Devestated

I work really weird hours. I work 1/2 days on sat. and full on Sundays. This means that for 1 1/2 days Romeo is cared for by my boyfriend (who for not being much of a bird person does a fairly decent job and really tries). I wake her up on Saturday morning but don't see her again until Monday morning. Yesterday when I got home he gave me the usual run down of how her day went. I have had her for about a month now and when she came to me her previous owners said that she didn't pick her feathers but that she 'barbed' them. Aside from that her chest was really starting to look good. For what ever reason she decided to destroy her chest early yesterday afternoon. She didn't pick the feathers out, she chewed them all into tiny pieces. I got to see the damage this morning. I'm bummed, I have been working so hard at distractions and training. I feel like this is a major step back . Would this be expected? How long does it really take for a bird to settle into its new home? Shes tried to breed with me twice. I have discouraged this behavior, could this be upsetting her as well?

I added two pics, one of her last week and one of her this a.m.

This is really a dificult issue and the answer is many. It can be a food problem or a behavior problem but it is really possitive that she is not picking them out, that could be seeking for a pain indofin kick. I think you should consult a spe******t but maby at the same time think about if she get all vitamine. She need daylight for being able to take up A vitamin (calcium) and for that she need D3 vitamin and D3 comes via UV in light, If you cant provide dayligt the have a full spectra artisifielt light over the cage. It can also be a " not enoght company, boring issue" It can also be a behavior coming from mistreatment from previous owner. But really, contact a spe******t

She eats zupreem with an assortment of fruits, veggies, and nuts that vary from day to day. She only gets seed during training. She spends some time outside for fresh air and natural sunlight. She was vet checked and is otherwise healthy. She was doing really well up until yesterday, she had not touched them at all and they were growing in quite nicely. I have not been adding vitamins to her water, is that something thats recommended? Her previous home was a very loving one (due to circumstances and changes in the household they needed to re home her), they had her for 14yrs and she started this behavior quite awhile prior to me getting her. I had been hoping problem solved, but apparently I have a longer road ahead.

i don't think i can offer advice, but just to say, hang in there, yes its a long road ahead, lol my nut still chews her feathers an is a biter as well, so know how very dis-heartening it is when you see a new chewed feather an you feel as you could have done more

Moe was a shredder when I got him. I worked very hard to put him on a good diet, large cage, and keep him distracted (it took me over a year before I could handle him without getting bit)

He would occasionally shred his chest, and then he'd let them grow for longer each time. Toos are very sensitive. This will sound kind of bad, but you can't react... don't give him extra attention when he does it.

Moe used to shred his feather and look at me to see if I was watching... I had to not look or react (would have just reenforced the behavoir)

My husband is out of town and has been for two months, Moe has been fully feathered for three years, and he just shredded a small place on his chest... He's now leaving it alone and will let it grow back.

My point is that you don't usually stop a plucking 'too in a month.

If you want to try something new, buy some Avicalm and put it in her foor starting on a Friday and then give it to her again Saturday, and then a half dose on Sunday....that might help her be a little less nuts over the weekend while you're gone.

Good luck and just remember to be patient with her.

I don't have any advice on this issue, but I am sending happy and healing thoughts your way.

Thanks ShreddedOakAviary I really appreciate it. I think that maybe she has just been distracted with new everything since shes been here and has been leaving them alone. Not sure what her trigger was yesterday (may have just been my absence). I will def take your advice, we'll see how she does over a few months before trying a product but will keep that one in mind. I just feel that when she shreds that I'm failing to provide her with what she needs, but I also understand that this is a long term habit and is going to take time and patience to correct. Thanks so much for sharing that Moe had a relapse, this gives me a really good idea as to what to expect in the future.

Keep in mind that I have never used any product on Moe, his is just a gradual behavoir modification... and being patient with him while he learns that this is his home forever. This may sound strange but I imagine plucking is akin to smoking.... for me to quit smoking was pretty tough and for a while I would relapse occasionally (especially if something bothered me).... I eventually quit, but even on occasion now if life gets too much to bear I consider smoking.... I had to learn new behavoirs to replace the old one, and so did moe (although he falls off the wagon more than I ever did, but I'm human and he's a cockatoo...)


