Feather picking help / foraging ideas?

Hi everyone!

I have a male new guinea eclectus Parrot who is just on 2 years of age

He had over-preening issues starting from when he went through his first moult, during which he pulled out all the new flight feathers on his previously clipped wing. (i wanted him to grow out and be free flighted but the breeder clipped him on one side)

He started picking everywhere else on his body last december when my whole family and I went away for a week.

So far he has become bald all around his neck, down his crop and chest, under his wings, down his sides and down his legs, and has recently started picking at his shoulders and te top of the joint in his wings (the part thats comparable to our wrists) :'(

There are not any practicing avian vets in my state so he has not had any proper blood tests or anything though i am quite sure the problem is psychological. The vets we have taken him to assure me that his skin is not irritated and apart from his feathers appears to be in good health.

(though the extent of their knowledge on birds seems to be how to pick them up properly with a towel, which wasnt even necessary: he is a tame trained boy, and all it did was prevent them seeing the picked areas properly. =_= )

Because his condition has escalated from over preening his clipped wing, got worse when we went away and simply because we have 8 people in our house - I believe that clipping him as a baby was the trigger, but that the stress of our household and going away really made it worse.

I would really appreciate anyones advice on how to reduce/stopp the picking behaviour. Because it is gradually escalating i am afraid i wont stop it before it becomes self mutilation. :/

This is what i have tried so far:

-he is on good terms with all the people in our house who do not harrass him, however he is scared of the adult males in the house (my dad) so we have started touch training with them to hopefully reduce this fear.

-We bought a smaller cage for him to sleep in in a seperate room so that i can be sure he is getting the proper amount of sleep in our rowdy house.

- I like to think he had a good, enriching environment with lots of toys to begin with, but we have made many additions over time to his cage:
+ an untreated cotton mop head in the hopes he would like attacking that instead of himself
+shredded paper to dig through to find treats
+natural perches we find in local parks dried in the sun or disinfected in vinegar for him to shred the bark off of
+devising more difficult ways to make him work for his food and take more time doing it
however nothing we have done in this area seems to have made any difference.

-We have tried aloe vera spray (stopped when the vet said his skin was fine),

-bathing him more regularly to encourage healthy preening,
+ he did decide he hated baths after he started going bald over his body, but after a lot of touch training and getting in the shower before him so he knows it isnt a bad thing i finally have him flapping around and enjoying the shower again

[what are peoples opinion on blowdrying and the health of their skin?]

-moved his cage away from the window it has sat at since january in case it was something outside that was freaking him out (he did reduce the frequency of plucking by a little after this)

He is a happy boy who talks and enjoys being picked up and playing with his toys and doing his training with all the members of our household and nothing about his body language, weight, eating habits, or behaviour would suggest anything was wrong with him, except he is bald.

I dont know what else to do except keep doing what i am doing with small changes, but i fear that could go on for years with no effect. I would love to hear your stories on this issue or suggestions for further changes i can make to possibly reduce the occurrence of picking.

Also if anyone DOES know a good avian vet in South Australia, or even Victoria (because it has gotten to the point that i would drive him there to see someone) i would love their details

thankyou all.

I'm very sorry you and he are going through this.

You sound like you really love your bird and that you are putting a lot of effort and thought into trying to help him. Have you thought of getting more preening toys to put in his cage? Just a thought.

Sorry I can't be of more help. Good luck.

I think that an anti anxiety blend may be a good choice look into rescue remedy. It sounds like you are doing everything right. The only thing you didn't mention was if he has outside time, and if so how much. Sun through a window doesn't give the necessary rays for proper vitamin D absorption. I don't like having to suggest a collar, because they are often not all that effective, but that may be a last ditch effort along with changes and ongoing work with your fellow. As long as it is not a health issue, you may have to live with it.

Thanks rescueme, maybe my Ekkie doesnt get enough sunlight also. She goes out on the front porch evey other day after her baths. But the porch is covered. I live in Georgia where it gets quite hot. Should I be placing her in direct sunlight, even on 80-90 degree days ? Any further explanation is greatly appreciated.

Welcome.

First off, when a bird starts over-preening or plucking, it's almost impossible to stop it because it becomes a habit.

