Help!

Hello all! My name is Shani. I just recently purchased a poor little cockatoo named Betty Boop. She is ten years old and has been plucking at herself since being banished to the breeding pens of the breeder from whom we purchased a Grey. This has been going on for approximately a year I suppose. She was getting better, then the week before we picked her up she started plucking at herself again. How can I help to discourage this behavior?

Next, she is quite a screamer. When she is not in the room with us, she will scream her little lungs out. It reverberates off the darn walls. I am just trying to ignore her, but she is LOUD! Have you any ideas on this one?

Lastly, I cant get her to eat anything but a very little bit of seed. I have offered her scrambled eggs with the shell in it, rice and beans, fresh vegetables and fresh fruit, and pellets. She will not touch anything. She will, however, drink water. Any suggestions on this one?

She is actually one comical little girl. I love her already. She has kept me completely entertained since we picked her up. But, I want to learn how to help her. I want to save her. Thanks for any input you can give.

I'm so glad you rescued a poor sould WElcome to the forum!

Welcome!

The plucking, and I am no expert, is probably nerves or something similar. I'd talk to your avian vet about this, also have them check for follicle damage.

To help with the screaming, some here have found that speaking softly to them encourages them to hush in order to hear what you're saying. I'd try that, but also talk to your vet about that.

You could try Rescue Remedy, it might help with her nerves and such. Also, assuming she will let you, lots of hugs and snuggles. Also also, some find making them think they are stealing food gets them to try new things.

Please though keep us informed and do some searches on here, most postings have keywords and you will probably find some useful information.

Welcome!!

Let's see if we can't help you out a little bit here ...

Shani said:

How can I help to discourage this behavior?

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Plucking ... now, I am going to assume that you have taken her to an Avian Vet and all of her medical needs are being met ... I am also going to assume that you have taken into consideration all of her dietary needs and she is getting fresh fruits/veggies/pellets everyday ... I am also going to assume that there are plenty of toys in her cage, and that her cage itself isn't too small ... outside of those things, well, is she getting a good misting/watering/bath on a daily basis? Poor feather quality will lead to plucking.

Shani said:

Next, she is quite a screamer. When she is not in the room with us, she will scream her little lungs out ... Have you any ideas on this one?

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Yep, contact/flock call ... she's looking to see where you are ... until she gets comfortable in her new surroundings, let her be with you as much as possible and just this alone (it's unnatural for birds to be alone) could help with the plucking issue .... Don't come running to her when she calls ... a soft whistle, a soft voice just let her know where you are and this should cut this down drastically.

Shani said:

Lastly, I cant get her to eat anything but a very little bit of seed. I have offered her scrambled eggs with the shell in it, rice and beans, fresh vegetables and fresh fruit, and pellets. She will not touch anything. She will, however, drink water. Any suggestions on this one?

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Suggestions, I have two ... (1) PERSISTANCE ... keep offering new foods to her constantly this will eventually pay off ... get her off those seeds (this will also help with the plucking!) (2) let her sit with you while you eat ... birds can be very picky when it's in their food dish, and will then go out of their way to try to get stuff off your plate when it comes to food ...

You have already taken a step in the right direction you are asking for help ... now, seek out an AVIAN VET ... get a well birdie check up, get a few good books, bookmark this forum and get ready to have a lot of fun!

Again, welcome ... pull up a chair and make yourself at home!

~ :50: Tex

http://www.parrotforums.com/showthread.php?t=1349

Check out the the above thread, concerning screaming. Different species but same methods may just work. There are a lot of different things that people here use, and you just need to find something that works for both you and Betty Boop,

As far as the seed is concerned, try mixing some pellets (crushed if necessary) to the seed. Please don't just stop the seed, if she really won't eat anything else. Its gonna take time, but with patience and perserverance she may just come round. Well done you for rescuing her. I look forward to hearing all about her, and seeing lots of pics.

WELCOME TO OUR FAMILY.

