Love bird feathers falling out

Question
I have two female lime lovebirds. They are about 5 years old. One of them has recently started losing feathers, including tail feathers. She finds it increasingly difficult to fly and tends to climb around the cage rather than fly from place to place. The remaining feathers in her tail and on her back seem to be curved and messy looking. I feed them a mixture of fresh food (grapes, spinach, corn, almonds and walnuts) and seed and pellets every day. She seems to be eating and drinking ok. Any ideas? They are not hand reared so I don't know what chance I would have of catching her.

Thanks for any help.

Judy

Answer
Hi Judy,

I was going to ask if this could possibly be regular moulting as it's that time of year.  But if she cannot fly due to loss of that many feathers and if they are mal shaped, I would seriously recommend getting her to your avian vet immediately.  I don't want to scare you... but the messy and curvy description you gave me makes me wonder about PBFD (psittacine beak and feather disease).  

If the cage they are in cannot be taken to the vet, you should get a carrier ready (a cat carrier with a towel in the bottom will suffice) and get a hand towel and try to capture her that way.  If she's protective of her cage like most female lovies then she'll be easier to catch in the towel as they tend to stand their ground instead of running around trying to avoid you.  If you can, get both of your girls into a good avian vet.  Save any of the feathers that have fallen out in baggie and bring them with you.

Just be careful about stressing her out.  If she seems to get winded and is breathing heavy - give her a break and regroup.  

How do her poops look?
Does she bathe regularly?
Is she fluffed?  Sleeping a lot?
Sitting at the bottom of the cage?
Do her eyes and cere (nostrils) look normal and clear?
Is she an egg layer at all?

It could also be some type of deficiency as well.  But I'm not incredibly versed on those.  Either way - I would definitely get her to the vet and have her checked out.  It really could be any number of things - but there is DEFINITELY something going on requiring medical attention.  

I hope this helps and let me know what the vet says.  
Best wishes.