Feather growth

Is your finch sick or not well? Find out why.
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mickw
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Joined: 08 Jun 2009, 19:49
Location: Port Macquarie, NSW
Location: Port Macquarie

Sorry folks.......more non-finch questions....

Pebbles the Scaley Lorikeet still has no tail & flight feathers........I read somewhere today an article by a vet about lorikeets that cant fly..........they reckoned that about 1/3 of lorikeets are born runners.....about a third of those will moult & grow feathers but the rest are generally doomed, never to fly......they think its a viral thing & that people who find them in the wild should get over it & tap them on the head for the good of the individual and the population..........anyone got any thought/knowledge/opinion on this.......I'm dreading informing my partner that her beloved pet is a liability....especially as we are working towards building a collection of different lorikeets which are likely to be infected by our little mate.....having said all that, I still think its plausible that his tail was chewed/plucked as we were told.......I'd like to trust the people who we got him from. :?
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finchbreeder
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Location: Midwest of West. Aust. Coast
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Sorry not too cluey on lorries. But most parrot type birds produce the odd runner. Some people say don't breed them or let them near others of their type. Some say the only immune birds are those that have been exposed. Which make sence to me. The strong get a light dose and build an immunity, the weak die or never fully recover . Sorry that's all I can tell you.
LML
LML
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jusdeb
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Back in the 80s it was all the rage to own a runner ( budgie or peachie), nobody was aware that they were carriers of some beak and feather disease , every one just thought they were cute ...
Id be devastated having to put a hand reared bird down ( any bird for that matter ). You have some serious decisions to make I would keep in mind that this bird DID have tail feathers and that they did BREAK off , something that can be accidental , poor nutrition or poor housing ( none which I'm sure were intentional ) .
Things may come good after a moult or with a supplement made for feather issues . GOOD LUCK with it .
Also from my very limited knowledge about this disease Im sure the birds have deformed feathers from birth so you would have picked up on it very early on ....I have a feeling this an environment issue or something lacking in the diet and NOT beak and feather ( damn I wish I could remember the name of it )
Accept that some days you are the pigeon, and some days you are the statue.
David Brent
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finchbreeder
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French moult is the Budgie version where the feathers are tatty and break. Feather duster is where they grow excessively long and die young.
LML
LML
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jusdeb
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The one in the Lorries is Circovirus = This circovirus will attack growing feathers causing feather dystrophy which can present in
a variety of ways.
• Feather loss
• Abnormal feather colouring
• Deformed feathers
• Weak feather attachment
• Feather calamus abnormalities eg pinching/necrosis
Mate too long winded for me but if you google " beak and feather disease in Lorries " Im sure it will give you some answers .
Accept that some days you are the pigeon, and some days you are the statue.
David Brent
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