Ok.......shower the day she got here, but not yesterday. She ate bananas today as well as red pellets (she doesn't seem to like the other ones at this time). Radio in the room and turned on seems to help when I leave the room. Put my laptop back on my desk which is right next to her cage (which is HUGE by the way) and she seems to be much more content that I am close while on this thing. Avian specialist said that she is healthy - just stressed to the max. Being put out into the breeding pens with the Amazons and then a new home after she didn't get better has really affected her obviously. I am going to save her, bless her. I won't give up. As far as affection, I am showering her with it........well as much as she will let me anyway. She doesn't seem to be too fond of kisses, but when she gets scared she really likes hugs.

Only one bad thing......she broke my necklace that my mother-in-law gave me and the charm is gone. I guess that is all part and parcel of learning about everything and it was shiny afterall LOL

Oh yes, and thank you for the kind welcome and the words of wisdom. I will definitely try everything I can, one thing at a time until I find what works. I think the most important thing right at this point is getting her to eat. The screaming is easy. The plucking, from all that I have read, is going to be the hardest thing for me to tackle. I will try showers each day and see if that helps her. I don't know if she ever got showers where she was at, but she will get them here! Thanks again everyone.

:23: Welcome, Shani, to the Forum! As you have seen already, there are many nice, welcoming people here ready to share their knowledge and experience.

Bless your heart for taking Betty Boop! Love her name. Best to you.

Shani said:

The plucking, from all that I have read, is going to be the hardest thing for me to tackle. I will try showers each day and see if that helps her. I don't know if she ever got showers where she was at, but she will get them here! Thanks again everyone.

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Yeah, pluckings a bitch to deal with just due to the fact that there are so many reasons it can happen ... I am sure that stress is a big player right now ... and if her feather quality is poor (or even her skin underneith) that's another factor ... if your avian specialist said that she is healthy then that is not only 1/2 the battle, but it also eliminates all of the biological things that can cause her to pluck ... now we have it narrowed down to environmental issues ... which is great because we have 100% controll over these things!

Keep us up to date on this one ... I would be interested to see how Betty Boop is adjusting to her new life!

~ :50:

Hello Shani and welcome to the forum!You are going to have much fun here and get a lot of good advice!

I have got a rescue as well, mine is an amazon who is a plucker too...
If you want to know anything about Phoebus don't hesitate to ask..

Oh, and your new birdy has a wonderfull name!Lovely!

yeah you have to watch neckalces Sidney broke one of mine and I lost my sweet sixteen charm I mad a necklace I wear just when I play with the parrots so they have something to play with while sitting on my shoulder.

Only one bad thing......she broke my necklace that my mother-in-law gave me and the charm is gone. I guess that is all part and parcel of learning about everything and it was shiny afterall LOL

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Yeah, definately watch out for those and earrings So far Kito (Grey) has gone through 4 necklaces and Bucc (Grey) has managed to rip out about a dozen or so earrings, Will I never learn

The plucking, hopefully she will get over once her stress levels are down, but yeah its not gonna be easy, Think you are wise to concentrate on her feeding.

WELL DONE TO YOU for giving this little gal her forever home. Please keep us updated.

Right......Betty is doing fabulous as far as the food aspect. She is eating everything that she should (and I have cut way back on the seeds). I gave her just a very few today and that has been it since my last posting. I am so excited about that!

I do live in Arizona (btw Peta, my hubby is from Leeds), and it is quite dry and hot here (imagine that). Anyway, each morning that I pick her up she leaves white dander on my top. She has been getting a shower every day. Her feathers look so much more white and lively than when I very first got her a few days ago. Gosh how I love this little creature.

She has bitten me a couple of times. She really hurt my finger and drew blood from my first knuckle on my pointer finger. I guess that too is part and parcel for the course. She loves to hide in a towel and actually blows air out of her nose if I dare to uncover her. LOL

The screaming is still an ongoing problem. I am sure hoping that it will dwindle over time. The feather plucking.......well, she did it quite a bit the first night, a little bit the second night, a little bit less the third night, and a little bit less the fourth night. Perhaps she is feeling more safe and secure in her surroundings here (and a shower each day probably does her a world of good).

All in all, what I am trying to say, is thank you all so very much. it is wonderful that this website is here to help people like me. I can't tell you that enough.

and it is quite dry and hot here

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What is this word dry I keep hearing. I can't remember the last dry day we had over here at the moment.

I'm glad that her plucking is gradually slowing down, hopefully she'll leave them feathers alone as she feels more love and security. Well done to you, you are both doing great.