Plucking or Molting?

JennyB · Feb 16, 2014

Two weeks ago I lost my almost 25 year old cockatiel. A couple days later I noticed a "rough" patch on my son's gcc's belly that looked as if she might have pulled a feather or 2. She will be a year old in about a month, and we've kept an eye on her, but the patch has gotten a little bigger, nothing terrible, and not down to bare skin, but I'm afraid she's plucking. (Out of boredom, grief, worry?)

The birds were not housed together, but were in the same room, near a large window, with the radio on during the day. I work full time, my son is in school, but the conure spends nearly every spare minute out of her cage with one of us when we're home, both in the mornings and evenings. My cockatiel was petrified of her, and so they were never even turned loose together.

So my question is... Do we just wait a little longer and hope for the best, could she be molting, or do we start looking for her a companion? And if we decide to get another bird, would another gcc be best?

Background Info: The conure eats very well, enjoys playing in water, loves to rough-house as well as snuggle, and is quite the little ham! She loves being with people and will only occasionally bite if you're unwrapping something in cellophane! (Can't decide if she just doesn't like the crinkly sound, if she's trying to steal your "treat," or if she's just starting to go through puberty.) Also, she's quite a talker and says "What chew doin, Night night Jelly, Widdle baby, Poor Baby, Jelly Baby, Did you poopoo, Bad bird, Quittit, Don eat da poopoo," and the list goes on!

JennyB · Feb 16, 2014

So after reading many other threads and posts related to plucking, I'm thinking I need to add more "scavenging" type toys or treats to keep Jellybean busy during the day when we're not home... before I decide to become a 2-bird family again. This little bird is so different from my cockatiel, I'm not sure where to start, but I don't want to wait until this becomes a habit!!!

I saw some replies to other threads which suggested eucalyptus? toys, and placing rocks in the food that they would have to move/pick through... any thoughts or ideas?

riddick07 · Feb 16, 2014

I'm sorry for the loss of your cockatiel. What kind of conure do you have? If he is itchy he will also pluck. You can try a humidifier, extra baths, and aloe vera spray. You can buy bird specific aloe vera or make up your own just make sure the aloe you get is bird safe!

Here is what I do for my very destructive sun conure to keep him occupied! My little female green cheek conure also has a basket but she doesn't destroy it like Loki!

The bottom littered with toys from the baskets!

The baskets. He has two in his cage because one wasn't enough to keep him occupied...

Once he destroys the walls of the basket I take the bottom and weave different objects through it and hang it in his cage...

I use bamboo baskets. In the baskets there is toys made form plastic lacing, beads, wood, straws, qtips, buttons, foam, cupcake cups, plastic pacifiers, puzzle pieces, and pretty much whatever bird safe thing I can come across!

Hope this helps

JennyB · Feb 17, 2014

Riddick07,
I love your basket ideas! She's a green cheek so I'll have to scale it down just a bit, but I have some things already that may work! She doesn't seem to be dry or itchy, and plays in the water about every other day. Hopefully that won't become a problem, but I'll definitely watch out and try the aloe if it does!

Thank you! Jenny

MikeyTN · Feb 17, 2014

Sorry about the passing of your Cockatiel!!! Could you post pictures of your conure of the spot that your talking about???

JennyB · Feb 17, 2014

Hi MikeyTN,
Thank you, she was a great bird! I've had her so long, it's hard to believe she's gone...

Anyway, I took a picture of Jellybean's belly, but she tried to play with everything I held up for perspective, which completely blocked the spot. In the picture I finally got, she's bent over scratching her head, but you can see it's still a very small area, about the size of my fingernail when she's standing up straight.

I'm having a little trouble inserting the picture in my post, but I was able to add it to the album on my profile. When I hit the "Insert Image" button on the toolbar, it asks for the URL of the image??? So sorry, I'm not a computer person, and it doesn't help when there's a little green bird running around trying to eat my fingers and keys!

Sincerely, Jenny

JennyB · Feb 17, 2014

OK... I think I've got it now. Like I said, it's not a great picture, but I think you can get the idea. She's leaning over scratching her head, but it's the small white area above her right leg. It's about the size of my fingernail when she's standing up straight.

