Health

Feather stress bars can very easily be overlooked if you are new to pet birds and don’t know what they mean. In fact, a lot of people view them as something normal and don’t pay them enough attention even when they do notice them. Needless to say, this is very bad for your bird. So, without further ado:

What are feather stress bars?

Simply put, stress bars are visible lines that run crosswise through a bird’s feather. Together with the lines, there’s usually a change in the feather’s width as parts of the feather on both sides have stopped growing and the rest of it has continued the grow from the middle section. It doesn’t take an avian vet education to realize that this can’t be good for your bird – it just needs a moment’s thought. [Read more…] about Understanding Feather Stress Bars: Causes, Identification and Solutions

Just as mammals shed their fur and reptiles change their skin, so do birds molt their feathers. Yet, for some reason, people are often surprised and even freaked out when they see a molting bird.

There are even plenty of cases where new bird owners try to return their bird or bring her to a vet because of her simply molting. And while this is definitely ill-advised, it’s also kind of understandable – bird molting isn’t talked about as much as fur shedding or reptiles’ change of skin and as a result, some new bird owners get caught by surprise. There is nothing to be freaked out about, however – bird molting is completely natural and harmless and all birds do it. [Read more…] about Bird Molting: When? Why? How often? And Symptoms of Bird Molting