Abnormal Yellow Feather Coloring on Macaws

[Many Feathers]

This one has been plagueing me. I have a very large pet Scarlet macaw who put on over 600 grams following a major relocation this past year. (I believe she was overeating from stress.) I first noticed lumps around her vent that I thought were growths, and then bigger and more and more over the following weeks. She seemed OK otherwise, and wasn't sick or anything. One day I realized that the lumps were fat blobs and that she had become obese; avian cellulite...eeek! At or around the same time, she plucked all the feathers off her back. I had to put her in a cage after we moved because of the difficulty figuring out how to unpack & set up here. She had lived on a tree perch for 3 years prior, and I don't think she appreciated being in lock down. I've got her weight down now, with just 125 grams more to lose to get back to where she normally is. Her back feathers are also growing back in, but they are coming in yellow! I am freaked out that she may have fatty liver or liver damage from becoming obese. The only other times I have seen feathers grow in yellow is on 2 baby macaws that belonged to someone else that were both put on medication, and on 3 different adult macaws that all were constantly given thyroid medication. (none of my birds) I am guessing, that internal organ damage or dysfunction somehow affects or interferes with normal feather pigmentation. Or maybe the yellow pigment is jaundice? This one has been in the back of my mind for a while, but now that Alex's rump & back feathers are coming in yellow instead of blue, I am actually a bit freaked out. Any help with the answers to this one would be greatly appreciated.

[Monica]

Guess would be a poor diet (though I doubt that you feed so many birds a poor diet, you seem familiar anyway), the feather follicles were slightly damaged hence the odd coloring, or stress on the body, another thing that can cause unusual feathers. If none of these are the cause then there may be an internal problem... Might have to take her to an avian vet to get her checked out.

Oh btw, I've seen your site plenty of times before, very useful information! Think though that I have possibly seen you on another board before though unsure of it...

[Many Feathers]

She will overeat when given the opportunity to do so, and will go into the other bird's cages and eat their food. I had to restrict her total calories to get her to lose the weight. All the macaws get the same & some get additional supplements depending upon their needs. I feed Volkman Avian Science-no sun, zupreem fruitblend pellets, fresh fruit & veges, chopped natural whole grain bread and I make and feed everyone fresh sprouts 2 to 3 times a week. The macaws get mixed nuts & sunflower, too. The parrots and cockatoos do not. My overweight macaws do not get walnuts or sunflower & their other nut intake is restricted. I've wondered if it is feather follicle damage, because she plucked, and noted that damaged follicles will produce unusual colored wing and tail feathers in the past. This time, I don't think it's the case because the quill and barbs are developing normally, and they wouldnt be if the follicles were damaged. The quill usually has a twist to it and barbs are sometimes uneven on the damaged follicle feathers

[The Outlaw]

Another thing you may want to consider is sending one of the feathers to Avian Biotech for a feather assay. I'm sure your scarlet will not be pleased when you pull one out, but it might speak volumes.

I suspect that diet has to be part of the problem. I notice that you don't mention fruits and vegetables or perhaps I'm just missing something. I don't really care for any pellets and avoid them, so I can't help you there. I have a female BG who started plucking last summer and who had a ton of tests run. They all came back just fine, she is very active, seems extremely bright and happy and her feathers shimmer and shine. She seems in all ways extremely well. She was transplanted to me from Minnesota earlier that year when her original owner got very, very ill. I haven't a clue why she continues to pluck.

The fatty deposits do bother me, however. I think she needs some blood work. How old is she, anyway?

THE OUTLAW

[Many Feathers]

If you go back, I did mention fruits and vegetables, too. In fact they make fun at me at Costco every week when I am checking out sometimes because I buy such huge quantities. They ask things like are you a vegetarian?, or say things like you must have a huge family to feed or must be having a party. My refrigerator is always packed, plus I make sprouts. I have been sprouting for 3-1/2 years. I believe variety is the key to a healthy diet and you need fruits and veges also for the living enzymes. Its not diet. Its something else.

[Many Feathers]

I checked Alex's back this morning, and the newest feathers are coming in the normal shade of blue. It looks like the problem is temporary and is going away now. Time will tell.