A very strange problem with our buddy

We have Alexandrine parakeet , he is 14 years old .
4 months ago all his feathers turned gray, and he started to loose many of them in specific areas .

Today his stomach is completely bold , and also the area between his wings, please see the photos.

The thing is- he is absolutely fine. He is energetic, eats a lot, playful, happy and naughty as always in the last 4 months . He takes showers frequently and loves it, and pretty clean. He eats seeds and fruits .

The problem is that we can't visit a vet, because we live pretty far from one, and he is extremely nervous if we try to take him out in a very dangerous way ( he once escaped and lived on the streets 3 days till we found him).


What should we do? is there any medicine/spray that does not require a vet ? what kind of disease could it be ? it seems like one we can fix with some kind of spray ( or not ? )


Thank you

It might be a case of plucking.
Does he over preen?

As stated above - could /likely is Plucking and/or Mutilation. Something is driving this from the Medical Side or the Emotional Side, or both. Either way, you will need to have the 'active involvement' of a Vet to provide medications that will be needed.

From an Emotional Side, look closely at everything that could be causing his 'extremely nervousness.' Start with the location of his cage: is it too close to windows in the center of the main traffic pattern of your home. Or, is it stuck off and away from the family. Do you have a family member that is less than kind to the Parrot. Are you providing your Parrot enough restful sleep? Is your Parrot getting a good healthy diet, etc, etc, etc...

From the Medical Side; is it hot and dry where you are in this huge World and whether he needs more baths (dry skin). Check for an infestation! There are other illnesses that could result in over-Preening. Those will require the involvement of a Vet. Even if they are far away, begin looking for them and find one or more that works with Birds!

The Parrot Forums has a very strong Search Tool available to you. Look at the Banner across the top of this page, just below the Banner you will see to the right hand side of the Buttons looking for: Search. Press the Button and enter Plucking and separately Mutilation.

In the meantime, Web Search: Avian Topical Spray that contains a Aloe Vera Distillate. Note, over use of this type of product can cause more problems than it helps. Do Not Over Use and Assure that your Parrot receives a good rinsing bath every couple of days to remove any build-up. Never Mist directly at the Parrots face /head!!!

Thanks so much for this ! wow it really gave me a clue.
When I read about it I see its a behavioural disorder , which explains a few things.

Maybe you can help here.

First, I remember that at the same time he used to clean himself aggressively and I could hear how he hurts himself.

Something else that started on the same time - he became desperately dependent and obsessed about me, in a way that when I dress up to go out he knows and he enters a really scary mode, he shakes , and scream/cry and jump like he is going to die, then hides in his cage and scream till I come back.

When I am with him he is such a lovely gentle parrot .


Every little move I make, he follow me to make sure I am not leaving.
Sometimes he will jump on me, not letting me go out without him.

We really can not find a solution to this . We all love him very much, but he is mostly with me on the same room.

He gets so much love and care from me every day.

It happens probably because of a trauma he had 8 years ago, he escaped, was on the streets, almost died, and we found him after a week .


Question : Is it going to grow again ? if its plucking, did he removed all his feather from his own stomach ?

I don't care he is not pretty, I just worry for him, he is only 14, he can have much more!

Oh , I just read an article that parrots which housed in proximity and direct line of sight to the door, used to suffer more from plucking .

He is located RIGHT at the door to get out of my room .

bondanind said:

Thanks so much for this ! wow it really gave me a clue.
When I read about it I see its a behavioural disorder , which explains a few things.

Maybe you can help here.

First, I remember that at the same time he used to clean himself aggressively and I could hear how he hurts himself.

Something else that started on the same time - he became desperately dependent and obsessed about me, in a way that when I dress up to go out he knows and he enters a really scary mode, he shakes , and scream/cry and jump like he is going to die, then hides in his cage and scream till I come back.

When I am with him he is such a lovely gentle parrot .


