Plucking and quiet

marleythesunconure · Apr 23, 2017

Hi,
We found a featherless patch on our sun conure's back (behind the wings) full of blood. It seems he has been plucking but we have not seen him doing it or feathers. We took him to the ER when we saw it and they tested his blood and saliva and did not find anything, said it could be behavioral plucking. He is on antibiotics and pain meds for a week and then we have another appointment with the vet. The wound looks pretty ugly, I wonder if it could be something else...?
He was his normal self, making noise and happy all around. But after the vet (maybe the meds?) he has been 2 days COMPLETELY QUIET at home...not a noise. He eats something and sometimes seems ok/normal, still quiet... His wings twitch on and off...
If anybody suggest a natural remedy we can try... Or went through the same... Help is REALLY appreciated
Marley is a 4-year-old sun conure :orange:

Anansi · Apr 23, 2017

Hello, and welcome to the Parrot Forums family.

You should ask the vet (is he a certified avian vet?) if lethargy and drowsiness are among the potential side effects of the antibiotics and pain meds. If not, you'll need to get him back to the vet right away. Also,do you have a gram weight scale to measure his weight?

What you are describing as plucking sounds like it has an element of self-mutilation to it. This could very well be behavioral, but it could also be something medical. A skin irritant, for instance. Or an allergic reaction. Or a dietary deficiency. The wing twitching could indicate something diet-related or even something neurological. (It sounds like your vet has cleared medical causes, but you should request a breakdown of all tests performed and what specific potential causes each test eliminated.)

I hope your conure recovers from all this soon. Please keep us updated.

Scott · Apr 23, 2017

Welcome to the forums! I hope Marley is on the path to recovery, but if you have any questions please consult the vet - hopefully the doc is avian certified.

Some vets embrace a combination of traditional meds and homeopathic, though the menu for the latter is fairly small with avians.

Please let us know of Marley's progress as able!

Plucking and quiet

marleythesunconure

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