Poor Coloring

[dyeman]

I am the owner of a small pet store in NC. We deal primarily in birds and small animals and supplies. We do our best to provide a clean, safe, stimulating environment for the birds. Thats some background, now the problem:

We purchased 2 Male Red-Sided Eclectus from a local breeder. One as a family pet that my wife had always wanted and one to offer in the store because we have always been enchanted by these birds. We were told they were from the same clutch.

They were both fed Hagen hand feeding formula as babies. Once weaned, they have been fed Hagen Tropimix (A quality blend of fruit, nuts, hulled seed and pellets), fresh fruits and green veggies as well as the various flavors of beak appetit at times.

The Eclectus at home is beautiful and affectionate and a real joy.

The Eclectus at the store is dingy with dark spots mixed in and under the green. He will lay in my hand and obeys the up command well, but is rather nippy.

I am assuming that the bird at the store is stressed being around strangers and other birds, but I had not had this problem with other species, including Greys and I was concerned.

I am planning on taking him home to see if he improves and if so, will offer him privately to a quiet home, but I thought I would put this thread out there to see if you had thought other than the obvious I came up with.

Thanks in advance,

Scott

[kensbuns]

I do know that eclectus tend to like the quieter side of life and you may be hitting the nail on the head. I would also get him vetted this could also be a sign of disease. Good Luck!!!

[The Outlaw]

Here's Carolyn's reply:

Hi Scott,

Sometimes we must put on a detective hat to figure out life's little mysteries, so here are a few questions to consider.

*Does the bird at the store lie on his back in the hands of employees? Many ladies use lotion on their hands to avoid dry skin, and any type of oil will cause the feathers to look dark and dingy.

*Does the store bird get regular baths? If he indeed has oil on his feathers, you could use a few drops of mild shampoo to bathe him and see how his feathers look without the excess oil. Generally, birds should be shampooed with water only. Shampoo should only be used to remove oil or sticky substances.

*Do both birds have the same diet? If the bird at home is getting more fresh foods, which are necessary for Eclectus health, he would look better than the bird at the store where fruits and veggies might be less readily available.

*Does the store bird possibly ignore fresh foods and live on seeds? An all seed diet is an incomplete diet and can cause the feathers to look exactly like you described. You might offer fresh foods first thing in the morning and dry foods only after the colorful fruits and vegetables have been eaten.

*Does the bird at the store get as much loving affection as the bird at home? Every parrot has its own unique personality and that could account for the difference in the way they react to people. It is possible that the many customers in the store stress the bird that lives there. Maybe he could go home with you at night for more time with you until you take him home full time.

*Eclectus usually experience their first molt around the age of seven months and sometimes their feathers look quite ratty just before they molt. It could be that the store bird is more active and therefore has more wear and tear on his feathers, especially if he lives in a smaller cage.

If none of these ideas seem to account for the difference in feather quality and personality, I would advise a vet check for the store bird. Parrots with a low grade infection often have poor feather quality and are nippy simply because they don't feel like being handled.

Best of luck solving the mystery.

Carolyn