Worried about my Green Cheeked. Please help!

anneka.ov

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Jan 9, 2021
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A few days ago, I noticed a small grey patch on my Green Cheeked Conureā€™s chest. Over the next couple days, the patch grew bigger, and as of this morning, his entire chest has very thin grey feathers.

Papiā€™s enclosure is located next to my desk, which is where I spent a lot of my time. I let him out on my desk and on my shoulder as I do my own thing. Sometimes when Iā€™m not on my computer, I bring him out to the living room with my family to play with my little brother and watch TV with. His diet consists of a regular seed mix with a dried fruit mix in, and when Iā€™m in the living room I give him small chopped up pieces of fruit.

It really hurts to see him like this. Nothing about his behaviour has changed. Heā€™s a very calm bird yet he still loves to play. He still eats the same amount. Iā€™m not sure if this is a boredom thing or if this is something medical.

Any advice and information is appreciated. Thanks!

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kayab

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Jan 9, 2021
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Hey there! Sounds like a sweet bird, and that you take great care of them.

You should get your little buddy to the vet. They'll be able to answer your questions as to what it is, and whether or not you need to worry! Hopefully it's just a small thing, but the only way to know is a vet visit.

Hope it goes well! Sending all my best wishes to you and your birdie.
 

LaManuka

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Hi anneka.ov, welcome to the Forums, but I'm sorry it is under these worrying circumstances.

It sounds like Papi is much loved and pretty well cared for. Have there been any changes to his routine or environment in the recent past? How old is he, and when was the last time he was checked out by a certified avian vet? Plucking feathers can have causes that are physical, psychological or medical in their origin, and an examination by a certified avian vet can be invaluable in helping to determine the source of the issue. The link below will help you to locate an avian vet close to you if you don't already know of one...

https://www.aav.org/

One of our beloved former moderators began a thread with exquisite description of the issues and resources to help mitigate or end plucking:

http://www.parrotforums.com/behavioral/52217-plucking-search-answers.html

No doubt some other members will weigh in soon with some more info for you. In the meantime I do think it is definitely worth your while having Papi checked out by your vet because if you can nip this issue in the bud fairly early it will be in his best interests.

Sending healing wishes for Papi and feathered hugs for you, I hope you are able to find some answers soon.
 

SailBoat

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Welcome to Parrotforum!

As stated above, a Visit to an Avian Professional is worthwhile as it is very difficult for a non-professional to define this kind of concern, especially in the early stages.

The diet appears to be on the high side regarding its sugar load. Dried fruits tend to concentrate the sugar by volume compared to fresh fruits that are high in water content.

As a species, Conures like to be busy. They are the builders of the Parrot World. Assure your Parrot has lots of building supplies available; small sticks and the like...
 
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Laurasea

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Hello and welcome.
Dried fruit should be just a treat.
Veggies are hugely important. Try bell pepper, they can eat the seeds too. Romaine lettuce. Fresh green beans. Never use canned. Ther us a big list of safe Veggies.

He is plucking, pretty rare fir a conure to do. So definitely consult with an avain veterinarian.

10-12 hours uninterrupted sleep a night on a consistent bed time.

When plucking aim for increasing time out of the cage to 6 hours. Provide easy to shred stuff. Teach foraging.

https://lafeber.com/pet-birds/stress-reduction-for-parrot-companions/
 

noodles123

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Jul 11, 2018
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I'd also get him to a vet because there are diseases etc that can cause this sort of thing (although that is not the only possibility). Any sudden change like this needs to be evaluated-- I'd get a cbc (blood work), maybe a vitamin panel (blood work) and maybe testing for specific viral diseases like PBFD and PDD (blood-work), possibly an x-ray (depending on how good your vet is)..Swabs of skin and throat are another possibility when it comes to testing for yeast etc. Gram stains are a good way to test for certain bacterial infections, but I doubt that is the issue here.



Does your bird go outside ever?


I'd also suggest looking into making him chop daily or trying to incorporate pellets into his diet, as seeds and fruit alone are not the healthiest. MOST people are supportive of pellets, but there are some who prefer to just provide their parrots with their daily nutrition in a more natural way. It's good for them to have some fruit and some seeds, but fruit is very sugary and seeds are high in fat. In excess, both can lead to issues. Don't cut him off from what he knows (you have to do things gradually or they may not eat enough), but DO start trying to vary his diet for more nutrition--think kale, some spinach (not too much), sweet potato-cooked(not a ton), carrots, broccoli (not a ton), non-iceburg lettuce, unsalted quinoa in moderation, pumpkin, squash, hot peppers, bell peppers, squash etc..You chop it all up and serve it like a mix. They waste a ton of food and may not try something for weeks, but you can't give up on trying to get them to try new foods. Modeling eating what you want your bird to try can also help-- try steaming or cooking veg too and see if that helps. You can still give fruit daily, but fresh is way better than dried and again, if you can get your bird to eat veggies, those are preferable over fruit. You can also still offer pellets and seeds while offering chop/veg, but keep in mind that you are going to waste a lot upfront if you have a picky eater-- that is just how it goes with parrots.



If you do chop-- you can consider making a batch each week or something and then freezing it in servings that you thaw in the microwave-- make sure there are no hot spots and try to get it close to room temp if you can. Warm chop can be a hormonal trigger for some. Chop shouldn't stay in the cage all day either, so you need to remove it after 2-3 hours.


Never
give your bird mushrooms, garlic, onion, leeks, shallots, green onions, chives, avocado, apple seeds, fruit pits, tomato leaves or stems, rhubarb, chocolate, caffeine, fake sugars, carbonated beverages, coffee (decaf or regular), certain spices, fortified human foods with added vitamins (some foods that are often fortified = baby cereal, breakfast cereal, some pasta, bottled juice etc... and avoid dairy products, as they are lactose intolerant (plain, organic yogurt with no RBST or added sugars is also generally okay in small amounts). Do not use canned veg in place of fresh/frozen, as these contain a lot of added salt and preservatives. Avoid too much citrus fruit or citric acid (this can mess with their iron storage). Also, avoid salt and sugar/corn syrup. A little sugar or salt in something like a treat is okay, but not a lot of it and it shouldn't be a daily thing. Avoid adding vitamins to food (unless directed to do so by an avian certified vet) and never add them to water, as they can accelerate bacterial growth and alter the flavor, resulting in avoidance of water.
 
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