Collar :(

I wasn't going to put a collar on Rhett but the vet said he really needed it. He was plucking blood feathers So we put it on him. He completely freaked out and so did I. I thought he was going to have a heart attack and that caused me to have a panic attack. It's been about 2 weeks now and guess what, he has figured out how to just pluck around it! I could just die! Does this mean the collar is too small? It's a bubble collar. If this keeps up, I will be as bald as him soon

Poor baby! Any idea what's causing the plucking?

awww poor rhett! awful thing is i think this pluckin might be nothing more then habit

put him some clothes on, i've seen some ppl pull cut out soaks over there pluckers, it wont hurt to try

it must be soo stressfull for you (as well as rhett) right now X

Breathe...Sorry this is long but...

A collar isn't going to fix the problem unless you plan for him to wear it for the rest of his life. His plucking is something that was a formed habit prior to you getting him. A physical block will not fix it, it is not a physical problem - it is an emotional one. This is how he has learned to deal with his feelings. Its not YOUR fault. You took on a known plucker. Even when you provide the best environment possible, he still may pluck (and will more than likely continue to do so for the rest of his life). When I first got Romeo (who was a known shredder prior to me getting her) I thought that as long as I provided the best environment it would stop immediately. This is a common but FALSE way of thinking. She went 5 weeks without touching her feathers, then one day I came home and she had completely shredded her chest. I cant even begin to tell you what kind of perfect environment she is in (shes beyond spoiled - I am her servant :52. I was devastated and thought I did something wrong. When in actuality there is NOTHING you can really do to fix the problem. He was probably leaving his feathers alone because he was in a new home with very new distractions - He has now settled in a bit and has decided to be himself. Over time, as long as you keep providing the most stable best environment possible, his plucking will curb some but NEVER truly go away. Look at it like an ADDICTION, he did not get to this state overnight - it cannot be cured overnight either. This is a life long problem, just when you think he is done - he will relapse. You are living with an addict (in a bird form) don't take what he does personal, just love him and help him through it. One of my vet's first words to me were 'you will never fix this, either be prepared to live with this problem for the rest of the birds life or walk away now' - my love for this bird and my connection with her, I could never leave her just because shes not perfect. You will eventually get to a point where he may go weeks without incident, then a few months, then a few years, then out of no where when he looks absolutely perfect he does it again. Ignore the problem and act like its not there, don't give any attention when he does it. If you come home and hes plucked himself bald don't treat him any different than normal - act as if you don't even notice it. Enjoy him for him and forget the feathers. This is an emotionally unstable bird and its going to take TIME, LOTS OF IT. Go in with the mindset that hes yours for the rest of his life and if he wants to be naked then so be it. Trying to physically block the problem (collar) is going to cause him to become even more emotionally upset as he has no outlet for his pent up feelings, plucking is his way to cope. Worse would be if he tries to find a different outlet - then you will have two behavioral problems instead of one. Provide the perfect environment, accept his condition, and you will be surprised at the results. Its a very long hard road but remember that this is what you signed up for. You saw he needed help and you came to his aid. You could of easily bought a baby from a breeder and never had to deal with this problem. What you did do though is take on a wonderful bird that most would of walked away from, due to his problem, and are giving him the chance to really enjoy life. Rescuing is not easy, but extremely rewarding in ways you would never had known had he been perfect from the start. Stay strong and you will eventually get through this.

Oh, it also wouldn't hurt to go to a different vet for a second opinion. I went to two. Both were spe******ts, one (that was local and convenient) wanted an e-collar and sprays (to calm nerves). I didn't feel comfortable doing these things (also she was vetted healthy here, and they didn't feel blood work was needed - since she was good weight). So I drove an hour to see another that is extremely well known and respected (he diagnosed her as malnourished due to physical signs and said it has been a long term problem, based on the blood work, we have added things to correct the imbalance), he said that we could do the collar and the sprays but that it will not fix her problem - because it is an unfix-able problem when it has emotional roots. Some vets are better than others, not everyone graduated top of their class. I've personally worked for some very good ones, and some very bad ones.

Just keep in mind that it is only feathers it is the bird that you love. When i got my cockatoo she was plucked and didn't look good at all but the bond i felt with her overcome the baldness. I was told a cage mate done it but i knew i couldn't beleve everything i was told. Every now and then she will pull one or two out and when i see it i will redirct her to a new toy or even give her a roll of paper towels. I know i may come home one day and have a bald bird again and that is fine with me because to me it is just like a person trying to stop smoking you are going to relaps sooner or later. I love my girl for her and not her feathers and would not think twice about getting another plucker. But yes over time it will slow down and be futher inbetween as long as you stay on top of it with plenty to shred and chew on.

Thank you everyone. Molcan, that information makes so much sense. He has been checked for everything and it is definitely habit. The blood feather plucking is what worries me. I'm totally ok with a bald bird, but terrified of a dead one

I'm not sure how life threatening plucking a blood feather is (hopefully someone else with more experience will be able to come along and help with that particular concern), I do know (from my years of experience as an emergency vet tech) that a bird can loose up to 1ml of blood per 100 grams of body weight at any given time and still be okay (1ml is approximately 10 drops of fluid - a good idea to get a feel for how much fluid this is - take a dropper and drop 10 drops of water on some paper - thats about what an 1ml of blood will look like - these are tips that I have been instructed by different vets to tell people when we get emergency calls). I'm not sure how much blood is actually lost when a blood feather is pulled and I'm sure it depends on that particular feather and the nature of the break.