Molting question

[KiwiJo]

Kiwi has begun molting at only 5 months old. That part concerned me only slightly. However, he has lost two tail feathers in the last 24 hours. They are not broken and when I see his head and neck there are new feathers forming. I'm not very concerned with those. Is it normal for a bird to lose its tail feathers while molting? Does this sound like a normal molt?

[LovelySydney]

Yes this is normal. MY parrotlet started molting at 5 months old, very young. He is still going through it - mostly on the back of his head where the area is hard to reach. It is a very long process for some birds, just offer them baths as much as possible and if they dont enjoy bathing than try to mist them to help with the feather growth.

[MissV]

Luca, my sun, had a loooooong molt when she was weaning. not suprising, since the crazy amounts of color change they go through. She was like that for a good year.

Eti, on the other hand, is almost 7 months and has molted nary a feather.

Which makes me totally sad because I WANT THOSE PRETTY FEATHERS. *breeeathe*

Karis, my dusky, at about 9 or 10 months has started her first big molt. Lots of little gorgeous green feathers to collect ^^

[dmiller91]

I have read about heavier birds getting hurt trying to fly as tail feathers are lost. I doubt a GCC has a problem, but something for everyone to keep in mind. I think they need their "tail" feathers.