Feather Chewing

MaraWentz

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Mar 27, 2012
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Red Front Macaw, Elvis, 10,male RIP

Red Front Macaw, Erin, 1.5,female

Goffin Cockatoo, Blossom 2,female Rehomed

Blue & Gold Macaw, Oscar, Male, 21 years old, Rehomed

American Bulldog Mix,
How do I stop feather chewing!!!!!?????

This is just driving me insane. Since I've had Erin she has had ragged feathers. I was told it was just from being chashed around to be held, etc (she wasn't tame). Well, 2 and half months later they're still ragged. She chews them down to the vein. She has no other problems at all. No itchiness or red skin. She has no sores and she doesn't pluck, just chewing and I thinks it's from boredom. She soaks in the shower with me everyday and that helps for a few hours as she she dries because she wont preen wet feathers, but if I forget a single day or cant take her in with me she goes right on back to chewing.

We switched her to a healthier food and took out all the extra vitamins, she is in a well naturally-lit room, filled with sunlight with the perfect temperature. I think she does it out of boredom.

There is nothing we can do to entertain her. We leave on the tv and she doesn't notice. She has every toy you could think of- little, big, bright, dull, shredable, foraging, plastic, cloth, metal, etc. You name she has it and wont touch it.

Any advice to stop the feather chewing or to entertain her? Please?
 

Safira

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Sep 27, 2011
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Aberdeen, Md
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Safira (B&G Macaw)~~ Gracie (CAG) ~ Lucy (CAG)
Have you taken her to the vet yet? There are tests they can do to check for certian types of diseases, metal poisoning, and .. I can't remember at the moment what exactly, but sometimes feather destructive problems start because of them.. then just become a habit.

You could put a little bit of aloe in water and mist her down as well if you think her skin is irritated or dry.
 

lizardsmells

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Dec 2, 2011
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Eastern panhandle of WV
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Kazi - 13 yr old yellow nape amazon rescue
You may not be able to stop it :( Kazi was a plucker and a chewer. He's mostly stopped plucking, but he still chews his feathers up. I have stopped it somewhat by putting lots of preening toys in the areas he spends his time in. His favorite so far is a mop head with a gazillion beads and things tied to it.

If she wasn't tame, does she know how to play? She may not know what to do with those toys at all. Kazi didn't. I had to show him and still have to show him, how to play with every new toy.

But, unfortunately, I have no solutions to offer really. I'm just assuming Kazi will always chew up his beautiful feathers. I wish he wouldn't, but I'm not sure it's possible to stop. I hoped when he had a home with plenty of attention and interaction he'd just naturally stop, but the more I read about it the more it seems if he stops it will be the exception, not the rule.
 
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MaraWentz

MaraWentz

Banned
Banned
Mar 27, 2012
1,023
Media
8
2
St.Leonard, MD
Parrots
Red Front Macaw, Elvis, 10,male RIP

Red Front Macaw, Erin, 1.5,female

Goffin Cockatoo, Blossom 2,female Rehomed

Blue & Gold Macaw, Oscar, Male, 21 years old, Rehomed

American Bulldog Mix,
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Have you taken her to the vet yet? There are tests they can do to check for certian types of diseases, metal poisoning, and .. I can't remember at the moment what exactly, but sometimes feather destructive problems start because of them.. then just become a habit.

You could put a little bit of aloe in water and mist her down as well if you think her skin is irritated or dry.

I haven't taken her to the vet yet, but I go her with a clean bill of health and vaccinated. I am taking her though after we move for her yearly, which I am terribly dreading. I don't think her skin is dry. It;s just something she does out of boredom. She just picks at her wood and then eats and wil walk and show off and whistle and then she gets bored and preens.
 
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MaraWentz

MaraWentz

Banned
Banned
Mar 27, 2012
1,023
Media
8
2
St.Leonard, MD
Parrots
Red Front Macaw, Elvis, 10,male RIP

Red Front Macaw, Erin, 1.5,female

Goffin Cockatoo, Blossom 2,female Rehomed

Blue & Gold Macaw, Oscar, Male, 21 years old, Rehomed

American Bulldog Mix,
  • Thread Starter
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  • #5
You may not be able to stop it :( Kazi was a plucker and a chewer. He's mostly stopped plucking, but he still chews his feathers up. I have stopped it somewhat by putting lots of preening toys in the areas he spends his time in. His favorite so far is a mop head with a gazillion beads and things tied to it.

