HELP: Tiny curly feather on young Alexandrine's head? :(

[Sspitfire]

Hi everyone, I'm new here :)
I recently got a young Alexandrine whose age is not determined yet, but today, I am in the process of taming it and then when I pet it, I realized it has one tiny curly feather on his head that is stiffer than his other normal looking feathers, just one. I'm extremely worried that he has PBFD even though it's just one curly feather.. other than that one curly feather, he has no other symptoms of PBFD and his other feathers look pretty normal. I guess he's going through a molt because there's pin feathers on his face like a young bird might have.

I'm really, really worried about him and my IRN, will he and my IRN be okay? Can that curly feather be fixed? Is it normal for a young bird to get that? Please help, TIA

Sorry if I posted this in the wrong place, I'm not sure where to put this in ^^"

[kendrafitz]

Hi and welcome!

Would it be possible for you to post a pic of his feather?

[Cedardave]

A picture would help.Before you panic to the worst case scenerio, remember that all animals will have imperfections and the occassional oddity.One of our green birds has a single blue feather on her head.The fact that its curly is odd...but a picture may get you closer to the answer.Other than the feather, is your birds eating,drinking normal?Does your birds droppings appear normal?Poop can tell alot!

[Casper's 2nd best friend]

I think they sometimes order the wrong sort of feather because Casper had one bright yellow one in the middle of his green back for a while. You could pluck it out but I would wait until the next molt.

[Cedardave]

Sorry Caspers best friend,but I must disagree to plucking it out.In the immediate future i would keep a very close eye for more of them...but if it is more serious ,but localized,plucking it may lead to a spreading of the issue.Keep close watch,post as many pictures as you can..close ups if possable.If you are feeling overly paniced an avian vet is your only other option

[spiritbird]

Depending where you got this bird from I would suggest a vet check. It is the only thing that would put your mind at ease. If the bird was exposed to several other birds I would do it right away. A certified avian vet should be who you go to if you have any in your area. Anyway one should always have a new bird checked by a vet. Do you have other birds in your home? One feather that is misshapen may not be an issue but your concern will worry you sick.

Welcome to PP.

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[kendrafitz]

I was thinking, could it be a down feather that hasn't been preened yet?

I know you say he is molting. I have no experience with Alexandrines, but when my macaw gets new down feathers in they are kind of curly. Really just a slight wave. Once we preen them they go from feeling like a wiki stick to a fluffy feather.

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[Casper's 2nd best friend]

Something I have noticed is that most of the medical advice on the internet is several years old and it is likely that more research and development has gone on since publication. This makes the advice to have your little friend checked out by a specialist avian vet quite important rather than using a dogs and cats person. Avian specialists can be few and far between, we are lucky where we are and hopefully there is one not too far away from you.
Not sure if there is a list on this forum, an expert will soon put us right and hopefully give you a link.

[spiritbird]

How are things going with your new bird?

[Sspitfire]

Thank you so much everyone, I have yet to take a picture of his head as his head won't stay still and isn't fully tamed yet but things are going pretty well for his 2nd day. I will try to take a picture soon and hopefully it won't be covered by his other feathers. It doesn't look like a down feather, it's more like the tiny green feathers on his head but the entire feather is slightly curled to one side and stiffer than the normal ones. I can't find a picture that suits his feather :/

I didn't see him eat from his food bowl today and his poop is really small with a lot of urine.. any idea on how to get him to eat? The only time he ate today was when I gave him the pellets by hand, he's not a picky eater but he won't eat from his food bowl, the only time he ate from the bowl was yesterday but was spooked by my hand after I picked up the treat that he dropped while eating, after that incident I have yet to see him eat from his food bowl.

Unfortunately, going to the vet might not be an option for me right now because I'm a little short on cash and I will need to convince my parents + there aren't any vets that are specialized in birds here in Singapore :(
I heard PBFD birds either have pin feathers with no feathers growing out for the rest of their lives or they will have completely nothing that will grow out, is that true? I saw a feather growing out from his normal looking pin feather, should I still be worried about the chances of PBFD? (I know this sounds silly, but I tend to worry a lot ^^")

[Casper's 2nd best friend]

Google is your friend. I searched "Specialist avian vet Singapore" and came up with two:
31, Sembawang Road, Singapore 779082

AMK VETERINARY SURGERY (2009) PTE LTD

Tel: 6451 5242 Fax: 6451 4001

Emergency Tel : 6451 5242

Consultation Hours:

MON - FRI: 10am - 1pm, 2pm - 4pm, 6pm - 8pm
SAT: 9am - 1pm, 2pm - 4pm
SUN/Public Holiday: 9am-1pm

or

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You should make a note of these in case of emergencies. Birds try and hide any illness as long as they can so if they do start acting ill you need to move quickly, don't wait to see if he/she is better tomorrow.

Also think about medical insurance for your pets, it may seem expensive but can save you a lot of money if one of them becomes ill or has an accident.

[spiritbird]

I am not being harsh with you but if you cannot afford medical care for this bird why did you bring it home with you? Can you take on a small job like helping out your parents or a neighbor to earn some money? Birds get sick or have accidents with sometimes serious injuries. I don't think there are any bird guardians that have not had a bird emergency that needed medical evaluation and treatment.

[kendrafitz]

I would say just keep handing him his food. Maybe try some small pieces of apple as well? Whatever you need to do to get him to eat, do. Poor little guy is probably very nervous settling in to his new home.

I have no knowledge of pbfd, but it's good that Jean-Pierre got you the vet info. Now you know where you can take him in case of emergency.

In the US we generally take a new pet to the vet to be checked as soon as we obtain them. Then they tend to go once a year for a well visit. I am guessing it is different where you live.

At this point just spend time around your bird, chatting, singing, etc so he becomes comfortable. Do whatever you can to get him to eat & drink.

When you get a pic of the feather I am sure someone will be along to help out.

[Sspitfire]

I would say just keep handing him his food. Maybe try some small pieces of apple as well? Whatever you need to do to get him to eat, do. Poor little guy is probably very nervous settling in to his new home.

I have no knowledge of pbfd, but it's good that Jean-Pierre got you the vet info. Now you know where you can take him in case of emergency.

In the US we generally take a new pet to the vet to be checked as soon as we obtain them. Then they tend to go once a year for a well visit. I am guessing it is different where you live.

At this point just spend time around your bird, chatting, singing, etc so he becomes comfortable. Do whatever you can to get him to eat & drink.

When you get a pic of the feather I am sure someone will be along to help out.

He started eating the millet in his cage but quickly went up to his perch when I came back into the room and then he went back down to eat when I sat down, I haven't seen him eat from the bowl yet though.

I guess it's pretty different, some people bring their pets to the vet once they get them and most probably don't. The only time my parents allow me to bring the birds to the vet is when they're sick. I actually wanted to bring the alexandrine to the vet for check up once I got him but it's hard to convince them. :(

[Casper's 2nd best friend]

As Kendra said, birds love you to sing to them. :th_smile:

[spiritbird]

Sounds like progress there. Thanks for the updates. Perhaps you can convince your parents to read this article:

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