Love lucky worried about black on His feathers

[luckyandjenn]

Blahghhhhhh I love him so much I adopted him off craigslist he seems healthy but he has blacking on some of his feathrers and I'm worried about it as his first owner only had him on hookbill I've been trying to correct his diet he doesn't like sweet potatoes any info would be great he likes green grapes but I'm in limbo

[kendrafitz]

Do you have a picture of the feathers you are worried about? Black can be stress bars. I believe improving his diet should help. There are also supplements you can sprinkle in his food or water.

I feed Rosie the macaw/cockatoo blend by Bird Paradise. It is a mixture of pellets, dried fruits and veggies and nuts. I supplement with lots of nuts from nuts.com. I get the raw nuts for her...pistachios, almonds, cashews, pine nuts and walnuts mostly. I give her fresh veggies and fruit but not as often as I should. She really only likes apples. She has a sensory thing and really only wants crunchy things, soft is a big turn off for her.

[Dragonlady2]

I agree with Kendra, the black on the feathers can be stress bars or bronzing. They won't come off the feather, but that feather will be replaced when Lucky goes through a molt or two.
As to food....I don't know much about the macaw diet, but one way to get some veggies into him might be to chop the greens and carrot fine or run them through food processor and toss in a couple of green grapes and a handful of his seed. If he likes his seed and the grapes, he may forage through the chopped stuff to get them and in the process eat some of the fresh food.
Cedardave also had a good suggestion....if he likes fruit, put a few pellets in a bowl and spritz with some fruit juice to see if that will interest him.
It will take some time to switch Lucky over to a better diet. Don't get too discouraged that he doesn't switch over right away, you might have to try a few tricks to get him started.

[luckyandjenn]

Do you have a picture of the feathers you are worried about? Black can be stress bars. I believe improving his diet should help. There are also supplements you can sprinkle in his food or water.

I feed Rosie the macaw/cockatoo blend by Bird Paradise. It is a mixture of pellets, dried fruits and veggies and nuts. I supplement with lots of nuts from nuts.com. I get the raw nuts for her...pistachios, almonds, cashews, pine nuts and walnuts mostly. I give her fresh veggies and fruit but not as often as I should. She really only likes apples. She has a sensory thing and really only wants crunchy things, soft is a big turn off for her.

I will get a pics posted a bit latter after cleaning. I am havining difficulties getting him to try new things no I have found out that you like bananas green grapes and mango thoe hes only taking a few bites at a time I figure that's better than none at all it's definitely a work in progress he loves fresh nuts and gets at leat 3 of them a day and he eats a hookbill diet mixed with other mixes i buy at an all organic store called sprouts. AS far as veggies he will eat small ammounts of broccoli and carrotts... thanks for all the great tips :)

[luckyandjenn]

I agree with Kendra, the black on the feathers can be stress bars or bronzing. They won't come off the feather, but that feather will be replaced when Lucky goes through a molt or two.
As to food....I don't know much about the macaw diet, but one way to get some veggies into him might be to chop the greens and carrot fine or run them through food processor and toss in a couple of green grapes and a handful of his seed. If he likes his seed and the grapes, he may forage through the chopped stuff to get them and in the process eat some of the fresh food.
Cedardave also had a good suggestion....if he likes fruit, put a few pellets in a bowl and spritz with some fruit juice to see if that will interest him.
It will take some time to switch Lucky over to a better diet. Don't get too discouraged that he doesn't switch over right away, you might have to try a few tricks to get him started.

Thanks for such the great ideas i will try chopping up super small then if that doesn't work I'll try to purify it and if that still doesn't work I will try to use a little bit of fruit juice thank you all for the grsat tips and ideas

[luckyandjenn]

At last the pics he has started his first molt i also read that it could also be from over grooming but im not sure???
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[Dragonlady2]

Yes, it does look like over preening. Parrots sometimes do that because they are bored or itchy. It wouldn't hurt for him to have a checkup by an avian vet just to ensure there aren't other reasons.

[luckyandjenn]

Yes, it does look like over preening. Parrots sometimes do that because they are bored or itchy. It wouldn't hurt for him to have a checkup by an avian vet just to ensure there aren't other reasons.
Good to know an it dosent look to bad from a more experinced bird owner i am saving up for a vets vist

[PlaxMacaws]

An avian vet checkup is always a good idea. As for Blue & Golds, they have black transitional lines on their wing feathers. Especially on their primary and secondary flight feathers. Here are a couple of Jack's molted flight feathers...

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[Casper's 2nd best friend]

I'm not sure if it has already been discussed but does he get to shower or a spray from a mister now and then?
To me it looked like the feathers were natural coloration. Casper's feathers tend to go black around the edges as they get close to being moulted. I think that as the feathers wear through use and preening they loose their ability to refract or reflect light in their original spectrum. Have a look at a moulted feather under a magnifying glass, they are wonderfully intricate and you can see where they have become worn. There are lots of little barbs that hold them in shape.

[luckyandjenn]

An avian vet checkup is always a good idea. As for Blue & Golds, they have black transitional lines on their wing feathers. Especially on their primary and secondary flight feathers. Here are a couple of Jack's molted flight feathers...

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Ofda lol ok so i im still going to a vet when i can afford it im currently saving. Jacks feathers look alot like luckys ...him being my first bird of this caliber i tend to do alot of reading not only on what a healthy brid looks and acts like but an unhealthy one as well . And half the time i stress myself out over it lol. Thanks so much for all the great tips i enjoy hearing about salsa and zaf and your flock

[luckyandjenn]

I'm not sure if it has already been discussed but does he get to shower or a spray from a mister now and then?
To me it looked like the feathers were natural coloration. Casper's feathers tend to go black around the edges as they get close to being moulted. I think that as the feathers wear through use and preening they loose their ability to refract or reflect light in their original spectrum. Have a look at a moulted feather under a magnifying glass, they are wonderfully intricate and you can see where they have become worn. There are lots of little barbs that hold them in shape.

Ha ha who lucky yes he loves showers i try to give him at least one a week and thanks for the info i will certainly take a look up with a magnifying glass I can see the intricate structure and try to see where the Barb's start and end. Thank you for all the help you have given thus far. Btw i think casper is adorable and i love your signature quote

[Casper's 2nd best friend]

You might all be interested to know that David's quote came as part of a comment about this photo of mine on flickr.
[Users must be registered and logged in to view attached photos or hyperlinks] ([Users must be registered and logged in to view attached photos or hyperlinks])
Casper the destroyer ([Users must be registered and logged in to view attached photos or hyperlinks]) by Jean-Pierre Declemy ([Users must be registered and logged in to view attached photos or hyperlinks]), on Flickr
Click on the pic and scroll down to read the full comment.

[luckyandjenn]

You might all be interested to know that David's quote came as part of a comment about this photo of mine on flickr.
[Users must be registered and logged in to view attached photos or hyperlinks] ([Users must be registered and logged in to view attached photos or hyperlinks])
Casper the destroyer ([Users must be registered and logged in to view attached photos or hyperlinks]) by Jean-Pierre Declemy ([Users must be registered and logged in to view attached photos or hyperlinks]), on Flickr
Click on the pic and scroll down to read the full comment.

That is just too cute