My lovebird's feathers aren't growing. How can I help them regrow?

Thanks for your question about Coco, and thanks for the photos - they are very helpful. You are correct that it could be taking him a long time to molt, however he may also be preening excessively and removing his feathers. In one of the photos he looks to have acreddebed area of skin - this is not typical of regular molting. If you are seeing feathers continuously at the bottom of the cage, this would also be suggestive of overpreening. I would recommend ensuring that his cage is very clean, that he is provided with multiple toys (which you will have to introduce slowly as budgies are often very nervous about new items), a mirror if he doesn’t have any company, and proper nutrition. These would all help with a molting issue, and may also help a bit if he is overpreening himself. If you are able to take him to a veterinarian, they would also be able to assist with this problem. They could look at the skin and feathers to ensure that there isn’t a medical reason for his condition. I hope that helps, and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Poor Precious! The first step to growing her feathers back is to figure out the underlying cause behind why she plucked them and to change it. Health issues such as parasites, malnutrition, infections, illness, etc can cause feather plucking and loss, so scheduling a vet visit first is a good first step to make sure any underlying health issues are treated and she is healthy enough to regrow her feathers. Boredom and stress can cause excessive feather plucking. Making sure she is in a clean (the bottom of that cage need a scrub!) and stress-free environment away from other pets or people that may harass her is best. Adding in enrichment such as toys she can chew on or play with, a play pen she can climb and stretch on, or spending time playing and interacting together can help with boredom. In some cases, the feather plucking becomes a habit and needs to be stopped with the use of an Elizabethan (cone) collar or flight-suit to protect the body from being plucked. Feather regrowth takes time, so even with these changes it may be several months before you see them start to grow back in. However, keeping up with enrichment and health issues can help ensure they have a chance to come back.

In nature birds need to be able to fly all of the time and therefore they don't lose all their wing feathers (primaries and secondaries) at one time. Because of this the trimmed feathers don't regrow all at the same time. It may take a long time until the process is complete. It can take anywhere from several months to a year before the feathers grow back. I would not be overly concerned at this stage. You can try giving hear a feather growth supplement to see if it will help. I like one from Nekton Bio. ( https://www.petsworld.in/nekton-bio-supplement-for-bird-feathering-35-gms.html ) Hope this helps. Best wishes!

Feathers not growing back in properly can be due to a number of things including illness, nutritional issues, metabolic diseases, parasites, infections and more. If you cannot find the cause of your bird's feather loss and balding, it would be best to have her examined by a local avian vet so they can check for any of these common issues and get her feeling better. Making sure she is on a balanced diet and is treated for any parasites such as mites (most pet stores carry a spray for this) may help, however if the problem continues vet care is needed.

Sometimes a delay in regrowth of feathers can be due to husbandry and diet, or it can be due to disease. I would recommend evaluating your husbandry closely to start. If there is an abnormal day/night cycle, temperatures that are out of the comfortable range for the species, a diet that is too high in fat or deficient in nutrients, or if the humidity is not correct, a lack of feather growth may occur. If you evaluate all of these parameters and they are normal and appropriate, then it may be secondary to disease or stress. At that point, I would recommend that you take Mitu to a veterinarian for evaluation. They can take samples of the feathers, evaluate the skin, and may also recommend additional diagnostic testing in the form of blood work to evaluate systemic health and radiographs (x-rays). I hope this gives you a place to start, and good luck!

Thanks for reaching out about Bangaram and including a photo. Psittacine Feather Destructive Behavior is common in parrots, but the difficulty is acquiring a cause. Stress/behavior is common a nd can consist of breeding, nutritional or environmental stressors. Diseases can also lead to pulling feathers including infectious diseases (viral, bacterial), metabolic disorders (liver, renal), skin diseases and others. A veterinary visit is recommended to assess and try to determine a cause. Diet and husbandry practices need to be reviewed with a veterinarian experienced with birds. Some diagnostic tests will probably be recommended and necessary to come to a conclusion. There is no topical medication that is going to cure or even stabilize this condition. Good luck.

Thanks for your question, and thanks for the photos - they are very helpful. From the photos, it looks like the feathers on the back and around the crop/underside of your bird are not present. The black spots you are seeing appear to be areas of blood, and this may be where feathers were removed. Usually the body feathers come in before some of the major wing feathers, so I would be worried that your bird is destroying the feathers itself. This can be due to a number of medical issues, and also behavioral ones. With a bird that is so young, I would be suspicious of a nutritional deficiency leading to feather destruction. From the photos, the feathers that are present look ragged and dull in color. If you are not feeding a pelleted diet, I would recommend switching to one. I would also recommend that your bird be evaluated by a veterinarian. They’ll be able to provide husbandry recommendations, and may be able to find what the underlying issue is through this and a physical exam. They may also recommend some diagnostic testing. I hope that gives you a place to start, and I hope your bird feels better soon!