Is this normal?

hamza.ayub

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Feb 22, 2014
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England,Lancashire
Parrots
I have a mealy amazon
My parrot plucks his feathers out is this normal is there a way to stop it
65aq.jpg
 

hacatta

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Dec 22, 2013
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i got 1 green cheek cinnamon,a rose crowned,a yellow sided and a hybride from the first 2

Kiva
Fury
Pixel
Hope
is that his cage?course that might be a big why.
 

JerseyWendy

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Jul 20, 2012
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Just for your information, your bird is a Mealy Amazon. :) And I don't see ANY plucked feathers either.
 

JerseyWendy

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Jul 20, 2012
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First, here are some photos for you of a MEALY Amazon. The yellow on the head can vary. The chest feathers are a dead give-a-way in your photos that you have a Mealy (looks like he was dipped in flower).







Do you actually SEE him barber his feathers?

As others have pointed out, PLEASE provide him a MUCH much larger cage. He WILL get used to it, I promise. The cage he is currently in is much too small for him. :(
 
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hamza.ayub

hamza.ayub

New member
Feb 22, 2014
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England,Lancashire
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I have a mealy amazon
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First, here are some photos for you of a MEALY Amazon. The yellow on the head can vary. The chest feathers are a dead give-a-way in your photos that you have a Mealy (looks like he was dipped in flower).







Do you actually SEE him barber his feathers?

As others have pointed out, PLEASE provide him a MUCH much larger cage. He WILL get used to it, I promise. The cage he is currently in is much too small for him. :(
Ok I will go out to buy one
 

Kiwibird

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Jul 12, 2012
9,539
111
Parrots
1 BFA- Kiwi. Hatch circa 98', forever home with us Dec. 08'
Did you see him pulling those out? Or just find them on the floor of his cage? They loose a few feathers here and there naturally just like you shed hair naturally.

While it is less common in amazons, they can develop self destructive behavior like plucking. It's best to nip it in the bud before it becomes a problem. The ONLY ways to prevent it from happening is proper care from day one. Right diet, many different kinds of toys (frequently rotated out so they don't loose interest), at least 6 hours of daily interaction with people OUTSIDE the cage. And then theres that cage again. One of the fastest routs to a plucking/self mutilating parrot is one that lives in a cage that small and spends little to no time outside of it.m I know I addressed those cage issues in a prior post you made, and you never did answer what the deal was with his age and cage situation. As I said, there are 2 stubborn amazons in my family who live in the original cages from 40 years ago (which aren't much bigger than Rio's) and refuse to go anywhere near a bigger, modern cage. But they have free run of the house all day, every day, so a huge cage isn't a huge concern when they're only sleeping in them. Did you look at those links I gave you to play stands? If the bird is happy with his cage, then perhaps he should be offered an alternative place to explore, exercise and play on. But whether you get him to accept a larger cage or take the "free all day" approach, he cannot just languish for hours each day in that tiny cage. Your choice on the solution, but there has to be a choice made on which works better for you, or he will suffer.
 
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hamza.ayub

hamza.ayub

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Feb 22, 2014
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England,Lancashire
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I have a mealy amazon
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Some I sow him pull out some I didn't also regarding the cage he is out all day he only sleeps in that cage also thanks for the reply rio has finely stepped up on me with out force so he will step up he also starts screaming when I leave the room what can I do about it
 
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MomtoPercy

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Nov 15, 2013
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Percy, a 5yo BFA & Jack, a 8yo Budgie
He should learn to entertain himself and not be dependent on you for stimulation. Providing LOTS of toys will help with the screaming when you leave the room as well as give him something else to do, other than pluck his feathers. Plucking a extremely difficult to overcome so, the sooner you can stop it, the better. Rio doesn't look like he's plucked heavily yet so step in now and do all you can to discourage it.

Offer as many different toys as you can. You will soon see which are his favourites and then you can provide more of those. I know you said he spends lots of time out of the cage and I don't want to harp on and on about the cage because several of us have suggested a bigger cage, BUT, a bigger cage will have space for lots of toys AND will be a safe, happy enviroment for him while you are away.

I also found this link from a site in the UK that may be helpful for you to read :
Feather Plucking in Parrots
 

Kiwibird

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Jul 12, 2012
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1 BFA- Kiwi. Hatch circa 98', forever home with us Dec. 08'
Seeing as your last thread about Rio "hating you" was closed, I wanted to extend this information to you so you can surrender him to a SAFE place capable of caring for and rehoming him if you aren't capable or willing to care for him anymore- Birdline UK Parrot Rescue - Birdline Parrot Re-homing

This is in the UK, and they have a number, email and live chat, so you can talk with someone in your area about the best option for Rio. This forum is full of people who view their their parrots as members of the family, and are genuinely concerned for yours. I hope you make the RIGHT choice for Rio. Sometimes when you love something, the right choice isn't always the easiest. Best of luck.
 

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