what's happening to Phoenix?

Metoe

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phoenix- green cheek conure
This is Phoenix, my 1yr old GCC, he's a lovely little boy and for the most part social and friendly.. getting to be more so even now with this problem oddly enough.. dec 13 I took him for a wing and nail trim before the holidays.. and my avian expert (non vet) noticed that the back of his neck had strange bumps.. at first she mentioned ingrown feathers, or cysts.. but I don't believe it's either of those.. (not that I have any knowledge or experience.. just from what I've since been reading and what's occurred since then)
I have a follow up booked with her in January, but in the meantime, I went out and got red palm oil, to rub on the spot, to help soothe the itching, and dryness, as suggested by avian expert. I also wised up and learned that I had been giving him way too much fruit (daily apples and orange slices) and not enough green leafy vegetables..! so I went out dec 24 and got vitamins to mix in with his water, and leafy vegetables, and have been giving him that daily ever since.. which he gobbles up.
But dec 13, he still had feathers on the back of his neck... by the 24 he had bald patches.. and I'm watching him closely.. I haven't witnessed any plucking.. a lot of scratching and rubbing definitely. He's letting me scratch it too, which up until this situation he rarely did.. he wasn't that much of a cuddler before this, now he is.. almost like he isn't feeling good, and wants mama to snuggle with :( and make it better... only I have no idea what to do!!
My own research has come up with possibilities being
1. a vitamin deficiency - which would be obvious since I was so bad at being a bird momma and not reading up properly...
or
2. a fungal infection.. (maybe a yeast?)but I keep his cage clean, he loves to give himself a bath, and gets showers once in a while too. he doesn't have any of the symptoms of listlessness or loss of appetite.., only symptom is his neck.. and it's just the back of his neck. it's now patchy bald, and rough.. I can feel sharp feathers..(pin feathers? maybe?) it's hard to tell if the area is warm to the touch or not.

I've added photos and what I can below, I really hope someone here has experienced something similar and can suggest a course of treatment?

the very last image, is from a video I took the day I first noticed him scratching Dec 13, he was using his leg to scratch behind his neck and ears. I have the video too, but couldn't attach it.. :green1:

tomorrow I will take updated photos of what his feathers and neck look like presently..
 

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clark_conure

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A crossover Quaker Scuti (F), A Sun conure named AC, A Cinnamon Green Cheek conure Kent, and 6 budgies, Scuti Jr. (f), yellow (m), clark Jr. (m), Dot (f), Zebra(f), Machine (m).
Something is obviously bothering that area and none of the others so it's not probably a personality issue and the bird is self mutilating.

Look at the top half of this article:

https://pets.thenest.com/parakeets-change-color-out-sickness-natural-12623.html

it has some common causes of feather issues in a quick to digest form.

I'd get your bird to an AVN as soon as you can, even if you have to drive a few counties.

It's obviously going after something in that region. An AVN is probably the only one that could take a sample and diagnose.
 

Laurasea

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This looks like a skin infection. And he looks like might not feel well....I think a vet visit is needed.
Peppers like bell pepper and hit chili peppers are liked , and have a good source of vitamin A
Stop putting vitamins in water!! They rot and grow yeast and bacteria quickly!!
 
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Metoe

Metoe

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I change the vitamin water daily - also because he is a messy eater, but I'll stop putting the powder in there too, and just add it to his veggies from now on. Thanks for the info, no one around here has ever told me that.... !
 

LaManuka

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Hello Metoe, and welcome to the Forums to you and Phoenix!

Superb advice already given above. Phoenix's condition does look like it would benefit enormously from a hands-on examination by a certified avian vet. The link below may help you to find one if you don't already know of one.......

https://www.aav.org/

Hopefully his issue is a minor one and easily treatable. Wishing Phoenix a speedy recovery, and please keep us updated :)
 

Laurasea

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Why is he greasy?
I wouldn't shower with him. Offer a bowl fir baths or mist him.

Its easy to overdose vitamins, I just wouldn't give him vitamins.

Make warm oatmeal and grind up some pellets and add to it. Volkmabs sells a heat and simmer mix that my birds like. You can also mince up some vegetables give a quick boil and mix with fresh made rice he might eat that. Only use fresh made rice as it grows nasties even in fridge in a few hours, birds get sick from but not people.

