# Anyone else got a tatty looking African grey?!



## Sarah-Jayne

Sambuca my African grey has been going through her first moult for what seems like months and she looks a right state! I'm surprised she can even fly with her flight feathers as scraggy as they are lol she has almost changed all her tail feathers now, does anyone know if this means she will be done soon? We are taking her to a professional photo shoot with us at the end of January and don't want her to look a mess lol


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## Zoo-Man

Please post a photo of your Grey & her tatty feathers. I will be able to elaborate more once I've seen this.


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## Sarah-Jayne

They don't show up in photos all the time as it's just her flight feathers, if I try and touch her wings she will take my fingers off lol


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## Sarah-Jayne

Took these a couple of days ago, but you can't really see, it's the dark flight feathers that are messy she has moulted her body feathers as far as I know and most of her tail feathers too


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## Zoo-Man

Sarah-Jayne said:


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> Took these a couple of days ago, but you can't really see, it's the dark flight feathers that are messy she has moulted her body feathers as far as I know and most of her tail feathers too


How old is she? Where di you get her from? Was she tested for Psittacine Beak & Feather Disorder (PBFD)?


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## Tomcat

If she is tatty for the shoot its not the end of the world. Least its a picture of her growing up etc...

If you had a completely plucked grey you wouldnt hide it away would you? She doesnt even look that tatty and as you said, it doesnt always show up in photos?


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## Sarah-Jayne

She is about a year and a half old, she doesn't like to wash that's why she looks a bit tatty, she's a wuss when it comes to water lol


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## Zoo-Man

Sarah-Jayne said:


> She is about a year and a half old, she doesn't like to wash that's why she looks a bit tatty, she's a wuss when it comes to water lol


Has she been tested for PBFD?


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## Sarah-Jayne

I haven't got a clue but she's been to the vets a couple of times and they have always said she is perfectly healthy


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## Zoo-Man

Sarah-Jayne said:


> I haven't got a clue but she's been to the vets a couple of times and they have always said she is perfectly healthy


Personally I would have him tested for PBFD. Its a horrid virus, for which there is no cure.

My first large species of parrot was a Grey who I bought from the PAH store I worked at. I had him for 9 months, & when he went through his moult, the new feathers that came through were tatty, jagged & didn't zip together so well. I had him tested for Psittacine Beak & Feather Disease, & the test came back positive. I took him to the vets to be euthanised. I didn't want him to go through that, with feather loss, possible beak & foot deformities, & secondary illnesses, as PBFD is an immuno-supressant virus.


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## karma_llama

I have a different view.

You see this kind of feather damage alot on cages birds, especially those that are very active in their cages.

I could be that she is damaging the feather ends (especially on her tail and wings) when she is moving around the cage. Does she flap and stretch in the cage?

To me she looks nice and healthy.

If she doesnt like being sprayed etc then i suggest you take her into the bathroom when you have a shower. Just let her sit somewhere in the room while you shower as the increased humidity in the room will help her.

:2thumb:


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## Zoo-Man

karma_llama said:


> I have a different view.
> 
> You see this kind of feather damage alot on cages birds, especially those that are very active in their cages.
> 
> I could be that she is damaging the feather ends (especially on her tail and wings) when she is moving around the cage. Does she flap and stretch in the cage?
> 
> To me she looks nice and healthy.
> 
> If she doesnt like being sprayed etc then i suggest you take her into the bathroom when you have a shower. Just let her sit somewhere in the room while you shower as the increased humidity in the room will help her.
> 
> :2thumb:


I'm not saying the Grey looks unhealthy, but speaking from personal experience, I always worry when feather condition is poor, especially in Greys & Cockatoos. Some birds can carry the PBFD virus for a long time before signs are shown, or before owners realise. By then, other parrots could be infected. Most Greys are tested for PBFD before sale, just to be safe. Getting the Grey tested would be worthwhile if it hasn't been tested before.


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## yorkielass

There is only a slight chance it could be PBFD but have posted a link for you that explains symptoms etc....

Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease (PBFD), veterinary advice and assistance for the parrot species

Hope she looks 'posh' for your photo shoot


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## Sarah-Jayne

She is perfectly healthy, it is her old feathers that she has not moulted yet that are messy, her new feathers are perfectly okay

She flaps alot she thinks she is a hummingbird lol she hangs off the side of the cage flapping like mad!

Thank you for the suggestion re showering her but she doesn't even like going in the bathroom, she freaks out! I have figured out that if I turn the hoover one she tries to get in her water dish though so gonna try it again with her shower perch and put the hoover on in the hallway outside lol


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## yorkielass

Sarah-Jayne said:


> She is perfectly healthy, it is her old feathers that she has not moulted yet that are messy, her new feathers are perfectly okay
> 
> She flaps alot she thinks she is a hummingbird lol she hangs off the side of the cage flapping like mad!
> 
> Thank you for the suggestion re showering her but she doesn't even like going in the bathroom, she freaks out! I have figured out that if I turn the hoover one she tries to get in her water dish though so gonna try it again with her shower perch and put the hoover on in the hallway outside lol


One of my CAG's does the hoover thing! She makes an absolute mess flapping around in her water dish!! lol I put a shallow ceramic dish in the bottom of their cages and pour water in from a jug, after a little while they are in splashing around like mad, they sometimes put the dried fruit from their food in it as well....quite clever idea but don't fancy that in my bath :gasp:


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## Zoo-Man

Sarah-Jayne said:


> She is perfectly healthy, *it is her old feathers that she has not moulted yet that are messy, her new feathers are perfectly okay*
> 
> She flaps alot she thinks she is a hummingbird lol she hangs off the side of the cage flapping like mad!
> 
> Thank you for the suggestion re showering her but she doesn't even like going in the bathroom, she freaks out! I have figured out that if I turn the hoover one she tries to get in her water dish though so gonna try it again with her shower perch and put the hoover on in the hallway outside lol


You didn't state this in your opening post, it sounded like she looked tatty because of her new feathers. If it's the old feathers that are scruffy, that is ok.


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## Sarah-Jayne

Yeah it's the old feathers I was asking if the fact that her only messy feathers are her flight feathers and a few remaining tail feathers means she will finish her moult soon?


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## Zoo-Man

Sarah-Jayne said:


> Yeah it's the old feathers I was asking if the fact that her only messy feathers are her flight feathers and a few remaining tail feathers means she will finish her moult soon?


Most parrots start their moult with the small breast feathers & the like, with th elarger primary feathers & tail feathers often being the last ones.


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## Sarah-Jayne

Good  hopefully she will be done soon then!


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