Molting Mask?

Hi Kimba?

I have a question about Vinnie's molting. I think you said that their molting feathers can actually look like they're disintegrating -- and I don't know if you meant all feathers or just head feathers.

His downy feathers don't have this deteriorating appearance. But his face? Well, he's had this raccoon-like mask around his eyes for the last two weeks. It is like the rest of his head is dark charcoal (like the rest of his feathers) but lighter brown around his eyes. It's like he's wearing a bandit's mask, if you will. Well now the feathers are almost a grey -- still just around his eyes. I keep thinking they're molting but dang they're taking their time.

Oh -- and I think you said the back of the head usually molts first. If the eye mask is normal, it's molting before the back of the head, FYI.

Does this sound reasonable / right to you? After you told me they disintegrate I just assumed this is normal. I'm not panicked or worried -- just want to double check. Thanks!

Yup, the disintergating feather is only on the head, and when they get ready to moult they start changing to a brown color, I always notice the back of the head first followed by a ring around the neck of missing feathers typicaly only seen when eve bends his head, you might not get a bald back of the head this year, I'm not sure I got eve after he was a year old and went through his first moult. But they did say that the vet thought Eve had an infection and treated him with antibotics cause he was missing head feathers and had developed a bald spot, lol.....poor misunderstood vasa's. So you might indeed see a bald spot not sure. I can also tell you that most parrots fisrt couple of moults are a little odd, some moults take forever, or for some they go through a series of little moults....It all evens out over time.

Sounds similar to what Anka was going through. Her feathers got very sparse around her eyes, especially underneath, and also above her cere. She also got this scruffy look with her down feathers sticking out in random places on her chest.

She's smoothed out a bit now and the feathers are back to normal on her nose and filling in well around her eyes.

Vinnie will be his fluffy self again soon

You know....was just looking back on Pics of eve, and he also gets a mask of brown feathers around his eyes before the back of the head starts moulting....I just never really noticed before.