Expert: Chrys Meatyard - 7/13/2006

Question
there is one thing about the feathers. when one falls out, another one won't grow back in its place. whenone does manage to grow back, it breaks or falls out once it reaches a certain length. is that abnormal? if so, whats wrong? thanx!
-------------------------

Followup To

Question -
i have had a teil for five months and at the pet store i got it it had its wings clipped. Every time a new feather grows in it falls out. Can you  tell me why please. thanx

Answer -
Hi, Heather.  Thanks for posting.

At 5 months of age, your new tiel is most likely molting.  Parrots molt for the first time at about 6-8 months, then again at about 12 months.  After their first year, they molt once per year.  Molting is the process where a bird replaces every feather on it's body with a new feather.  This is a gradual process and not all feathers fall out at the same time...the process takes around a month.  When a feather falls out, a new feather is growing in right behind it.

Chrys

Answer
Hi again, Heather.

I apologize for misunderstanding what you were trying to say in your post.  

I'd say your tiel has some type of medical issue associated with it's feather loss.  I recommend you seek avian veterinarian assistance to find out what the problem might be because it is not normal for this to be occurring.  I don't know what this problem might be for your tiel.  It could be dietary, it could be developmental, it could be lack of the right type of lighting, etc.  An avian vet (not a cat/dog vet, but an exotic animal vet) would be able to run certain tests to rule out or confirm medical reasons for this problem.

Chrys