I suggest offering 1/2 teaspoon live culture yogurt with no artificial sweetners once a week to help balance flora, it worked for me. Yiu could offer twice a week while he is off.
Yiu need a digital kitchen gram scale to track his weight, to make sure he isn't even more sick and loosing weight.

You don't use a heat lamp that could have burned him do you?,

He needs avian vet exam
 
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Metoe

Metoe

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he's greasy in these photos because he still had the red palm oil on the feathers... I've since stopped applying that..

he has an infrared heat lamp - But - it's not in the cage, it's physically outside the cage and not able to touch the lamp or bulb, his cage is down in the family room in the basement and we live in Northern Canada... he gets chilly in the winters.. - he's had the heat lamp since I've had him, so going on nearly a year now.. I doubt very much the lamp is the issue. - I'll take some photos tomorrow to show what I mean.. but our house on a warm winter day is usually around 67F.... and that's upstairs.. I get worried about him catching a chill..

He bathes himself whenever I put fresh water in his cage.. also a good reason why I've had to stop putting vitamins in his water...

I have searched the area, and I will make a call tomorrow (of course it's the holidays so it could be a wait for an appt up here...) - and we're in a lockdown again for another few weeks still... but I was able to find one avian vet that is listed at an Animal Hospital here locally. Hopefully that information is still up to date.. *fingers crossed*

I'll try the yogurt idea tomorrow morning.. I don't believe he's lost any weight, I have a scale, so I can check. he's been eating normally, if anything his appetite has increased since I've introduced the vegetables and vitamins more. prior to that he was still on a diet of tropican pellets and mixed seeds/grains. he's never been on a seed only diet.. just a lack of added vitamins from my part.
 
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Laurasea

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It absolutely could be the heat lamp!! I was just talking to my vet the otger day and she was telling me how many burns she has been seeing......
I use a sweeter heater, a fabulous radiant heat panel not a light. I git the small size on Amazon. I have used for 20 years, the new one was for a friend's bird.
This is a link to the company.
https://www.sweeterheater.com/
 
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Metoe

Metoe

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I'll look into it, but wouldn't he have had burns before now? the lamp hasn't moved in all this time.. its the last thing I would have thought to cause the issue...

could it just be causing the skin to dry out too much and irritate him maybe?:confused: I'll look at your link and possibly removing the lamp tonight.

update - The sweeter heaters - although a great idea.. aren't available to Canada for the foreseeable future... I've emailed the company.. and go from there I guess...
 
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clark_conure

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A crossover Quaker Scuti (F), A Sun conure named AC, A Cinnamon Green Cheek conure Kent, and 6 budgies, Scuti Jr. (f), yellow (m), clark Jr. (m), Dot (f), Zebra(f), Machine (m).
Your a good owner....I can tell you care. Find an AVN and set up appointments every six months...
 
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Metoe

Metoe

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that's the plan tomorrow..2 weeks ago he didn't even have this issue, and then of course it being Christmas holidays we just decided to 'wait and see' with the vitamins and watch him.. he's still behaving normally when it comes to being social and eating, so I'm worried but I think we've caught it early enough. Thanks!
 

noodles123

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lamps are semi controversial- if you were oiling and he had a lamp, that is possibly the cause...I would also get blood-work just to make sure he seems level otherwise. If it continues, a PBFD test (blood, but not the same as a cbc) could also help.


Also- I haven't read all of this, but it is dangerous to supplement vitamins without a vitamin blood panel because you can OD your bird.
 
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Metoe

Metoe

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In that circumstance I might be able to ask what came first.. the lamp or the oil...;) well, I know, but the lamp was there long before the problem... and then the oil was introduced once the 'problem' of the scratching around his neck was discovered. He had a small hard, bump on his neck at first. That's how it started...It was suggested to me to add the red palm oil to the affected area on his neck. within a week of doing that he had a bald spot... :(

so when I got home from work tonight, I removed the infrared heat lamp. But he still has a 'day lamp' that turns on tomorrow morning.. lol again, it's been there all along.. and it's outside the cage.. one provided only heat, and another provided light and slight warmth 60w bulb...
 
