I’m not sure about the rest of you, but our parrots are molting. Daily our temperatures are 107-111F around Phoenix AZ, USA. Today marks the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. Welcome to the Summer Solstice.

I always thought this was a good article on their feathers and the changes they go through. I’ve read through different forums that the more daylight there is, the more safely they would go through a molt in the wild and still be able to survive should something happen.

What does this mean in captivity?

Cranky. Eff’n. Birds.

We have three green cheek conures (small parrots) and two are bonded, leaving the third one out.
When I began with just Jak, we were her relief with her pins. We tried to help loosen them and when we weren’t helping assist, she would scratch herself on perches as well as screws that held her perches in place. She’d go around the outside of the cage and hold onto the wing nut and scratch gently around her head and face with the end of the screws. Poor girl.

I brought Koi home for Jak and she had her very own bird. Every molt since, they take care of each other. I rarely see a pinfeather. It’s a great system between them.

Then there is Idris. She’s almost 5 months old now, no parrot will help her and she’s extra sensitive to our trying to help her.

There are a few things you can do:

Always make sure they have clean water. You may have to do this twice a day or more, depending on your bird. Idris takes frequent baths to get relief from the irritation her skin is experiencing.

Add a palm fruit oil supplement to their food.

Use a formulated spray that contains aloe. Some ‘parronts’ add aloe to their water as well.
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Harrison’s has excellent lines of product that are usually easy to find at your independent bird shops and veterinarian’s offices. You can also order them online. I use their pellets, Rain and Sunshine Factor. I’ve used their soother product on other animals. They also have more in their line to help transition birds to a better diet, if you’ve ever gotten a bird whose previous owners only fed seed to.

Harrison’s Healx and Avix