Thanks, Jenny

jennyb-albums-jellybean-picture11232-small-white-spot-above-her-right-leg-she-s-leaning-over-scratching-her-head-so-s-hard-tell-but-s-about-size-my-fingernail.jpg

riddick07 · Feb 17, 2014

She is so cute! Does she have pin feathers coming in at all? Has she had her first molt yet? If not it could be her first molt. My female green cheek looks like a mess when she molts...random patches of down feathers showing through and all.

JennyB · Feb 17, 2014

Well, I feel a little like a ding-dong, but I'm not sure about her first molt... I expected it to be a big dramatic experience like you describe, but that hasn't happened...

She has lost some tail/flight feathers, which have already regrown, and I've found plenty of green feathers/fuzz in the bottom of the cage. She's had lots of pin feathers coming in which she either preens herself or lets us help with, but not the mangy, scraggly, "I'm growing up & having my first molt" experience I've been waiting for... It's just been kinda a gradual, everyday thing, until this patch of fuzzy down started. But there are no pin feathers in this patch, I don't feel any on her belly at all.

:rainbow1:

Thanks, Jenny

riddick07 · Feb 17, 2014

I googled for a good image of the patches that can happen and attached one of the pics I found. I looked in my own pictures but apparently she doesn't let me take pictures of her when she is a mess

There doesn't have to be pins where she loses feathers. Sometimes they drop a bunch of feathers and then the pins start coming in. A molt can take forever to complete! Our cockatoo has been molting for about 2 months now.

riddick07 · Feb 17, 2014

The first time my cockatiel molted I thought there was a dead bird at the bottom of the cage. It was like over night she just exploded

JennyB · Feb 17, 2014

HaHaHa!!! You cracked me up, and are making me feel a lot better! I had to take a peek at your babies after that, and they're gorgeous! Made me a little teary-eyed looking and your Rin and Rhyner!

Anyway, after looking at the molting picture, I'm thinking that's probably all I'm dealing with. We've left the cockatiel's cage sitting in the room, and the conure has been curious, going over to sit on top several times, even venturing inside once, but otherwise acting very normal. (And she does have a new tiny tail feather coming in, that I just found this morning).

Thanks so much for your help and input!!!
Jenny

JennyB · Feb 17, 2014

So I found a "bird" store online and decided to make the hour drive south to check them out this afternoon. I'm so glad I did! They think she's just molting, too, and suggested we try a supplement called Featheriffic. They also had some great ideas for homemade foraging toys (Jellybean is really excited/curious about the coin tubes I stuffed with Nutriberries and shredded paper, tonight!) And, they had several beautiful birds available for adoption, if we decide she does need a new friend later on!

riddick07 · Feb 18, 2014

Aww thanks and you are welcome! I love my bunch of bratty spoiled birds even my one male cockatiel who will occasionally try to eat my face. Was your tiel a pearl?

Were you going to get another gcc as a friend? I know I look occasionally at petfinder to look at all the different birds. Which is how I've ended up adopting the problem bare eyed cockatoo Folger... Have to stop looking

JennyB · Feb 18, 2014

No, she was a Lutino. We were knocking around the idea of getting another gcc just because the cockatiel was so petrified of Jelly! However, there were several birds at the store I found yesterday that are available for adoption... a couple macaws, cockatoos, a larger conure I wasn't familiar with, and a Lutino that could have been the twin to mine. It took a little while before I could even go in and visit them without tearing up!!! I felt like such a goon! So we'll see...

Abigal7 · Feb 19, 2014

I am assuming your gcc is still pretty young. As already stated thee is a chance you conure is molting. My conure's feathers looked pretty terrible when she first molted.

JennyB · Feb 19, 2014

Abigal7, I think you're right! The more I've read and talked to people, the less worried I've become... She is about 10/11 months old, so now I'm working on some new/safe chewing, grooming, and foraging type toys to keep her busy! Thank you!

Plucking or Molting?

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8 long days later...

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