Zebra juvenile molt

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nelloyello11
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Zebra juvenile molt

Post by nelloyello11 » Thu Apr 21, 2011 12:44 am

Hi,
I have a question about the juvenile molt on zebras. I have two fawn zebras that are almost 10 weeks old. I've noticed lots of feathers in and around their cage and their parents' cage. I'm just curious how long their molt lasts and how can you tell when they are done? How old are they, generally, when they finish their juvenile molt? They are both females, so I won't be able to tell by cheek patches...
This is my first clutch and both parents are normal grey phenotype so I don't really know what markers to look for that would indicate adult colors in fawns. They are not quite the same color -one is a bit lighter than the other, as they have been since they feathered out in the nest.
I know pictures are helpful with these things, so I will try to get some over the next couple days and post them. In the meantime, any info is appreciated!
Nelissa
Image
1 NG (Peter), 2 SF/FF (Astrid & Nina) and 2 BC (Desmond & Penelope) Zebra finches
2 Owl Finches (Hedwig & Fawkes)
Painted turtle (Keeker)

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kenny
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Re: Zebra juvenile molt

Post by kenny » Thu Apr 21, 2011 6:24 am

hi
to my recolection,the first thing that appears if it is male ,the black chest bars then the white spots with the reddy coloured background.i think the last thing to colour is the tail and the cheek patches unless they are a particular strain e.g. black cheeks the cheek patches are in varying degrees of reddy orange by that time the beak should have lost all its greyness and be fully coloured red or orange in some colours the whole lot usually takes about 10 to 14 days for them to lose all thier nest feathers and gain thier adult plumage
ken
you can always tell a yorkshireman,but you cant tell him much

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