and kept at a consistently acceptable level, the black areas around feathers do not return after the next molt.
It's a good practice to have vitamin D levels checked with or without symptoms such as black areas in colored feathers. Avian nutritionists inform us about nutrient levels, relationships and balances. If vitamin D levels are low in eclectus and other parrots then other essential nutrient levels, i.e., calcium, are probably out of balance, and, or not good, too. Over time, black areas around feathers could be the least of a bird's obvious problems. Malnutrition is the root cause of about 95% of health problems in companion parrots. Black areas around feathers are (yet another) early warning sign that something that could be corrected may not be right with a parrot companion.
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| Pat |
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Reply with quote | #34 |
Most of the post read are for male ekkies having these black feathers. This is a friend of mine female, who is recently showing black on her chest feathers. She is on a natural colored pellet, and fresh foods daily. She was recently set up with a nestbox for breeding, and has laid 2 clear clutches of eggs.
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| Jen |
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Reply with quote | #35 |
Michele,
Regarding the legume mix you are including in the daily mix, is it raw? I learned that beans have to to be cooked at least 20 minutes to change something in their chemical composition to make them ok for parrots to eat.
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| Frank |
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Reply with quote | #36 |
I suggest that you have his vitamin D levels tested. If they are low then dicuss an intervention program with an avian vet. Your ecelctus may need more sun.
Frank
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| Glorianne |
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Reply with quote | #37 |
Hi, I have a male eclectus, about 2 yrs old, that has also developed black edges to his wings. He has a good diet, not high in fat at all and I'm sure he is not stressed. He is very affectionate and there are no young children around that are loud. I am told that it could be a condition that is opposite to albino, where there is too much pigment. Hopefully it won't get much worse! |
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