Patches! The Grand Eclectus

saxguy64

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It seemed like a good time to start a thread just to keep track of Patches' progress as he settles in to to our home. Apologies to Owlet for temporarily borrowing yours for this purpose.

So... After the plucked tail feather yesterday, (one step back) this morning's shower revealed this! The first green on his chest in probably several years. (One step forward)

On the flip side, found a few pieces of barbered wing feathers last night. (Another step back) I'll take what we can get. He's still perfect, green or not!
4ab69f208767d43c529c14b6c50c8cdc.jpg


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saxguy64

saxguy64

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I've created a monster. This is the first day this year that's been warm enough here and I took the opportunity to get him outside for some actual sunshine. Now sitting in a tree, he doesn't want to get down and go back inside. He's soooo happy out here!
9851634f196136d9b672878e06ea19c3.jpg


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Violet_Diva

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I spy another tiny green sprout creeping into shot (top left of first pic) :)

It's very exciting to see them grow in. But try not to feel too bad if you find any in the bottom of the cage. My Gerry would have 10 sprouts, and pluck all but 2 or 3! But his ratios have improved somewhat now, and it's more like the other way round!

Me and my trio are cheering Patches on :)

He looks gorgeous on that branch!!!
 
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saxguy64

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I think you're right. I didn't see the green in that one til I looked really close. I figured it was another grey fluff trying to fill in his neck, but it is definitely GREEN. YEA Patches!
His naked little ducky tail is suddenly covering in fluff too, but actual tail feathers seem to bother him so out they go. Maybe with enough fluff they won't rub on his wings and he'll leave them alone. I know it's a hard habit to break and he's been doing it for a long time.
I spy another tiny green sprout creeping into shot (top left of first pic) :)

It's very exciting to see them grow in. But try not to feel too bad if you find any in the bottom of the cage. My Gerry would have 10 sprouts, and pluck all but 2 or 3! But his ratios have improved somewhat now, and it's more like the other way round!

Me and my trio are cheering Patches on :)

He looks gorgeous on that branch!!!

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Violet_Diva

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My Gerry hasn't let any of his tail grow in at all yet. He came to me with no wings and no tail and so far he has partial wings! I always thought Gerry's plucking was rather silly! I mean... If he'd of plucked his chest like Patches - at least he would still be able to fly!
 
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saxguy64

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My Gerry hasn't let any of his tail grow in at all yet. He came to me with no wings and no tail and so far he has partial wings! I always thought Gerry's plucking was rather silly! I mean... If he'd of plucked his chest like Patches - at least he would still be able to fly!
Poor Gerry, he must be so frustrated that he can't fly with his friends.
Patches had no tail, bald everywhere except his head, and wings severely barbered when he got to the refuge. He's come so far! He can fly like a rock with enough grace to break his fall, that's about it. That's why I was able to let him sit in the tree and not worry he'd take off on me. He still exercises the wings though. It's really funny to see. He holds on to the top of the cage with feet and beak and flaps his heart out.

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chris-md

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I’m in the same position this year. My boy has removed his flight feathers for the first time ever, AND his tail feathers (this is normal). So he falls like a rock. So this year he gets access outdoors without being in a cage. Something he’s still not excited about yet. Probably the only silver lining to the plucking.

It’ll be interesting to see if the shoulder feathers molt back to green or if they remain permenantly yellowed.
 

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You really seem to be opening up a new life for him. Keep doing what you're doing, as that will give him the best shot at overcoming his plucking habit... if it's behavioral.

The yellow feathering could potentially be an indication of a dietary issue, though. Forgive me if you've already answered this elsewhere, but has he had blood work done by an avian vet? If so, how are his levels? Parronts are always quick to think that the cause of the plucking is behavioral (which it very well might be), but sometimes forget to consider the possibility of a medical issue. Some deficiencies have been suspected of driving a bird to pluck. Some nerve-affecting issues as well. Definitely worth checking into with a good avian vet.
 
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Thank you for your continued advise. I greatly appreciate everything I have learned from many of your posts.

His first vet appointment is coming up next week. Behavioral is definitely part of it. I have about 6 months of records from 2011 and he had a history of pretty severe plucking then. From then until mid 2017 there's nothing. I do know during that time he was on pellet diet and "some fruit and veggies". Not good.

After that, he was taken to the sanctuary where he found me. He was given much better care and diet there and during that time managed to cover much of his chest with fluff. I have tweaked the diet a little since I bought him home, and between that and lots of love and attention, (and showers) he seems to be coming around. I can't wait to see what the blood work shows. Hopefully nothing.

In the meantime, things go back and forth. The underside of his wings are still bare. No red, nothing. This morning I found a barbered feather on the floor, but the new green sprouts are still there. Fingers crossed every day.

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Kiwibird

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Patches is adorable (his name is also very cute:)). Looks very happy to be sitting in a tree in the sunshine!
 
