Plucking solutions

Hey all, I have a 5yr old lovebird who had plucked herself completely bald in a full ring around her neck.

I feed her a diet of pellets (zupreem naturals), nutriberries, and fresh fruits and veggies.
Her cage is next to my cockatiel's, so she isn't completely alone when we're out.
She gets several hours of out of cage time just hanging out with me most days (sometimes life gets crazy)

The plucking STARTED from stress in Oct when we brought home a kitten, kitten has since learned to leave the birdies and cages alone, and the door to where the birdies are is kept closed when we're out of the house, so she's not harassing them while we aren't home... Anyways, that's when the plucking started but I think it has just turned into a nasty habit at this point.

Anyone have suggestions to help break the habit? I've done toy changes and started making extra sure she gets misted every day to encourage preening instead of plucking... Thanks!

I'm sorry your lovebird is going through this. It sounds logical that stress from having a new kitten may have triggered your Lovebird's plucking but since the plucking is still ongoing, I think I would consider a thorough exam by a certified avian vet to rule out possible medical conditions. I hope you are able to find a solution. You may find something useful in the following thread.

http://www.parrotforums.com/behavioral/52217-plucking-search-answers.html

I would have her examined by an avian vet, and also tested for allergies to the cat (yes parrots can have allergies). Once an underlying medical cause has been ruled out you can then start looking into other options such as a collar (they make very nice fleece ones now that encourage healthy preening instead of traditional cone-types). Another thing is does she have plenty of toys and foraging to keep her busy? Even small parrots enjoy toys and benefit from foraging activities.

Interesting username BTW.

I didn't know they could have cat allergies! I'll have to look into that. The very fund is a wee tight at the moment because my dog had been seeing an orthopedic surgeon in regards to some leg and back issues. Normally I have a good cushion but he's eaten away at it a bit lol. She has a ton of toys, and I try to switch stuff out regularly, I often just switch stuff back and forth between her cage and my cockatiel's. Her regular food dish is a foraging dish, and I hide stuff around her cage for her.

SodiumPentathol said:

I didn't know they could have cat allergies! I'll have to look into that. The very fund is a wee tight at the moment because my dog had been seeing an orthopedic surgeon in regards to some leg and back issues. Normally I have a good cushion but he's eaten away at it a bit lol. She has a ton of toys, and I try to switch stuff out regularly, I often just switch stuff back and forth between her cage and my cockatiel's. Her regular food dish is a foraging dish, and I hide stuff around her cage for her.

Click to expand...

Parrots can indeed have allergies (to a wide variety of things, including food, other pets, pollen, dust, other birds even), same as any other animal. Not saying that would be the cause, but sometimes plucking is a result of an allergen. Theres many causes for plucking besides behavioral, which is why it's important for a bird to be tested to rule out underlying causes (theres also heavy metal toxicity, environmental toxins, infection, infestation and occasionally even hormones as possible non-behavioral causes).

You may want to look into something like this as a temporary solution, but you really do need to get any bird who begins plucking examined by a vet sooner than later:

https://www.facebook.com/ProtectiveParrotPetalsByPam

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Picky-Parrot-Products/279847898716445

Cockatiel Nirvana Pine Cones

Kiwibird said:

SodiumPentathol said:

I didn't know they could have cat allergies! I'll have to look into that. The very fund is a wee tight at the moment because my dog had been seeing an orthopedic surgeon in regards to some leg and back issues. Normally I have a good cushion but he's eaten away at it a bit lol. She has a ton of toys, and I try to switch stuff out regularly, I often just switch stuff back and forth between her cage and my cockatiel's. Her regular food dish is a foraging dish, and I hide stuff around her cage for her.

Click to expand...

Parrots can indeed have allergies, same as any other animal. Not saying that would be the cause, but sometimes plucking is a result of an allergen. Theres many causes for plucking besides behavioral, which is why it's important for a bird to be tested to rule out underlying causes (theres also heavy metal toxicity, environmental toxins, infection, infestation and occasionally even hormones as possible non-behavioral causes).

You may want to look into something like this, but you really do need to get any bird who begins plucking examined by a vet sooner than later:

https://www.facebook.com/ProtectiveParrotPetalsByPam

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Picky-Parrot-Products/279847898716445

Cockatiel Nirvana Pine Cones

Click to expand...

I'll for sure take her in ASAP. Luckily I have pet insurance on my pup so I should be getting a payout into my vet account with a week or so