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Re: Feather disease question
Posted by Birdmom on 4/18/08

On 4/17/08, Andrea wrote:
Hi,
I believe these are called stress bars. There was at one time
a great picture of this in Google images, but now I can't find
it. I have a Black Cap Conure. I put him through hell a
couple years ago because I had been feeding him WAY too many
sunflower seeds and it caused fatty liver disease. He has
recovered, but has always battled stress/nutritional
problems. The thing is so active that he burns off all his
calories. I now feed him an endless bowl of pasta, veggies,
beans, birdie breads, etc and he has started to gain some
grams. I also talked to a nutritionist at KayTee and she felt
that he simply was under-nourished, which how could he be if
he was on (KayTee) extruded pellets???? But do some research
on stress bars and see if you can find anything. I don't
think there is a definitive answer for this condition, other
than to make their life comfortable and provide the best
nutrition possible. Black Caps are hyper hyper, but I really
don't know much about the personality of Green Cheeks. My
Ollie thinks HE is the alpha male around here, and so does my
husband. So when these 2 end up in the same room, Ollie is
hissing and strutting and displaying and I am sure his blood
pressure is off the charts. I just have been trying
to "manage" his condition. He's 8. If anyone has some advice
or experience with stress bars, please respond.

> On 4/17/08, Andrea wrote:


>> Hi everyone, I have a question. I have a green-cheeked
>> conure, 17 years old, named Baby. Since December he's
>> been developing some black spots on his feathers followed
>> by breakage of those same feathers. I've been taking him
>> to the vet every other week for the last 4 months, and
>> they don't seem to understand what's causing it. No lice
>> or mites, but they treated him anyway. He's been given a
>> run of antibiotics. He has a healthy and diverse diet,
>> but now the breakage and black spots are spreading. It
>> first started on his right wing, and now it's spread to
>> both. I don't know what to do.
>>
>> His eating and playing habits don't seem to have changed
>> at all, though he's begun flapping his wings for no
>> apparent reason. Any ideas would be helpful and greatly
>> appreciated. Thank you.
>
>
> I also thought I should add that Baby is an only child. He
> does not come into contact with other birds, as he is not
> friendly.

Posts on this thread, including this one

• Feather disease question, 4/17/08, by Andrea.
• Re: Feather disease question, 4/17/08, by Andrea.
• Re: Feather disease question, 4/18/08, by Birdmom.
• Re: Feather disease question, 4/19/08, by Connie.
• Re: Feather disease question, 4/21/08, by Birdy Mom.
• Re: Feather disease question, 4/22/08, by Andrea.
• Re: Feather disease question, 4/24/08, by Rose.