New member, new canary owner

**sjlaz** · 02-12-2012, 01:00 PM

Hi I am a new member and have had my first canary since Dec. He has been delightful and a beautiful singer, but for the last week he has stopped singing and is dropping a lot of feathers. Could he be molting in Jan? He has a good appetite and loves his kale and apple. I gave him some hard cooked egg today as I read that a molting bird needs additional protein. He seemed to love it. Am I doing the right things? Hope someone can help reassure me or give some guidance.
thanks!
CT girl

**Marrie** · 02-12-2012, 04:48 PM

Welcome.

He could be molting, being inside the house, birds aren't as much controlled by the seasons as their wild counter parts would be. If you give him egg, finely crushed shells can give extra calcium as well (thoroughly wash the shell though). Sounds like you are doing everything fine, during a molt birds can become a bit stressed and it can cause them to act a bit differently. Just keep an eye out for any signs of illness, as always.

**sjlaz** · 02-13-2012, 03:55 AM

Thank you Marrie, for your response. That is reassuring! What sort of behavior would be a sign of illness? lack of activity and appetite? How long does a molt continue? I miss his singing so much.

**Marrie** · 02-13-2012, 08:35 AM

Molting times can vary, with a canary I am not sure... all my experience is with parrots, but my parrot molts for quite a while, but his moodiness usually only lasts a week or two, while the biggest part of the pin feathers are changing, which is itchy/uncomfortable for them. Signs of illness would be staying on the bottom of the cage, change in droppings (runny, change in urate color, etc), lethargy, loss of appetite, trouble breathing (whistling when he breaths, or panting, etc).

**sjlaz** · 02-13-2012, 11:08 AM

Thanks for your help Marrie. I will keep an eye on him and hope he starts to sing again soon.

**Celamin** · 03-23-2012, 01:50 PM

I know this topic is a bit old but maybe you'll still find this helpful...

Canaries should molt once a year, in mid-to-late summer. Their molt is triggered by the decreasing daylight hours. It's not uncommon for pet canary to molt in mid-winter, though, because human activity (and subsequently the amount of light) often increases around the holidays, then goes back to normal, triggering the same response as the increasing and decreasing light during the summer.

In my experience, the normal molt of a healthy canary is more abrupt than a parakeet's. He will lose and regrow every feather on his body, generally in about a month. Feather loss is very noticeable; he will have clumps of feathers missing (though you shouldn't see any skin), his flying ability might be reduced. They (their immune system particularly) are significantly weaker when molting, which is why when buying a canary it's best to get one more than a year old--some don't survive their first molt. This is also why you want to avoid triggering excessive molting.

Giving extra protein during molting is good. A little extra heat and humidity will also help him. A bath (canaries love a dish of cold, fresh water) can also be good, but only early in the day, because birds should not go to sleep with damp feathers. Be aware of how many hours of light he gets in a day. Try to keep it regular, but relative to the season. This might be tricky depending on where the cage is located, but you can try covering his cage at the same time every evening, then uncovering him before going to sleep (or as soon as it is dark and you will not be turning lights on in the room anymore) so he can wake up when the sun rises. (and you can wake up to sweet bird songs in the morning when he's in singing condition

) Canaries are very photo-sensitive and the number of daylight hours he gets over the course of a year will have a very big impact on his overall health and activity.

If the canary is losing feathers more slowly and steadily and hasn't returned to his normal behavior, he might be having a "soft molt." That can go on indefinitely. Try giving him a strict 12 hours light, 12 dark schedule and notice if he is losing weight. Canaries are very good eaters, so weight loss is a serious warning sign.

If you can find an experienced canary breeder, they might be able to give you more/better advice.
Of course an avian vet would be ideal, but you usually can't get medical advice over the phone.

**sjlaz** · 03-24-2012, 10:09 AM

Thanks Celamin, I appreciate your response. My canary is still molting...started in Jan. It seems to be less lately. Other than loosing feathers he seems peppy and chirps often. THe large tail feathers have stopped falling out and mostly now it's just fluffy small stuff. I just made a dark cage cover and will use it to keep his cage dark during the evening hours. I liked your idea of uncovering him at bedtime so that he awakes with the sun. I remember fondly his lovely singing first thing in the morning.
Hope he starts singing again soon!
Thanks again for your advise,
S

**Birdmanca** · 03-24-2012, 01:25 PM

Yes, very well could be motling. The cage and floor get all the feathers that need to be cleaned up. At this time, you do not have a bird health problem. Just a mess to clean up all the feathers.

**sjlaz** · 04-10-2012, 12:26 PM

Does anyone know how long a molt goes on? I am noticing that my bird's head is now molting and I'm hoping maybe this is the last "section" of his body to loose feathers and maybe we're at the end??? He started in early Feb and it's now almost mid April. Anybody have any ideas???