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My 5-month-old ringneck lost tail feathers. Why no regrowth?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Bird | Unknown - Bird | Male | unneutered

My 5 month old ringneck has lost his tail feathers only, but i have not seen any regrowth. Is it because he is young and the regrowth is taking longer then usual. He didn't lose all the tail feathers at once

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Miranda Sadar, DVM, DACZM

Veterinarian

Published on July 5th, 2018

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!

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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