If she wasn't tame, does she know how to play? She may not know what to do with those toys at all. Kazi didn't. I had to show him and still have to show him, how to play with every new toy.

But, unfortunately, I have no solutions to offer really. I'm just assuming Kazi will always chew up his beautiful feathers. I wish he wouldn't, but I'm not sure it's possible to stop. I hoped when he had a home with plenty of attention and interaction he'd just naturally stop, but the more I read about it the more it seems if he stops it will be the exception, not the rule.

We have every toy under the sun and we taught her how to play with them. She loves to poke holes in and just chew on the cloth, she unscrews all the bolts to everything and likes to tug on the plastic rings, but does not play with them alone.

The only thing she does alone is eat, drink, overpreen her feathers :( , and tear off tiny pieces of her wooden stand to throw every where. yes the wood was cleaned and it is safe. Anyway, the preening started before we bought her and her sister does it too.
 

luvmytooo

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Dec 22, 2011
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*Yoshi* Goffins Cockatoo
* Rosie*Rose Breasted Galah
*Stella*Hyacinth Macaw
*Baby*Catalina Macaw

*Multiple Parakeets*
Sorry about Erin :(. My RB2 was a shredder and a plucker when I got her.
But now since I have her , she has gotten a lot more attention and one on one when she wants it , which is all the time now , lol. She has gotten to knows better :)
But she has just about stopped shredding and has completely stopped plucking.
She has grown her wings back too , now she can proudly fly around with Yoshi :)
She used to watch him and get so excited , it was cute and sad at the same time.
But now she takes flight and she loves it :). I never thought her flight feathers or any of the other ones would grow back , but they did and she looks 100% better then she did when
she came to live here :)

I think mites could possibly cause them to shred , but I could be wrong.
I would take her back in to the vet and have them look for reasons for her shredding.
Best to eliminate health reasons first. He you been spending less time with her possibly ?
Life happens an sometimes we don't realize that a small change in schedule can affect them so much more..
 

keepsmiling

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Jun 21, 2012
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When you got the bird, and they gave you "a clean bill of health",that means absolutely nothing other than a visual was done by a vet. A bird must undergo several tests, some several times to rule out medical causes for plucking. These tests cost several hundred dollars, no breeder or seller of birds ever does this. How long have you had her? You mention "a naturally lit" environment, can you elaborate? If you are talking filtered sun through windows and screens, this does not do much for birds.
 

keepsmiling

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Another couple of questions~
Are the cockatoo and macaw housed near each other? Is there an air filter near them?
What is the bird's diet?
 
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MaraWentz

MaraWentz

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Banned
Mar 27, 2012
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2
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Parrots
Red Front Macaw, Elvis, 10,male RIP

Red Front Macaw, Erin, 1.5,female

Goffin Cockatoo, Blossom 2,female Rehomed

Blue & Gold Macaw, Oscar, Male, 21 years old, Rehomed

American Bulldog Mix,
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I did take a couple weekends away and a week through out the last month. I don't know if it'd be mites because she isn't itchy. Do you think it could be mites even if she doesn't itch?

@ Keepsmiling I have had her since April. Her sister, whom she was bonded to did the same thing and they'd preen each other alot. SO I have had her for almost 3 months now and she gets the light from the sun, filtered through the window, except for 2-3 hours when we open it and 30 minutes of playing outside.

The cockatoo was a previous bird before her, so she is the sole bird so we dont have an air filter. Our place is pretty clean and dust free. She used to be on some Bird Paradise blend but we had her pick out her own food (since she only ate pistachios out of the last blend), so its banana chips, almonds, boca nut cashews, pistachios, walnuts, dehydrated carrots, corn, peas, chiles, and green beans.
 

keepsmiling

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She used to be on some Bird Paradise blend but we had her pick out her own food (since she only ate pistachios out of the last blend), so its banana chips, almonds, boca nut cashews, pistachios, walnuts, dehydrated carrots, corn, peas, chiles, and green beans.
This is her entire diet?
 