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saxguy64

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Patches is adorable (his name is also very cute:)). Looks very happy to be sitting in a tree in the sunshine!
He was SO happy, he didn't want to come to me to go back inside. I figured it was something he may have never experienced before, so I tried it. Climbed right on to the branch and made himself at home lol.

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Update of the day. The few green sprouts managed to disappear just before opening up to show themselves. Oh well. He is mostly leaving the blue wing feathers alone, and has some stubbles on his tail. Time will tell. He does continue to add grey fluff.

This morning, for the first time, he spread his wings and put his head down in the shower and acted happy to be getting soaked. Until this, he's tolerated it, didn't seem bothered, but clearly not excited about it. Just sat there like a wet bump on a log, maybe facing the spray to grab a little drink. Today's reaction felt like a progress milestone. Amazing how a little thing can make your day. YEA!
 

Anansi

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DEFINITELY a milestone! Make sure to memorize exactly how you did it this time around. Sometimes it's a preference with temperature, or with pressure, or even with angle.
 

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Update of the day. The few green sprouts managed to disappear just before opening up to show themselves. Oh well. He is mostly leaving the blue wing feathers alone, and has some stubbles on his tail. Time will tell. He does continue to add grey fluff.

This morning, for the first time, he spread his wings and put his head down in the shower and acted happy to be getting soaked. Until this, he's tolerated it, didn't seem bothered, but clearly not excited about it. Just sat there like a wet bump on a log, maybe facing the spray to grab a little drink. Today's reaction felt like a progress milestone. Amazing how a little thing can make your day. YEA!
My ' Thank-you ' for this post was my 1000th!

So here's an extra thanks for sharing the highs and lows of Patches progress. It's great that he enjoyed his shower! My Dexter does that wing spread bathing thing (It's very cute), but Gerry is still currently being a little wet bump! Hopefully Gerry will follow in Patches footsteps and enjoy bathing a little more too. I'm looking forward to reading more posts about Patches :D

Anansi is definitely right about the preference thing! Mine like different temperatures, Bella and Dexter love the water spray bottle, Gerry hates the spray bottle, Dexter loves the human shower, Bella is scared of the human shower, Gerry sems neither happy nor unhappy about the human shower! Bella likes cool water, Dexter likes warm, Gerry needs slightly warmer water so he doesn't chill after coming out of the shower, as this can cause stress bars on newly forming feathers.
 
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Feel good moment of my day yesterday... A busy day with lots of errands, I was in and out of the house a lot. Got to my last stop and got a text from my daughter saying "Patches is sitting in his cage going, Jon... Jon... Joooooon. Now I really feel the love!

The funniest part is that the only time he hears my name like that is from my wife when the dogs aren't listening to her. They know if she calls me in they will have to do what they're told, and it doesn't happen that often. Patches seems to have figured out that calling my name should make me appear. He's so smart! I'm so glad he found me. [emoji7]

On a side note, we finally have his wellness check with the vet tomorrow afternoon. Hopefully everything is okay and I'm doing things right for him. I'm optimistic but a little nervous too. At least we'll have a baseline if anything changes. Fingers crossed!
 

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"Joooooooooooon!" Hahahaha! Brilliant! Having parrots in our lives just becomes more and more fulfilling as time goes on, doesn't it?

Hoping all goes well with the vet visit tomorrow. And looking forward to hearing all about it.
 
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Back from the vet. Poor Patches was not happy about it. He was great until time to come out of the carrier. She unfortunately had to pretty much man handle him to get him out, setting the tone for the exam. My stressed little boy lost a bunch of grey fluff from being held to do the exam. That stressed me as much as him. She was good with him, he just wanted no part of it.

Mostly he checked out okay. He does have a little air sack noise on one side and his preen gland is kind of dry. Also the old records from 2011 showed slightly elevated liver enzymes, and she was not happy that no follow up had been done back then. Not much I could do there, that was 2 rescues ago. She did the blood draw, so now we wait... Hope it shows good things.

I did ask about the yellow feathers on his shoulders, since he's not supposed to have yellow at all. She thought possibly some sort of infection can cause color changes. Perhaps the blood work with provide some insight.

By the time we left, my little guy was so stressed he wouldn't even look at an almond. For him, that's bad. He'd do anything for an almond! He's doing better now, but still definitely not himself. At least he doesn't seem to be taking it out on me. Just hoping to not wake up to a pile of feathers in the morning over it.
 

Anansi

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Poor Patches! Sounds like he had quite the ordeal. What did the vet suggest for the air sac noise and dry preen gland? Both in terms of causes and proposed solutions?

Hoping the blood test yields some positive results, especially as regards the liver. Yellow feathers can be a sign of liver issues, but they can also indicate a bad infection at the time of formation of those feathers as she said.

Hoping Patches is back to feeling more like himself.
 

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Following Patches thread avidly. I really have to give major creds to you who have Ekkies with plucking issues, and there seems to be quite a few, you folks are doing all you can to help your Ekkies regain their plumage. Hoping the blood work comes back with good results or at least some indication of a possible aid for Patches to regain his feathers.
He does look happy in the tree pic.
 

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