Just a thought.

Thanks! I'm pretty confident over time it will be fixed, in a sense I'm glad that she shreds instead of plucks. That being the only problem she has, I consider myself to be very lucky as she is a fantastic bird.

Shredding doesn't do any permanant folicle damage, so you can be a lot more patient with it than you can with a serious plucker.

The other thing is that plucking or shredding cockatoos just seem to take a lot more time to rehab than amazons, greys, and other psitticines...

I love umbrellas and mollucan cockatoos, but if I had to describe them honestly, they're like little OCD people... lol!

I'm sure she has lots of wood toys, but consider giving her easily destroyable stuff over the weekend.... my favorite 'too toy is to but some adding machine paper rolls (not the shiny kind) and get some of those baby rings from walmart and hang the paper roll up.... They LOVE to unravel the paper roll and it makes a huge pile of paper in the bottom of their cage, but Moe will spend all day dragging piles of paper up to his perch (after it's all unraveled and on the bottom of the cage) and tearing it up. It's an excellent distraction, and it satiates the need that often drives them to shred their feathers.

One more thing (sorry for so many posts), I remember the first time Moe relapsed.... I gave a fabric cat hide (kitty cube from walmart) because he loved to play nest and he liked to climb in it and pop his head up and then duck down again. Anyway I usually two in the house (because they never lasted more than a week), but I had been in and out of the hospital for a few days and hadn't been able to go shopping. He had trashed it, so I tried putting it in the washing machin (which only made it worse) and I realized I needed a new one. I ran to the store (5 blocks away when we lived in Tennessee) and bought another. When I came home (not gone more than 15 minutes) he was on the bottom of his cage with his head in the corner and when I called him he wouldn't look at me. When he finally truned around he was completely bald on his chest and legs... he had actually plucked all his feathers in the time it took me to get him a new toy.

I was crushed.

He is now a pretty sane bird, we can move him around take his mate to the vet, give him new toys, take them away, and he now deals with most things quite well. It took my husband be absent for 4 weeks before he decided to shred.

You'll get there, it just takes time. The bird you know today will evolve into a different bird over time. She'll be herself, but she'll grow to trust you and her home completely and accept your absence in stride.

Thanks so much the advice really helps. I've also posted another question earlier today on the forum about housing birds outside, I was wondering if you could look at it and maybe give some advice there too. I've seen where you have posted about having outdoor aviaries. I think that there are a lot of natural distractions outside and among other things thought that it might help for her to have more outside time.

I soooo feel your pain Rhett is a full on plucker who is happy now, but his plucking has become a habit, ugh! Worse off, he distrusts ANYTHING new so as of yet, toys are no use. I love him no matter what but his plucking drives me nuts! But I haven't had him that long and just have to keep reminding myself to take a breath, relax, and reset and keep working on it. At this point, I would benefit from the anti-depressant I just weaned him off of

The parrot rescue here that I have worked with gives thick telephone books cut/sawed in 1/2 or in 1/3s to the macaws & cockatoos that they have there to help keep them busy.
They just hang them in the top of the cage with the book binding on the top of the cage & the pages hanging down into the cage for the birds to shred. It might help keep her busy when she is missing you.

I totally agree with everything ShreddedOakAviary says!!!!

Cockatoos have tendency of getting very attached so you need to teach them to play on their own. Plus it was already mentioned, lots of shreddable toys for them to destroy, especially when your away! Turn the tv or music on when no one is paying attention to them. I have other birds that keeps mine occupied so no one is really bored cause they have other birds to chatter to. I have two barbers here, Dixie the Cockatoo used to be horrible when I first got her, she's a lot better now except she still chews the tip of her crown so it's not as pretty as they should be, but rest of her body looks great. So I don't mind her chewing the crown. Gracie the ekkie female is a barber and a plucker. I'm still trying to stop her from doing so. Things like this takes time and patience. Just keep on providing them with good quality food, fresh fruit and veggies, etc. Good Luck!

I hope you can find some useful information here.


Feather Plucking / Chewing: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment Options as well as Prevention

I don't have any guidance on this issue, but I am sending pleased and healing ideas your way.
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