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MaraWentz

MaraWentz

Banned
Banned
Mar 27, 2012
1,023
Media
8
2
St.Leonard, MD
Parrots
Red Front Macaw, Elvis, 10,male RIP

Red Front Macaw, Erin, 1.5,female

Goffin Cockatoo, Blossom 2,female Rehomed

Blue & Gold Macaw, Oscar, Male, 21 years old, Rehomed

American Bulldog Mix,
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Yes besides pine nuts for training. She refuses all dred fruits except banana chips, not human foods/meal, and no fresh fruits or veggies. She'd rather starve her self all day and has than eat anything other than bird food.
 

keepsmiling

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Jun 21, 2012
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That is a diet severely lacking nutrition. That can lead to plucking in itself. Have you tried baking birdie bread with the ingredients she won't eat, or making a mash? What fresh things have you tried? Too many nuts, and that garbage sweet dried fruit which is probably covered with artificial colors, and ingredients such as sulfites,will lead to kidney and liver issues. She may also be acting out, as she was separated from her sister, whom she may have bonded with. Have you considered another bird as a friend?
 

thebirdnerd

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My grey chews her feathers too, esp. her wings..Thats how I got her...She needs to be constantly entertained with many toys that can be shredded. Try weaving strips of paper through the cage bars. Most birds find this tempting and will play with and tear it up...Sometimes birds just don't know how to play and need to be coaxing into it. Hope this helps!
 
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MaraWentz

MaraWentz

Banned
Banned
Mar 27, 2012
1,023
Media
8
2
St.Leonard, MD
Parrots
Red Front Macaw, Elvis, 10,male RIP

Red Front Macaw, Erin, 1.5,female

Goffin Cockatoo, Blossom 2,female Rehomed

Blue & Gold Macaw, Oscar, Male, 21 years old, Rehomed

American Bulldog Mix,
  • Thread Starter
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  • #14
@ KeepSmiling- Erin has been chewing her feathers before I got her and so does her sister, even before they seperated. She ate an oatmeal kiwi mash once but that was becasue my landlord decided to turn on the self cleaning oven and we were outside in mid April til 10 at night so she ate it warmed up through a syringe. She wont touch anything I make or any of that bird cookable stews and soups, etc. She is a very picky bird. We added vitamins and mineral powder and used that for 2 months, but it doidnt stop the preening, but it wasnt as bad, but it made red splotches appear in weekly incraments on her eyes. She wont touch bird biscuits or monkey bread (w.e you call that), etc. As a macaw she needs alot of her diet to be nuts too.

@ thebirdnerd The paper sounds like a great idea but we dont use a cage :( She is cage agressive, but she has a natural wooden stand she rips strips of wood off of but then she gets bored with that and moves on to preening. Anything else you do to keep her occupied ( we have every toy you could name but she wont play with them alone)
 

luvmytooo

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*Yoshi* Goffins Cockatoo
* Rosie*Rose Breasted Galah
*Stella*Hyacinth Macaw
*Baby*Catalina Macaw

*Multiple Parakeets*
This might sound completely off the wall crazy, BUT.....do you collect the large tail and wing feathers she sheds ? I do , just because they were their baby feathers and i keep them , lol. But I figured just maybe if you collected a couple of Erin's , then attached them to something like a fabric toy , weave them into it and hopefully she would over preen and shred them instead of the ones on herself . I know it sounds nuts , but who knows , it might work if she is doing it out of boredom and not a health issue.
 
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MaraWentz

MaraWentz

Banned
Banned
Mar 27, 2012
1,023
Media
8
2
St.Leonard, MD
Parrots
Red Front Macaw, Elvis, 10,male RIP

Red Front Macaw, Erin, 1.5,female

Goffin Cockatoo, Blossom 2,female Rehomed

Blue & Gold Macaw, Oscar, Male, 21 years old, Rehomed

American Bulldog Mix,
  • Thread Starter
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  • #16
Thats a good idea. She's broken a tail feather andlost one actual feather, but I didnt collect them. I will next time! Thats an amazing idea!
 

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