Tail Chewing

Chappyzilla

New member
Mar 15, 2015
15
0
Australia
Parrots
1 x Male green Cheeked Conure - Max
Hello all I'm really hoping you can help me with this issues. I have had my Conure Max for about 3/4 Years now and he is an amazingly friendly bird that loves people. When I moved out about 2 years ago he started chewing his tail feathers I figured it was due to less people around = less attention, I always made sure I didn't give him any attention when he did it but he kept on doing it anyway. Thing is he only ever does it when hes out of the cage so I started putting him in the cage when he does it as a sort of time out, It didnt work. I have moved back to my parents but even though he is getting more love and attention then before it has not stopped his beautiful tail feathers are nearly gone and I have no idea what to do, He gets plenty of fruit and veggies every day, has toys but is more interested in people then them and he is only in his cage for time out and at night time Please help me
 

ValentinaVH

New member
May 7, 2017
5
0
Toronto
Parrots
Barbara: Female Pearly conure (born Jan 3, 2016)
Marvin: Female Yellow sided GCC (born May 26, 2016)
In my experience and from what I’ve read, barbering is most often due to anxiety / stress, which can be as a result of whatever change occurred when the behaviour started.
Often it’s due to boredom.

My pearly conure *still* barbers her feathers a bit, even after I converted her diet, created a more interesting cage and home environment, had someone with her almost the entire day, and introduced her to another conure. from Zupreem + some fruit to home made chop + some seeds + Roudybush pellets + whatever we’re eating.

I am going to post a thread when I have some time about all my experiences with a bird that barbers her feathers (and include details of the changes I made), but would suggest you try to ID what exactly was the trigger and see if you can counter it.

From what you’ve said, I would try getting a play stand or perch are with a variety of toys and forage balls with a mix of pellets inside.
I would change fruit in the diet to “treat only” because too much sugar isn’t good.
I would also assess what the environment is to ensure that there’s nothing in it that could be an issue that you may have overlooked (vibration / noise from being close to a subway, or smells / toxic chemicals from burning candles or essential oils, too low humidity, etc)
The barbering could also be triggered by irritation from feathers, or a molt - so I would suggest lots of baths or sprays with filtered water and helping preen any pin feathers that the bird can’t reach when the pins are ready to shed the casing.

Birds are sensitive so it honestly could be anything. Introduce one thing at a time, wait, assess, and then keep going.

Good luck :)
 
Last edited:

GaleriaGila

Well-known member
Parrot of the Month 🏆
May 14, 2016
15,045
8,742
Cleveland area
Parrots
The Rickeybird, 38-year-old Patagonian Conure
GREAT suggestions above!
The Rb started to barber his wings a couple of years ago. My avian vet gave me a list of stuff to try... the usual, really (more attention, more baths, more toys, try different cage locations). He also speculated about possible wing arthritis, saying that if it didn't stop, thee mere meds we could try. Amazingly, the Rb stopped barbering, and so everything's good. I made all the improvements at once, so I don't which (or which combination) did it.
An avia vet's exam/input would be great... our vet explained to me that birds often barber as a result of pain in the area. Maybe something down there is bothering him.

Good luck and please keep us posted!
 
OP
Chappyzilla

Chappyzilla

New member
Mar 15, 2015
15
0
Australia
Parrots
1 x Male green Cheeked Conure - Max
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Thank you for the suggestions I will give it a try. Hes never really been interested in toys before and would rather spend all of his time outside of the cage then anything, even if I put the toys on top he just ignores them.

What toys would you guys recommend and how can I get him to use them?
 

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