Excessive Plucking

Our bird is excessively plucking, we've tried water tonics and sprays but nothing seems to work. Other than this he seems perfectly fine. He can still fly but he has removed most of his feathers.

Any advice?

I have had two birds pluck, but they were both sick. One ended up dying of liver failure (liver failure causes itchy skin) and the other one stopped plucking when she got well again.

The one that was going thru liver failure, we had no idea he was actually sick. Other than constant over preening and plucking of feathers, he acted fine.

The other one was recovering from being egg bound, once she recovered, she stopped plucking her feathers.

Hi Danielle, welcome to the forums.....

As Cindy mentioned, plucking can be caused by liver disease...it can also be caused by parasites like giardia or even by dry, itchy skin. Since examination by an avian veterinarian is required to rule out any medical issues, an appointment at your earliest convenience is highly recommended. Dry itchy skin is most often caused by home atmospheres being too dry...the humidity level in your home should range between 40% and 60%. You can check humidity levels with a relatively inexpensive hygrometer. They are available at many places, Ace hardware offers several Taylor models, by the $25-$30 model is a better choice than their lower priced units or the other brands they offer. One of the forum;s other members, findi, used to be one of the caretakers at the Bronx Zoo in New York and he's posted a preference for
these hygrometers: The Best Humidity Gauges for Reptile, Amphibian and Invert Habitats

Reading up on feather plucking will help more than what little we can offer here...in any event, if you really want to try correcting this activity, if it is not yet a psychological problem you don't want it to become so, as that is very hard to overcome.....


Good luck.....

hi danielle,
its so sad to hear you little buddy is plucking, i agree with the above posters that a an avian vet visit is in order. Another reason for plucking can be boredom, i cant really see any toys in his cage. Maybe you could add some more toys for him to play with especially some shredding, preening and foraging toys. That will hopefully help distract him from chewing his feathers

Yes, as Gemini84 said, it could be because of boredom, which is a form of stress and frustration for the bird. I just looked at your picture and don't see any stimulating toys in the cage. You need to put some in there. He could be self mutilating, to express his frustration in being caged with nothing to do.

gemini84 said:

hi danielle,
its so sad to hear you little buddy is plucking, i agree with the above posters that a an avian vet visit is in order. Another reason for plucking can be boredom, i cant really see any toys in his cage. Maybe you could add some more toys for him to play with especially some shredding, preening and foraging toys. That will hopefully help distract him from chewing his feathers

Click to expand...

I have only shown about a quarter of his very large cage, he has three toys including a mirror, which is the only one he plays with, I will google shredding, preening and foraging toys but I think we'll just get a vet to come see him. Thanks everyone.

So sorry hun, poor mite. Hope the Vet has something to offer you. Keep us posted please.

Dawn

Preening and foraging toys are fantastic to have even if that's not the reason he's mutilating!

I hope the vet can give you some answers. Could be anything from mites, liver problems, psychological issues or boredom. Fingers crossed for you. x

How often do they bath? A good bath and a chance to properly preen adds moisture and essential oils to the skin & feathers.

Lots of possibilities