macaw shedding

Question
 i have a 1 1/2 year old scarlet macaw i 've had him for about 3 weeks he seems to be shedding . he looks very healthy . when will the shedding stop and is it do to the weather change or growth? jimmy from newyork city

Answer
HI Jimmy,

I wasn't exactly sure what you meant by "shedding"... is he loosing feathers? It is typical for birds to molt this time of year. You will find feathers at the bottom of their cage and often times you will find lots of pin feathers on their head (because their head is the only place that they can't reach to preen those rotten pin feathers out!) :)

In the wild, birds would groom each others' heads... if you have a realy close, trusting relationship with your bird, s/he will allow you to groom him.

This is all natural... however, if you see bare patches of skin on your bird- then you've got something to be worried about.

Let me know if you have any other questions... and check out these terrific website for more information on macaws (and parrot care):

http://www.exoticbird.com/macawspart3.html

www.companionparrot.com

www.forthebirdsDVM.com

www.wingedwisdom.com

I hope this helps.

-Maggie