Lovebird shredding her own feathers??? HELP

AshlynxxMango · Dec 10, 2014

I have a female, adult lovebird, who seems to be shredding her tail, body, leg and wing feathers, none of her head feathers are harmed. She also seems to be plucking, however it is her moulting season and I am unsure of what to do with her. My parents say that if I take her to the vet I have to pay, however I don't have a job or any pocket money so I am stuck for that solution.

What I am getting at here is, is feather shredding and plucking normal for the moulting period?

Thanks!

:rainbow1:

- Mango

EAI · Dec 10, 2014

Because it's molting season new feathers are bound to get irritating, try misting her or giving her more frequent baths once or every other day. You might also find some sort of help in adding in foraging toys (note, try not to add any possible nesting materials) or puzzle toys to keep her occupied.

Does she seem to be over-preening? Has anything shifted in her area? New pet? New location? What type of diet is she on? Any fumes in the house?

Could you barter something out? Clean dishes/clean in general to a sufficient amount that equals the vet bill? A regular checkup shouldn't pass over $50 for a small bird, I think mine were around 30-40 but I would need to check.

AshlynxxMango · Dec 10, 2014

Thank you so much! I have just gotten a new spray bottle, so I will try and spray her daily.

We went on holidays for a few weeks and she went to a place where there were heaps of birds all around her, so maybe that kind of freaked her out a little bit? She does not seem to be over preening, and I am starting to put her on a seed and fresh fruit diet.

Thank you for the advice!!

EAI · Dec 10, 2014

Does she have an extra place to bathe? I learned the hard way of spraying my birds in their cages, mold started to grow so I recommend the bathroom or a outside (something that can easily be wiped down).

The trip could have possibly set it off, did you notice any strange behavior from her when you guys were there?
Instead of seeds, you should try pellets the much healthier diet to seeds. But remember to add vegetables too-more vegetables than fruits would be much better though.

AshlynxxMango · Dec 11, 2014

Yes she does, I take her into the bathroom, over the sink. My dad put her on a budgie seed diet, because it was cheaper (dads for you though...) so I will be buying proper parrot seed and pellets from now on, and will try and get her to eat new vegetables.

When I got her, she was not tame at all, one by one all her friends (mate and babies) went away, some sold others escaped, so I decided to tame her. She is not fully tame and has trouble trusting me, however she is getting much better, she lets me pat her back and rub her tummy, which I hope she likes and is just not showing it.

Thank you for your help and any info on the above would be greatly appreciated

Lovebird shredding her own feathers??? HELP

AshlynxxMango

New member

EAI

New member

AshlynxxMango

New member

EAI

New member

AshlynxxMango

New member

Inbreeding among lovebirds??

Trying to trick the lovies to eat their vegetables!

Most Reactions

Similar threads

Latest posts