Because parrots/birds conceal health problems for as long as possible, it is important to regularly check the health of your feathered friend(s).
This way you are there in time if something threatens to go wrong.
What can you do, among other things?
Regularly weigh your bird in the morning with an empty crop and record its weight in a notebook. It's important to know its normal weight so that weight loss or gain can be detected promptly.
Collect wing and tail feathers that fall off during molting. Place them in a piece of cardboard and write the dates next to them. Left feathers to the left and right feathers to the right. You can also glue them in a notebook. This way, you can check whether the bird is molting symmetrically. Furthermore, you can compare the new feathers with the old feathers. The new feathers are usually more beautiful than the old feathers. Asymmetrical molting and less beautiful new feathers are a sign that "something" is wrong. This doesn't necessarily indicate illness, but it can indicate nutritional deficiencies, unfavorable climatic conditions, or stress/welfare problems.
This check of the feathering and molting provides valuable information. If health problems are present, it can be determined whether they are a long-standing problem or an acute one. If the last feathers are in top condition, the problem is acute. A standard health check often provides more information than a blood test and/or an X-ray.
Assessing the health of a bird of prey by assessing feather quality and molting was already used by falconers 5,000 years ago to assess the health of birds of prey.
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