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Metoe

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so, I was able to get one photo of his neck...the rest all came out blurry.. :/ ( -but I've run into the issue of the 5 attachments per thread.. so I made an album under my profile to house the photos instead. Unless someone has a better suggestion? )

I also took photos of the supplements I have been providing him for the past week. For now it's just wait and see, I read somewhere last night putting a small amount of apple cider vinegar in the water each day could help with gut flora.. so I started that today, only an 1/8th of a tsp.. he promptly took a bath in it ;):rainbow1:

his follow up with my 'bird lady' is the 4th.. I was able to get him with a local vet as well. on the 8th, by then I really hope I'll be seeing improvement from the changes I've already made.. but if not at least it's made..

Thank you to everyone who has offered advice. Its appreciated :eek::eek: If anything changes I'll be sure to update the thread.
 

noodles123

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so, I was able to get one photo of his neck...the rest all came out blurry.. :/ ( -but I've run into the issue of the 5 attachments per thread.. so I made an album under my profile to house the photos instead. Unless someone has a better suggestion? )

I also took photos of the supplements I have been providing him for the past week. For now it's just wait and see, I read somewhere last night putting a small amount of apple cider vinegar in the water each day could help with gut flora.. so I started that today, only an 1/8th of a tsp.. he promptly took a bath in it ;):rainbow1:

his follow up with my 'bird lady' is the 4th.. I was able to get him with a local vet as well. on the 8th, by then I really hope I'll be seeing improvement from the changes I've already made.. but if not at least it's made..

Thank you to everyone who has offered advice. Its appreciated :eek::eek: If anything changes I'll be sure to update the thread.




If you go to your album and copy the "bb code" and then click the mountain/picture button on the message where you want to post, you can paste it and it will show in your post.
 

Laurasea

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You can tell he us well cared for and loved. And perfect before the issue.
Can you take a picture of his face from the front and side? Before I thought his eye might look swollen too.
I hope that yellow skin is a healing scab.. cuz it looks like infected skin...the pins that are coming back look normal do thats good.

The problem with heat lamps, they can be fine, then one time the bird sits to close fir too long..... maybe it wasn't the lamp, for me and my free advice lol don't use them...I've seen issues, and like I mentioned my vet ( and freind) was just talking about tge cases she has been seeing with the cold weather and people useing them .

I hope your baby heals quickly. You can use dilute betadine, and take a q tip dipped in it and gentle pat it on the skin. Im a big fan of betadine fir cleaning and antimicrobial properties. I used it on the budgie with a cat bite puncture on his face that I rescued, as well of course with antibiotic treatment.
 
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Metoe

Metoe

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Thank you laurasea, so, initially.. the Dec 22 photos, there's one or two? that are views of his eye that look yellow.. and that's what prompted me to go get the vitamins, the white of his eyes looked to have a yellowish tinge.. but I was still applying the red palm oil on him and I wasn't sure if I had caused the colour from the oil (its bright orange..) or it was a vitamin deficiency

dec 22
metoe-albums-feather-problem-picture22942-dec-22-2020-left-eye.jpeg
metoe-albums-feather-problem-picture22940-dec-22-red-palm-oil-right-eye.jpeg



dec 30
metoe-albums-feather-problem-picture22939-dec-30-2020-left-eye.jpeg
metoe-albums-feather-problem-picture22937-dec-30-2020-right-eye.jpeg
 

Laurasea

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Yellow is a sign of liver Inflammation...unless it's the palm oil......
Can you part the feathers on his belly and under the wings and see if the skin is yellow???
 
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Metoe

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I will when I get home.. (at work atm.. ) but that was kinda my worry when I saw the yellow eye too, & went out and immediately got the vitamins.. he's been gobbling them up like no tomorrow, so it wouldn't surprise me if it was inflammation.

I think.. I *hope* I got to it in time.. when I get home I plan to start him on an anti fungal topical cream, Clotrimazole. just on the affected area on his neck. Tomorrow I'll start with the yogurt. from everything I've been reading these past few days/weeks I keep leaning towards it being a fungal/yeast infection.. but I'm just a beginner in all this so that's why I came to you guys
 

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