Gouldian (adult) molt - should I be concerned?

[lyswood]

Hello again all -

I have a pair of male Gouldians and one of them has been going through what seems like a rough molt for a few weeks now. He still has little pin feathers on his head and the rest of him is quite rumpled and fluffy looking.

He sleeps an awful lot and though I'm pretty sure it's just the molt tiring him out, I do worry a bit about him. He didn't sing today or yesterday. He still eats - eats a lot of the boiled egg, actually...like he knows he needs the protein - and his eyes are glossy and bright when they're open, but he's just so tired and seems so uncomfortable. Kind of fluffs his feathers and shakes them a lot, even when tucked in. He will wake if I'm near the cage or if the other finch flies near/makes a noise.

His buddy molted very quickly and other than losing flight feathers and not being able to fly for a week, he had no issues. This poor guy seems very unhappy.

How long can the molt last? He's about 2 years old, so it's not his first, though it's his first while with me. Is there anything else I can do for him? I've raised the house temp and lowered the lamp closer to the cage so it's warmer. I thought he might be getting better last night b/c he hopped up onto the sleeping perch with his buddy, something he hasn't done in about 2 weeks.

Thoughts? I think I'm probably over-worrying...that would be nice to know, too. =)

Edit: I just found a post that says they shouldn't puff out in the daytime even if they're molting, and now I'm more worried. I read a few other posts (here and elsewhere) who said their finches fluff up and sleep a lot when molting. Getting so confused. I've added a photo of him I took several days ago.

[lyswood]

Now I just went up there and he was eating millet and egg, and Hubby said he was just singing. Lordy, I think I'm going nuts. Any encouragement would be great...sorry I'm such a noob. =)

[bugaboo5]

You are doing great. Worry not. During molting, especially if it's a rough molt, it's perfectly normal for birds to be a little lethargic. The fact that you are providing additional protein sources is excellent! If you can offer sprouted seeds or fresh greens, that would be a huge bonus as well. One of the keys to having healthy birds is a rich, varied, and balanced diet. Keep up with the additional protein sources, provide a calcium/mineral mix for strong bones, and provide fresh greens if possible. Bravo on the additional warmth - the lamp sounds like a good idea. Molting for gouldians is similar to a rites of passage -- it is the shedding of old feathers for a brand new set of fresh ones. I wish you the best of luck with your little jewels! Do keep us updated on his progress.

[lyswood]

Thank you, Bugaboo5 - as I watch him tonight I still fret a bit, but your message comforts me. He's eating from various dishes and visiting the egg and the grit cups. I also grind the egg shells into a powder and mix that with their seed, too - I read that last week here on the forum. I offer them a grit mix, too, but it's just a pre-packaged one from the store. I'll look into good mixes for them.

Haven't offered greens since he started his molt - they usually ignore them when I do. I'll start giving them greens again tomorrow. I try apple, blueberries, carrot...they pretty much ignore everything, but I keep trying. =)

This bird is a lot poofier all the time, compared to the other guy. He routinely puffs up a bit while he's just hanging out, so I guess it doesn't surprise me a lot that he's very fluffy when molting. We do turn the light off at night - they seem to like their tuck-in time and like to be covered to sleep at night. The house is set to 73, so I think it's warm enough without the lamp on. I think the other bird would be annoyed if it was on all night - he's kinda bossy and instructs us when he's ready for lights out - lol.

Anyway, thank you for the response...if anyone else has ideas or comments, I'm all for it - I love these little guys and just want to do right by them.

[bugaboo5]

Absolutely. We are all here on this forum to support each other. In regards to grit -- finches do not need grit and it actually can do more damage than good. Grit is for birds that do not dehusk their seed -- that is, they swallow the seed whole. Finches are able to remove the husk of their seeds, so grit is not required. The selling of grit is actually another way of pet stores making money off of innocent customers. Rather than grit, you will be better off with a good mineral mix (ABBA offers a excellent mix). Crushed egg shell is wonderful, as is a cuttle bone.

In regards to greens -- some finely shredded kale, spinach, broccoli, romaine lettuce, shredded collard greens, etc will be wonderful. It may just be that your birds are not used to being fed fresh greens. Offer them a little at a time and see what comes of it. Sometimes it takes a few times for them to realize that these foreign things are actually food sources.

I think your little guy is just having a rough molt. It happens to many and different birds deal with it differently. If you can, try offering a desk lamp in a small corner of the cage during the day time and see how the molting bird reacts to it. If you feel he is gravitating towards it (and appreciating it), I would offer it at least during the daytime hours.

If his poop looks normal and he is eating well, I wouldn't be too concerned. Some of my birds during their molt are lethargic -- even during the day time. It's just a rough time for them, really, but something they need to overcome. Pain is beauty.

Hopefully others will chime in as well. Best of luck to you.

[lyswood]

Thanks again - printing the info. =) I've wondered about the grit - I'll switch it out for the mineral mix. I do keep a cuttle bone in there - I rarely see them using it, but it does have some wear, so they must at some point.

