Plucking

jiannotto9492

New member
Jun 14, 2015
331
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Long Island, New York
Parrots
Curry the Indian Ringneck
Hey guys Duke seems to be plucking ever since I moved him into his new cage. I have plenty of toys all around the cage to keep him busy and I do have foraging toys. Should I stop feeding him via his food bowl and focus on getting him to forage and hope that stops his plucking? I'd put him back in his old cage but I already sold it.
 

SilverSage

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Sep 14, 2013
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Columbus, GA
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Eclectus, CAG, BH Pionus, Maximilian’s Pionus, Quakers, Indian Ringnecks, Green Cheeked Conures, Black Capped Conures, Cockatiels, Lovebirds, Budgies, Canaries, Diamond Doves, Zebra Finches, Society F
Plucking is rarely caused by just one thing. One thing can be what "triggers" it, but a parrot who plucks does so usually because a bunch of things have been going wrong and something pushes them over the edge.

A PARROT WHO STARTS PLUCKING NEEDS TO SEE A CERTIFIED AVAIN VET TO RULE OUT AN ILLNESS CAUSING THE PLUCKING!!!

A PARROT WHO STARTS PLUCKING IS NOT EXHIBITING "BAD BEHAVIOR" BUT A SERIOUS CRY FOR HELP!

Many of us here have birds who pluck, and many of us got those birds years after they started plucking and have not been able to get them to stop. I know I personally struggle to know if I have solved the issues that started the plucking, but 10 years after the problem started, solving the original issue may not help. Don't think of it as a behavior, think of it as a symptom. If you had a child who cried constantly it might SEEM like a behavior, but in reality a child who never stops crying dies so because he is absolutely miserable for some reason, and he PROBLEM needs to be fixed for the sake of the child. The crying itself is simply the child demonstrating his suffering.

After, and ONLY AFTER illness has been ruled out, the following issues should be looked into
Diet
Independent play skills (just because he has toys doesn't mean he knows how to play with them)
Anxiety related issues (could involve the new cage; changes like that are best made slowly)
Itchy skin
Infrequent bathing opportunities (your bird needs to bathe multiple times a week whether he likes it or not)
Not enough sunlight
Parasites
Something getting on his feathers and leaving a residue which bothers him
Not enough sleep
Boredom
Over production of breeding hormones (look at this article on hormone control
Handling Hormones ? Silver Sage Aviaries)
The list goes on and on.


The World Parrot Trust has a great pod cast on feather destructive behavior which you can listen to on their web page.
 
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jiannotto9492

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Jun 14, 2015
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Long Island, New York
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Curry the Indian Ringneck
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See I'm unsure if he's moulting out his feathers as he matures or not. I just know that I've seen him preening himself and occasionally getting one out. It has been a few days now that I've seen feathers at the bottom of the cage but only a few a day.
 

gracebowen

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Jan 14, 2015
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San Antonio
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Cora lovebird
Sky parakeet
I can't tell the difference but some can. If you post pics of the feathers some can tell if it was plucked or not.
 
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jiannotto9492

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Jun 14, 2015
331
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Long Island, New York
Parrots
Curry the Indian Ringneck
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Thanks for the information guys! I was able to conclude that he is just going through a moult. I was playing with him and few feathers fell out here and there. I'll use this information next time I have a concern!
 

SilverSage

New member
Sep 14, 2013
5,937
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Columbus, GA
Parrots
Eclectus, CAG, BH Pionus, Maximilian’s Pionus, Quakers, Indian Ringnecks, Green Cheeked Conures, Black Capped Conures, Cockatiels, Lovebirds, Budgies, Canaries, Diamond Doves, Zebra Finches, Society F
Wonderful, what a relief :) keep in mind that mounting should not cause bald spots. It sometimes does but that is very rare.
 

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