Molting Parakeet?

Question
I have a ringneck parakeet approx. 5-6months old. I can't remember exactly. As of lately she has become very scruffy looking. She eats and drinks fine. Actually she eats alot if you ask me. I quess my question is, at about what age do parakeets begin to molt? Through reading other postings and my own guessing, I think this is what is making my beautiful bird look more like a bum than a beauty queen.

Answer
Hi, AJ.  Thanks for posting.

Parrots molt for the first time at about 6-7 months of age, then again at about 12 months of age, then once per year after their first year.

If molting, you should see 1 or 2 feathers on the cage bottom or on the floor regularly.  Parrots replace every feather on their bodies, but over about a month's time, give or take a week or 2, depending on the bird.  Therefore, you shouldn't see massive amounts of feather loss.  As new feathers grow in, they will look like pins coming out from between other feathers (the new, growing feathers are wrapped in a white colored sheath of keratin).

Chrys