I'm headed to petco friday, but I'd like to try and help him out more so at home. Jean's recently EXPLODED in pin feathers. There's just a ridiculous ammount. I expected some here and there, but he's starting to look a little like a fledgling chick (sorry no camera folks) and I have been trying to give him scritches and baths every day to loosen em up and help him out but I think what I'm trying to do to help is just making it worse. I feel bad for him, 6 months ago I came home with a fully feathered and semi aggressive sun conure, and some how or other I've got a multi colored hedgehog on my shoulder. Also, he's got a tiny bald spot on his chest, and you can't really see the pinfeathers unless you're close to him and petting him. He's got new feathers that I have been able to scritch enough of the casing off with his permission (I don't touch the sensitive ones) and that just makes him look a little more awkward. It's kind of like watching a teenager becoming an adult even though he's 4.

It's molting season. Increase the humidity and give baths. Morning not night. Molting is stressful so take that into consideration. Enough sleep etc.

You can increase the protein a bit. Small amount of egg or beans with grains. Dont go overboard, it depends on what he gets right now. Feathers are all protein so they will assimilate and hopefully push him through.

Watch for blood feathers on the wing and tail and try and protect them. No crowded cages or roughhousing or banging walls. They each take about 4 days.

YOu dont really have to loosen the casing, he'll figure it out. My 4 month old had no problem figuring what toys to use to do it.

He can loosen everything himself except his head. He will do those on a toy or something as Cindy said. If is is clipped you have to wait until the blood is out the new wing feather before clipping again.

the worst ones are all over his head, you can't pet him without feeling like 30 of em, I've been watching him when I haven't been out grocery shopping or job hunting or at class, he's not really working the casings off by himself. The casings on his wings and tail I don't even touch because the one time I tried to get a look at them he started flailing and screaming and I had just touched his wing so...none of that. Protien you say and morning baths?I have been bathing him every other morning with me I am not one for night time showers. I have a humidifier down here I'll put it a few feet from his cage to try and fix him up with that and while that's going I'll go make him some hard boiled eggs. Thank you so much guys.

Just show him. Like on a perch or something. Hold a small perch over his head and touch it. See if he gets the point and goes for it himself eventually. It sounds dumb but they need birds to show them and you're a bird to him. If not dont worry, my male budgie doesnt do so great with the head either. I think they're a bit mopey during this time. He looks like mange right now.

Mange is better than rainbow the hedgehog here :LMAO:

Thank Goodness, I am not the only one who has a "rainbow hedgehog" in the house! I am really glad this came up since my daughters 6 month old went into a molt a few weeks ago and looked so bad that I took her to the vet and had her tested for every disease they could think of! The tests were all negative and now she is covered with pin feathers just like described here. I'm bathing her twice daily and slowly they are coming out. But she had me really worried for a while.

It's nice to know I am not the only one going throught this!

Nope, not just you. Unless the bird is a juvenile all parrots in the Northern Hemisphere should be going through a molt from around July 15. But it's really scary when you're not familiar. The head looks like mites.

Your juvie molt just happened to coincide with the seasonal molt. But you should be seeing down and contour feathers, ime, not a big primary wing molt in a six month old. Pin feathers could be excess protein if it keeps happpening so I'd want to cut down on that. Especially animal protein which I dont believe in anyway but plenty of people disagree. I just give a bit of egg very rarely.

Thanks! I got my first parrot just a few months ago. My daughter (who is 20) decided she couldn't live without one and had one a month after me. I had read three books before getting my sun conure and have gotten many more since. I thought we were doing it all right but then Davey started looking horrible! I do realize now that we also switched her from a bad diet to a very good one with a proper pelleted based food and LOTS of fresh produce. Thinking the change in environment and diet may have had a lot to do with the drastic molt.

It is all contour feathers and down from what I have seen. She has only lost one primary feather since being with us and I think she lost it due to being clumsy! About four days ago I realized she was COVERED with pins and have been gently petting her all over to help loosen them up. She is sweet as can be and lets me try and help her.

Yet again, I am so glad this forum is here for "newbies" like me!

joey is loosing a nbunch of feathers and i can see little nodules on top of his head.... they have stuff at pet store for pinfeathers has anybody heard if its good or not..I am going to pet store in morning... so will get the whole name........ its apparantly made of the oil they use.themselves........ i didnt really read up on it at the time as it was not needed then..........