There is a very good possibility that your bird is plucking and over-preening due to stress. Male Eclectus prefer quiet non-stressful surroundings and with eight people in the house, I doubt seriously that it is a very calm environment. Female Eclectus do much better in those situations. How long have YOU had the bird?

Eclectus need ample sunlight during the day, especially feather pluckers and over-preeners to promote good feather health. If this isn't possible, look for an avian full spectrum light system. They sell lamps or just the bulbs if you have a recepticle of your own to use. Try bathing him every other day. I get in the shower with mine. I also put spring water his cage bowl where he likes to bath himself., which he usually does after getting out of the shower with me. The spring water helps minimize the chorine which is in the tap water and could cause his skin to get dry. I also do not blow dry my birds. I let them air dry on their own which keeps their skin from drying out.

You may also check online for overpreening sprays. There are a nfew on the market that may also help and are Aloe based. I have tried a few, but I have had to chase my Eclectus around the house scaring the heck out of him just trying to spray him with the stuff, which I have found not to be all the effective.

Lastly, Toys, toys, and more toys. The toys are more for boredom than anything else. If your bird spends batter than half the day in his cage, he could be bored. I have found foraging toys to be the best. These toys makes them think and work for their treats. What ever keeps his mind off of preening is a good thing.

Boysmom said:

Thanks rescueme, maybe my Ekkie doesnt get enough sunlight also. She goes out on the front porch evey other day after her baths. But the porch is covered. I live in Georgia where it gets quite hot. Should I be placing her in direct sunlight, even on 80-90 degree days ? Any further explanation is greatly appreciated.

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Early morning or late afternoon direct sunlight is the best. But YOU MUST MONITOR THEM if you place them in direct sunlight. Eclectus can become over heated easily and it takes a while for their body temp to get back to normal. Filtered sun even in the hottest part of the day is the best. If you have an outdoor avery, make sure at least half is covered so that your bird can get out of the direct sun when they need to.

Try a full spectrum lamp if sunlight is a problem. They will get the same benefit from it. You can buy the bulbs for like $20.00 or if you need the whole lamp assembly, they sell them for around $50.00.

Any time you put your bird outside, it is important to acclimate them slowly, a bird that lives in air conditioning needs to be carefully exposed to the heat. Partially covering the cage to allow shade is absolutely necessary. As Mike has said morning and evening light is great or filtered afternoon light. Obviously birds live outside in tropical sun, and are made to thrive in that environment, so it is advisable to get them outside (safely) as much as possible. I am in the process of finding a permanent outside cage until I can afford to build and aviary.

thanks for all your suggestions and the list of vets is really helpful.

that maze sounds like a great idea. he doesnt usually play with anything unless he knows theres some kind of food involved, it makes him very easy to train with, but leaves fewer rewarding options for him when hes alone and just ate lunch!

With the sunlight, in the summer i would put him outside to dry after a shower in his smaller portable cage but its getting a bit windy and cold over here for winter and im more worried about that now that he hasnt many feathers to keep him warm. so he hasnt been out in a while. when i looked up about the spectrum lighting there were a lot of warnings about blindness and agitation (and even sunburn?!?) in birds, as well as dissent on the intensity and distance to put them from the cage? also i heard that birds percieve fluroescent fittings as a constantly flashing light? is there a good brand of UV (that posts to aus ) you would reccomend because i couldnt sort through what was appropriate or not. Though i do have experience with the set-up as i have a snake.

i really didnt want to try a cone until a bit of a last resort; unless it gets worse or if he actually hurts himself, because i know that the problem will still not be resolved once it comes off again :/

thanks again and i guess i just have to keep at it. He still talks and plays with the family and is usually in a good mood so thats something at least.

Ruby's entertainment for the day ! It is a branch off my mother's Eucalyptus tree. She plays all in it, swinging from tiny branches, nibbling on leaves and branches.

haha thats adorable. she is a beauty
i get weird looks from my neighbours all the time, whenever theres been a windy/stormy night ill be out on the street stealing branches that have fallen off of council trees lol. They dont usually get annoyed, as it wasnt still living on a tree XD

Ooooooo, she is gorgeous.