# A little weight loss during molting??



## Sarah_in_CA (May 20, 2016)

Nacho is going through his first full-blown molt. I weigh him from time to time on a digital food scale. He's usually in the 90-95 gram range. The other day he was only 86 grams. I know feathers don't weigh much but is weight loss in general normal during a molt? Should I be concerned? Does this seem like an urgent matter? He's my first cockatiel ever....I had parakeets growing up. I just am not familiar with what's normal for tiels yet. Any advice or reassurance would be much appreciated! Thanks! :grey tiel:


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## littletiel (May 15, 2011)

I have heard other people say the same, so assume it is not unusual. I usually give my boy some extra vitamins; other people give their tiels brewer's yeast during moulting.
My tiel doesn't moult so often because he is a bit of a mild plucker, so his metabolism is not quite balanced and he doesn't moult regularly.


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## Vickitiel (Oct 10, 2012)

Yes, it's normal to see a bit of weight loss during a heavy molt, as molting uses a lot of their energy. Try supplementing his diet with some conditioning/soft food type mix. I have this one called Best Bird Gold 'n' Fruit condition food that has lots of nutrients in it so is good to feed during molting. Vetafarm Egg & Biscuit is also a favourite in my flock.


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## Sarah_in_CA (May 20, 2016)

Thanks for the recommendation! I've been supplementing his seed/dried veggies/pellet mix with scrambled egg and the usual peppers, dark green leafy lettuce and fruit. He's generally a pretty good eater so I was a little concerned when I noticed the drop in weight.

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