2020 Edit: This is my most popular blog post, so I thought I’d write a follow-up with better pictures! If you’re looking for a variety of mojo moult pictures over the years, you are welcome to also check out these images of his various moults (hard ones and easy ones) from 2015-2020.
Otherwise, keep reading to see photos of a hard moult and a mojo moult happening in one poor eclectus parrot at the same time!
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2016: Is he sick? Does he have scabies? Is he dying?!!
No, no, and no.
Mr. Lou is going through the most intense mojo moult of his life right now, coupled also with a hard moult. He has to be beyond uncomfortable, but he’s still our cheerful little Lou! Our handsome boy is not so handsome.
Warning: Graphics of intense Mojo Moult beyond this point!
Louie has what I liked to call “Birdy Zits”–in other words, tons of pin feathers on his face, grouping around his chin and the crown of his head.
When we first brought him home last year, he was deep in the throes of the dreaded Mojo. He looked sort of like a little bald old man with a bad comb over. Observe; The top photo is what he looked like once the moult finished; the bottom two images are the missing feathers along the back of his head:
The above is a pretty good example of a Mojo moult in full-force.
He has a little of the comb-over affect going on this time, but while the feathers on the back of his head have grown in this time, it’s spread to his face. And cheeks.
And everywhere. He’s also going through a super intense moult (a “hard moult”) at the same time as his Mojo moult. 🙁
Oh God. They’re EVERYWHERE.
Lou and I took a shower, and he is a spiky dinosaur bird right now. :/ A hard moult in an eclectus parrot might look a little something like this:
The best thing for him right now is to give him a little extra protein (ekkies usually don’t need much, but he LOVES egg whites, so he’s been getting some of those daily), more of his favorite nutritious foods to make his new feathers extra shiny (celery is GREAT for that!) and daily showers.
Most of these suggestions come from the link above; the one modification I’d make to that awesome eclectus information is this: female eclectus parrots can TOTALLY go through Mojo moults as well. As a three-year volunteer at a local bird store, I have seen this first-hand on several occasions and had it confirmed by both avian experts. It’s a thing.
So there you have it. Spiky dinosaur Louie: a pin cushion.
Has your ekkie gone through a tough Mojo moult, or has one of your flock gone through a super hard moult? Drop a comment below!
Soooo.. pardon my ignorance, but, the feathers just drop out and new ones come in to replace them?
Pretty much. With most birds, you’ll just see some pin feathers on top of other new feathers sticking up here and there–if you see bald patches on most birds, it usually means they’re plucking them out from a specific area due to stress, illness, etc.
With eclectus parrots, though, they’ll lose them en masse, leaving patches of skin/down feathers only until new feathers start growing. In other words, it’s highly gross and scares a ton of new eclectus owners. 😀
My baby boy is looking pretty bad. From what I have read, he is in a mojo molt. He’s only 6 months. His head is bad. Looks thin. I think his legs looks bad too. Can that be part of a molt? This young?
If he’s looking thin, I’d take him to an avian vet ASAP; it’s one thing to be growing new pin feathers, it’s another to have lost weight and can be a matter of life and death. Take him in to see a vet–it’s much better to be safe than sorry!
He’s been to vet. Negative test results. Still looks pretty bad. How long do these type of molts last? I want to do what I can to help him. I’ve been taking him outside to get done sunshine. Anything else? Thank you!
Louie’s moults usually last between 3-5 months. His last one was a little longer, around 7-8 months. We also did a vitamin panel for him and he was low on calcium; I am not sure if they are related, but once we started feeding him more dark leafy greens such as dandylion greens, mustard greens, etc. (I blend them with jalapenos, his favorite) and fed him more green peas, that seemed to help resolve it. It’s possible he has a vitamin deficiency, so you may ask your vet about that. 🙂
Good luck! I hope your little man feels better soon!
Is there a way to attach a photo of my Sheldon? I’d feel better if you could see his head and compare to your eekie. Thank you.