Amazon parrot feather loss between beak and nostrils

Gio

New member
Jun 13, 2019
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Maastricht
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Amazona Oratrix
Hi! I have a one year old amazona Oratrix (Coco) who is being treated with antibiotics for chlamydia (psittacosis), and is currently loosing feathers between the beak and nostrils (photo here). He is out of danger in regards to the psittacosis, and will take his last injection and post treatment testing next week. He also seems to be molting, dropping a lot of fluffy white feathers. He also has has some dry residues in the nostrils, which I thought could be causing him to scratch the area around them, but after checking with the vet, he recommended not doing anything about those, since he was breathing well. Does anyone have any ideas of what might be causing the feather loss? I only noticed the feather loss today, it might have been gradual, but photos of him from last week don't show any featherless spots. Could it be the combination of molting and antibiotics, or could there be another cause? Besides the fact that he looks a bit like zorro, he is active and vocal, droppings also look fine. Any advice - tip would be appreciated, and I'd share it with the vet next week: )
Thanks!
p.s. from what I understand from the vet's notes, the antibiotic is vibramycin - 5ml injections once per week.
 

Scott

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Aug 21, 2010
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Goffins: Gabby, Abby, Squeaky, Peanut, Popcorn / Citron: Alice / Eclectus: Angel /Timneh Grey: ET / Blue Fronted Amazon: Gonzo /

RIP Gandalf and Big Bird, you are missed.
Vibramycin is a form of doxycycline and I could not locate side effects hinting of feather loss. Not sure what might cause targeted loss as evident with the picture.

It does not appear the area is sore or inflamed, so not likely Coco is rubbing the area on a perch or part of cage. If his vet is avian certified or equivalent, might send the image for reassurance?
 

SailBoat

Supporting Member
Jul 10, 2015
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Western, Michigan
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DYH Amazon
The feather loss could be connected to your Amazon's beak rubbing. The beak appears a bit long for a younger member of the DYH family, but that is a guess based on the amount of yellow on the head (at 1 year old). When the beak begins to naturally flake, they will rub to flick it off. Depending on the surface your Amazon is rubbing against, the feathers could come in contact with that surface.
Regardless, it is well worth contacting your Avian Professional regarding the feather loss, regardless whether it is a side effect of the medication or as a result of another action.
It is important to assure that you are working with an Avian Professional!
I'm more interested in the loss of feathers between the nostril and the eye.
What was the results of the full spectrum blood testing?
 
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texsize

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Oct 23, 2015
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My Bingo is loosing a lot of down feathers right now.
I have to keep picking them off the bars of the cage.
I am unable to see photo so I can't comment on the feathers between the nares and the beak.
 
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Gio

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Jun 13, 2019
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Maastricht
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Amazona Oratrix
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Hi all,
thanks for the replies and tips : )
In regards to blood testing, he resulted negative to PDD, PBFDS and Polyoma - all that he was tested for recently (less than a month ago). I shared the photo with the vet who is treating him for psittacosis, and he seems certain that it is a consequence of the the discharge from eyes and nostrils he had during the disease, which could also explain the almost perfect symmetry of the featherless spots on both sides of the beak. I'll post an update as soon as things evolve, hopefully it will be useful to someone else in the future. Regarding the beak, I think it's rather flaky already, the tip is "peeling" as well as other parts. He seems to rub it on a variety of perches, mainly a wood one after eating fruits and vegetables, sometimes on a concrete perch, sometimes on the metal profile of the cage. I don't think the featherless spots are due to scratching though - of course I could be wrong - but as Scott said the skin doesn't seem to be irritated there, nor does he seem to insist on that area when scratching or rubbing against the perches. If anyone has more ideas or thoughts I could discuss with the vet, I will see him on Monday and would be happy to bring those up with him then. I'm trying to post photo of Coco here but I can't make it work, perhaps this link will: https://ibb.co/Phjdxbw

Thank you all : )

Giovanni
 
Last edited:

Owlet

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Oct 27, 2016
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IMG-1420.jpg


Here is the image if the link doesn't work for anyone
 

SailBoat

Supporting Member
Jul 10, 2015
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Western, Michigan
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DYH Amazon
Remove the concrete perch and see if the condition of the beak improves. Normally, it will take up to 6 months to notice an improvement.
 

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