Their lamp is a full spectrum bulb in one of those silver metal hood things (stolen from hubby's workshop). It was clamped above them a few feet, but when Cos started puffing out, I clamped it to the top of the cage so it was much closer. He likes it and spends most of the day there. I turn it off at night and they sleep on the opposite side of the cage. I may leave it there - it's a nice little warm spot for them that they can easily move out of if they prefer.

I do think his poop is normal and he's certainly eating - I even stood there and focused on what he was dropping to make sure it was shelled and he wasn't just spitting whole seeds...lol. I'll re-introduce greens tomorrow and just keep at it. I've read some like things shredded vs chopped, mushed up instead of diced, etc, so I offer it one way for a couple of weeks, then try a different presentation.

I'm encouraged - when I went up to shut their light off awhile ago, they were both under the lamp. Cos was tucked in snoozing, and Kramer was beside him. I turned it off and they both immediately flew to their sleeping perch for the night. Second night in a row Cos has returned to normal sleeping position after a couple weeks avoiding it. =)

[debbie276]

He sure looks very unhappy. Some extra heat via a lamp or ceramic heater would help. The ceramic heater (made for reptiles) will not shine light so they can sleep without disturbance. Extra protein will also help, a hard boiled egg is the best, shells and all.
If there are no other symptoms maybe he's just feeling under the weather and will bounce back with TLC but I would definitely keep an eye on him.
good luck

[lyswood]

Well, he still has his spunk when it comes to dealing with his buddy, but he has me a bit more worried. I fear it may not be a simple molting issue. He wakes up frequently to eat - chooses the seeds, then some egg shells, then the boiled egg/shell mix - then tucks back in and sleeps more. I was happy he's eating, but now it seems a little manic.

He hasn't sung today and hasn't preened that I noticed. He was pretty spunky and bossy around bedtime though, and they're now tucked in together on the other side of the cage from the lamp (which I shut off at night...will get a red one tomorrow to leave on).

Ordered some molt helper and fast feather and will head to the local bird guy tomorrow to see if he can offer any suggestions on vitamins, etc. It's so, so cold out (below 0) - I worry about taking him out to the vet. He goes back and forth from really concerning me to seeming fairly fine aside from the sleeping fluffies.

He's asleep, so I'll try to. Lordy.

[debbie276]

Do you offer a bath at all? Being able to take a bath may help but be sure he can get extra heat after.
Feather fast and most all molting aids are a vitamin, mineral mix. Not sure about all of them but feather fast states to discontinue using any other vitamin-containing supplement when you use it. Too much vitamins can be just as bad as too many, I wouldn't offer multiple sources of the same thing.
Hope he turns around quickly for you

[lyswood]

He's in a hospital cage and I think he's dying. I'm heartbroken. My husband heard flapping this morning after I left, and found Cosmo stuck hanging upside down on his perch. He took him down, put a paper towel on the floor of the cage and put Cos there, where he remained until I got home now and put him in a hospital cage with more heat and humidity.

I could kick myself...I didn't know they needed more nutrition going into a molt and I feel I could have prevented this. He was fine at first...was just the molt, I'm so sure of it...I don't know what happened.

I've tried to offer him some water on a q-tip but I fear it's too late...he just lies still and sometimes flops a little...our first bird who passed right away did this too. Absolutely heartbroken. Anything at this point I can do?

[lyswood]

Sorry - I couldn't figure out how to edit my last comment. Cosmo has passed on. I'm a mess. Kramer is singing away in the cage - it's eerie. Thankfully he seems healthy and I'm going to scrub the cage and dishes and hopefully keep him from getting ill.

I still don't know what happened, but upon examination of Cosmo after he passed, he looks to have gone light. He didn't look like he was losing weight, but I suppose I couldn't tell with the fluff. His poop last night looked normal (I actually saw it come out and land and looked closely), but the one before he died was different with undigested seed in it. I found a YouTube vid that talked about this and went back (with the macro lens...if anyone is interested) and looked/took photos of the poo in the cage. I had just changed the papers Saturday, so I think for two days there was a fair amount where Cosmo sat. Also, much of it did have seeds in it. It's hard to tell sometimes because so much seed falls around and sticks to it, but I believe the seeds passed through him. This video says that this could be a number of things...not enough grit (which I doubt...was worried he had too much), gizzard worms, etc.

Until Sunday afternoon I honestly thought he was just working through his molt. And maybe he was, then got sick when weakened? I'm so angry at myself for not taking him in a week or more ago, just to be safe. Absolutely heartbroken. I wonder if he could've been saved had I known what to look for. By the time I got frantic with the Googling, it was so much information and likely too late. Was so convinced it was molting only.

I may need to start a new post for this, but does anyone have advice on what I should do besides uber-clean the cage and keep an eye on Kramer? Should I go get any kind of treatment or supplement for him? I've been trying to provide what they need with a balanced diet but I've apparently failed at that. I wonder if he needs more. There's so much information and varying opinions.

Thank you in advance for any advice.

[lyzzyjayne]

I am so so sorry to hear about your boy.

[debbie276]

So very sorry for your loss. Like you said it could have been a number of things. I'd watch Kramer closely for similar symptoms.
good luck