moth bitten feathers??

[muggsy]

Hi there,new to the board and just finding my feet!!
Need a little advise,noticed recently one or two of my peach faced lovebirds looked as though they feathers had been moth bitten?
Two separate instances,both cock birds in separate breeding cages,not affected the Hens.
Any theories?
Thanks

[Halo]

I'm thinking the females are aggrivated and are picking on the males feathers.

I've never heard of moths bothering feathers. I'm not sure the bird would stand still for that and I would think the moth would bother everyone, not just the males.

[guest1717171]

or the males could just be over preening their feathers
some of my cockatoo's feathers look like moths have been eating them but i know its just from when she was destroying them herself

[guest1717171]

welcome to the board by the way lol

[muggsy]

Thanks for your replies.
First reply makes sense.
I know its not moths but what I meant is it has a moth bitten appearance(if that makes any sense!!).
Great board by the way.

[Halo]

LOL Gotcha. Don't mind me, I tend to go off on tangents quite often.

And I forgot to welcome you as well so welcome This board is awesome... I love it!

[Indy]

It is possible your love baby needs more calcium and other nutrition. Feathers are living parts of a bird's body and need good nutrition including calcium to grow. Try the web site LadyGouldianFinch.com for liquid calcium to add to the water (including bath water) and other good nutrients.

The other possibility that comes to mind is infestation by a parasite (microbial and thereby invisible to the naked eye) on the feathers. I use a few drops of the solution called "Sparkle" in my love babies drinking AND bath water. Sparkle helps keep water clean, free of parasites, and aids in the cleansing of microbes in the intestine, beak and throat.

I theorize that "Sparkle" might also help keep the feathers free of parasites, because it is in their bath water. After a good bath, the Sparkle may help discourage microbial growth on the feathers.

If nervous behavior due to boredom is involved, however, your love baby may be over preening his or her self. Proper distraction (including toys in the cage, and music playing since Lovebirds just love music) may discourage destructive over preening leading to that mottled, moth-bitten appearance.

[Addicted to Tequila]

It is also possible they are about to molt. Dudders gets that way a bit before a full molt. Not sure if it is from him "worrying" the feathers... or they just start to degrade a bit just before falling out.