# Large wing feathers not growing back (bird picks at them)



## banndsand (Dec 5, 2013)

My ringneck dove Curie has had some issues with the feathers on his wings since I got him. When I picked him up from the pet store last year there was a feather sort of sticking out the bottom of one of his wings, but I figured it was ok.

Now he is a few months under a year old, and his wings, though mostly covered with feathers, don't have nearly as many feathers on them as they should. When he extends them, it looks like a hand that is missing fingers. And after flight his wings shake like they hurt for a few moments.

He takes baths regularly, and I feed him Hagen's pigeon and dove seed mix. I give him grit with a bit of oyster shell and charcoal in it. I give him a water solluble multivitamin about twice a week, and I let him out of the cage most evenings for a few hours until it gets dark out. But still his feathers aren't growing in well. I find plucked out blood feathers on the bottom of his cage every now and then, and he spends a lot more time on his wings than on the rest of his body while "preening".

I tried taking him to a vet a few months ago when I was worried about a particularly bloody feather, and she pulled out a few broken feathers she saw on one of his wings, but at the time his other wing was perfectly fine. Now Curie is plucking feathers on both wings and I don't know what to do!

Is there anything I'm missing? Something I should do for him or give him? I can do pretty much anything that doesn't require getting another bird (landlord won't let me) or taking him specifically to an avian vet, as there isn't one in my city, and maybe not even within my entire province.

PS. I have bought some Ecotrition "Bird Bath Spray With Molt Ease" at a local pet store because it supposedly can relieve skin irritation and such, which I think might help. I have not used it because although most of the reviews I found online were positive, I have seen people say that sprays with artificial ingredients are bad for birds. Any opinions? Should I just return it?


----------



## Michy (Jul 29, 2011)

Is he constantly preening himself? It may an OCD kinda thing. Also can mean he is lacking something nutritionally. If he is always preening, give him something to do. Spend more time with him. Might consider a friend for him. Boredom can literally make a bird bald by self-mutilation. Good luck and hope all turns out ok!!


----------



## banndsand (Dec 5, 2013)

Curie is my first bird, so I don't know how much is a normal amount of preening. I'd say he preens a lot, though.

It would be a lot easier if doves were interested in toys like parakeets and such. lol I'm not sure how a human entertains a dove.

I usually sit with him in the morning after I've changed his food, water, papers, etc. (he seems to like the routine), and then I spend pretty much all day at my desk which is in the same room as his cage. I'm not sure how to spend time with him more closely, as he seems to have lost trust in me since we moved in March.

Unfortunately I can't get him a bird for a friend because of my landlord's rules. I found that out after making someone drive all the way to my city to drop off a bird, only to have them go home with the bird again. :X I've given him a mirror so he's not lonely when I'm away, but I think it may be what has made him so wary of me (along with a particularly painful vet visit just before we moved). He used to let me pick him up easily. Now I have to bribe him with peanuts or other treats to get him to come anywhere near my hands.

Maybe I should try a different food or something. This brand is the only one I can find in my city that is specifically for pigeons and doves, so I'd probably have to order online or make my own mix. Any suggestions on that account?
Or maybe a different vitamin? I originally wanted to just give him vitamin D, beccause our room only gets sunlight in the wee hours, but I could only find a general multivitamin in my pet shops.


----------



## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

it can take awhile to regrow the larger blood feathers, the molt is coming soon in to fall. it may be waiting to regrow when the molt is stimulated.


----------



## banndsand (Dec 5, 2013)

Oh I thought they molted more often than that. Seems every couple months I spend a few days sweeping up smaller feathers from around his cage.

Guess I will just have to wait and see, and keep trying to keep him happy.


----------



## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

banndsand said:


> Oh I thought they molted more often than that. Seems every couple months I spend a few days sweeping up smaller feathers from around his cage.
> 
> Guess I will just have to wait and see, and keep trying to keep him happy.


yes they do molt all year, but they have a big most significant one late summer into the fall months.


----------

