Conufsed - I need someone to clear this up

[Solace.]

I don't get this.. Theo's a Cinnamon, she went really light and she's molting at the moment and suddenly all these really dark feathers are appearing. :wacko:

She's also got white on the outside of her orange cheek patch.

[srtiels]

The dark feathers are the new feathers and the light ones are the ones that will be molting out. Once she is done molting her color will even out. Also, if she has spent alot of time out in direct sunlight, this will dilute cinnamon mutation birds.

Sometimes the white edging can be an indication of split to WF.

[xxxSpikexxx]

She is dying her feathers :eek: Next thing you know she will go out and get a piercing without your permission :p

[Solace.]

Thanks you srtiels, it makes sense now! she spends a lot of time in the sun. I got confused because she was light for awhile now she's going a bit darker.

She is dying her feathers :eek: Next thing you know she will go out and get a piercing without your permission :p

LOL! I will ground her if she done such a thing. :p

[kimmikefids]

i think its normal for a tiel to change darkness of colour in the few 12 months?? or i may be making it up???

[Raven2322]

My vet told me that the feathers get lighter right before and during a molt. That happened to my Aladdin, his face started getting lighter and less yellow and when I asked her she said that sort of color change is normal around molting.That when the new feathers came in they would be the original color.

[srtiels]

Ah...then it may be the sun.

Cinnamon cockatiels are very photo-sensitive to the sun. It will bleach out the color, sometimes creating a marbled affect to the back. It is not permanant, and when the bird molts you can see the new feathers as they come in are darker.

Below are some tiels that were photo-sensitive. With Cinnamon Pearl (pix 1) the pearl gets less distinct and has a diluted smearred look. The 2nd and 3rd pix shows one of this years fledging and how she looked and after a couple months in out South FL summer sun in the outside flights. The 4th pix is a cinnamon pied, and last is a WF cinnamon from several years ago.

[Solace.]

Ah...then it may be the sun.

Cinnamon cockatiels are very photo-sensitive to the sun. It will bleach out the color, sometimes creating a marbled affect to the back. It is not permanant, and when the bird molts you can see the new feathers as they come in are darker.

Below are some tiels that were photo-sensitive. With Cinnamon Pearl (pix 1) the pearl gets less distinct and has a diluted smearred look. The 2nd and 3rd pix shows one of this years fledging and how she looked and after a couple months in out South FL summer sun in the outside flights. The 4th pix is a cinnamon pied, and last is a WF cinnamon from several years ago.

Wow, just by looking at them photos you can see how much affect the sun has on their feathers and the coloring. It's really amazing. Looking at Theo I can see what you mean.

Here's a couple of photos I just took of Theo while she's outside

[srtiels]

Nice back shots! Her color is almost faded to a fallow color.

[BuddyD]

I am very glad to see the replies of Breeders who own and have raised Cinnamon tiels and maybe those SPLIT to cinnamon.

The reason I am so interested is that i currently have a Cinnamon Breeding hen and the very last Chick she hatched is IMHO a rather unusual shade of Gray. FINI is having some real feathering difficulties but IMO has enough feathers to see that while OBVIUSLY Gray ( even with my poor Photography ) I can see even if I am not showing all you that the gray is an unusual shade that seems to be Tanish.

Fini's Father is a Gray spilt to Pied as is FINI's Mom ( Cinnamon split to Pied ) as seems to be proven By pied siblings they have produced.

But this chick is a different shad of GRAY the nay other I have seen. In the Tiel Picture section it was suggested that FINI may be CINNAMON and just DARK at this time ( 6+ weeks old) and may get lighter as FINI Molts.

Anyone care to comment? BTW can any of you tell if FINI is a Boy or Girl? Also If a girl is there anything that might make the female chicks more frail than the males? ( this isn't a chauvinistic question. LOL)

BUDDYD

[srtiels]

OK...Fini is a normal grey. Within the normal mutation there are various shades of grey...from pale to a dark charcoal grey. Sometimes splits to some mutations can have an impact of the shade of grey...for instance split to cinnamon can result in a paler grey, and split to lutino can sometimes result in a darker grey.

Diet also affects the plumage. For example, age and storage of the formula. If the formula is close to the exspiration date nutrient content can be decreased. Heat...for example stored in a warm/hot room can decrease nutrient content. It is best to put 1-2 days worth of formula in a canister, and refrigerate the rest. Replentish the canister as needed. Very hot water can also reduce the nutrient content when mixing. I learned to start at water at approx 107 degrees and when mixing the temp lowers, and to feed at approx 104 degrees. Thin formula also reduces the nutrient content and can result in defeciencies.

If some of the nutrient content is decresed it can cause several noticable results to the plumage. A defeciency of choline and riboflavin will cause abnormal pigmatation. Biotin defeciency can cause poor feathering, swollen foot pads, and anemia.

[atvchick95]

I just wanted to say Finni is looking good :)

[Kerry78]

Solace, aww aren't female Cinns lovely :D
Sandy is a Cinnamon too, ive watched in amazement these last
few months as he's has completely changed colour, he's loosing his barred tail and under the wings bars have almost gone, I think your girl will keep hers though,
Sandys wings have gone from light to dark as you can see in my sig, he also have sun bleached feathers above his dark coloured wings, his head looks like it's white in some areas to perhaps he will change in his 2 next moult ntyr and have abit of white patches on his eye or something :)