Every little move I make, he follow me to make sure I am not leaving.
Sometimes he will jump on me, not letting me go out without him.

We really can not find a solution to this . We all love him very much, but he is mostly with me on the same room.

He gets so much love and care from me every day.

It happens probably because of a trauma he had 8 years ago, he escaped, was on the streets, almost died, and we found him after a week .


Question : Is it going to grow again ? if its plucking, did he removed all his feather from his own stomach ?

I don't care he is not pretty, I just worry for him, he is only 14, he can have much more!

Click to expand...

Lots of questions!

Starting Point, Fear of Your Leaving. If you have an outside window where you Parrot can clearly see you outside. Tell your Parrot that you are going outside and include 'bye-bye' with it and that I will be back! Stated multiple times in a normal /sweet voice. Open whatever window covering so that your Parrot can clearly see you outside the window. With another member of the family standing near the window. You go outside and stand where your Parrot can see you! The other family member points to you and states that is you outside. You wave back at your Parrot. Assure that the Parrot sees you. Move out of sight and come back into sign again, repeat multiple times, like four or five. Assure your inside person points you out. Over the next several days, your appearance remains the same, but the time you are not visible increases. The goal is that you develop a comfort with the Parrot that you are outside and that you come back. Remember to repeat several times each day with you coming back in with great praise and joy in seeing your Parrot! Anytime you leave, you need to set this process into place. I let you know when I am leaving, you see me outside and I come back with big loving greetings.

Contact Calls: Parrot in the Wild communicate all the time, I am over here, where are you. I contact call with my Amazon more than he contact calls with me! And, that is good, because he knows I am there even when he can not see me. When I am with my Amazon, I pay attention to his notices and look at what he is seeing and in many cases, he is telling me about the Mailman, the kid's next door and Hawk in the sky and people walking by the home. Very Quickly, you will pick-up on what your Parrot is seeing and you can comment back: Oh, I see that person. Oh, the kids are in the front yard again. You develop a line of communication.

All of the above will greatly lessen the amount of screaming and with time to zero!

Socialize, Socialize Socialize your Parrot. You want a relationship with your Parrot based on Trust! And, part of that is assuring that your Parrot Trust you will placing him with other people, especially other people in your Family. The Goal is that: Only Good Things Happen When Your Parrot is Around Humans!!! There are games like: Pass the Birdie and many more that involves your Parrot interacting with all members of the family present. The Goal: Your Parrot is happy when around anyone in your Family is present! He needs to get Loving Care from Every One in Your Family!!! This allows him to be comfortable when you are not there. Also, it is a good idea that everyone practices, the process of leaving and coming back into the home. He should see an ongoing number of family members telling him good bye and also hi, I'm home!!!

I have had several Amazon's that have Plucked. A couple of them did stop, but a like number never did. The Goal is to bring your Parrot Comfort and slowly build the reality that this a Forever Home that Has Many Humans that Love Him and Will Always be His Family!!!

Enjoy!!!

Thank you so much , I am not sure why this obsession started but you gave me ideas how to solve it. Other family members see him mostly on weekends, they are busy

I work as freelance at home these days and mostly with him in the room, that might cause the obsession with me.
Do you think its better to put him in an empty room that he will see me less and I will visit him once in a while ?

Are there any foods/medicines that calm them down ? (Alexandrin)
The guy is really really nervous in a very annoying way.

Anyway, you guys helped me a lot, thanks.

I just watched this long video and fortunately I haven't needed to use this method but it did make sense and was interesting.
Basic rundown, medication, 90%+ success rate
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfOCjf6YgV8"]Cockatude 14 They are back! Finally, an effective treatment for feather picking behavior. - YouTube[/ame]

Very Interesting. Thank you!

Great video, I would recommend for all parrot owners, even if you dont have a plucker. Makes you feel good that there are dedicated professionals out there that really take the time to understnad their patients. Thanks for the post.