EccyMom310
New member
Hi everyone!
I was searching for advice / tips on a plucking problem and found this forum. I have a gorgeous, social and super sweet female eccy, approx 6yo, who I fear has just hit puberty and is going a bit bananas. :red:
Scarlett's been the perfect bird for the nearly 5 years I've had her, then around Jan of this year I noticed the small bald patch on her chest. Then it was under her wings, now the whole chest / under wing area.
Her diet is a mix of fresh fruits, veggies, oils, nuts, seeds and an all natural pellet. She usually eats a tiny bit of my breakfast and dinner too (buckwheat cereal, yams, veggies, brown rice... stuff like that).
She's been to vet twice, had a bacterial infection first time, got meds, 2nd time tested clean, was given an anti-inflammatory that's done nothing but tick her off - i don't blame her, the stuff smells horrid. I've tried naturopathic pluck stop spray, daily showers, extra attention... she has lots of outside the cage time, sleeps on a perch near the bed at night so she's not lonely for her 'flock', I'm just lost, as it seems many are at this point.
The vet now wants to put her on prozac, which I don't want. Another vet mentioned hormonal therapy which makes more sense. Fix the problem, don't stick a band aid on it.
She's sitting on my chest as I write this, attempting to mangle a little sock vest I made her after seeing someone's home made one for their macaw. I bought her a 'hoodie' from Avian Flight store, it makes her dizzy and fall over
so that's not an option. Hoping there's some solution she can tolerate to help the feathers grow back! I don't want her to get seriously injured or bloody from this.
Open to suggestions, but also aside from this topic, I'm looking forward to learning more about birds. She's my 3rd parrot: I was given a Patagonian Conure in high school (had to rehome when I went to college, sadly), more recently an Umbrella 2 (who attacked my husband several times, he was also acquired as an adult after his original mom died, he apparently did NOT like men!). Scarlett I got when she was approx 1-2yo in a 'trade', a bird loving guy had Scarlett and she was miserable in his noisy extended family home, and my 2 was miserable (insert squawking that ticked our entire neighborhood off here) in my very quiet, other species of pet filled home. It was either a bird trade or a divorce!
Scarlett's the best parrot ever, though she doesn't really talk and rarely makes a sound (cute cooing when close, and a fine home alarm when the door opens lol) just want to help her through what she's going through and make sure I'm doing everything I can. Was that an overshare?
I was searching for advice / tips on a plucking problem and found this forum. I have a gorgeous, social and super sweet female eccy, approx 6yo, who I fear has just hit puberty and is going a bit bananas. :red:
Scarlett's been the perfect bird for the nearly 5 years I've had her, then around Jan of this year I noticed the small bald patch on her chest. Then it was under her wings, now the whole chest / under wing area.
Her diet is a mix of fresh fruits, veggies, oils, nuts, seeds and an all natural pellet. She usually eats a tiny bit of my breakfast and dinner too (buckwheat cereal, yams, veggies, brown rice... stuff like that).
She's been to vet twice, had a bacterial infection first time, got meds, 2nd time tested clean, was given an anti-inflammatory that's done nothing but tick her off - i don't blame her, the stuff smells horrid. I've tried naturopathic pluck stop spray, daily showers, extra attention... she has lots of outside the cage time, sleeps on a perch near the bed at night so she's not lonely for her 'flock', I'm just lost, as it seems many are at this point.
The vet now wants to put her on prozac, which I don't want. Another vet mentioned hormonal therapy which makes more sense. Fix the problem, don't stick a band aid on it.
She's sitting on my chest as I write this, attempting to mangle a little sock vest I made her after seeing someone's home made one for their macaw. I bought her a 'hoodie' from Avian Flight store, it makes her dizzy and fall over
so that's not an option. Hoping there's some solution she can tolerate to help the feathers grow back! I don't want her to get seriously injured or bloody from this. Open to suggestions, but also aside from this topic, I'm looking forward to learning more about birds. She's my 3rd parrot: I was given a Patagonian Conure in high school (had to rehome when I went to college, sadly), more recently an Umbrella 2 (who attacked my husband several times, he was also acquired as an adult after his original mom died, he apparently did NOT like men!). Scarlett I got when she was approx 1-2yo in a 'trade', a bird loving guy had Scarlett and she was miserable in his noisy extended family home, and my 2 was miserable (insert squawking that ticked our entire neighborhood off here) in my very quiet, other species of pet filled home. It was either a bird trade or a divorce!
Scarlett's the best parrot ever, though she doesn't really talk and rarely makes a sound (cute cooing when close, and a fine home alarm when the door opens lol) just want to help her through what she's going through and make sure I'm doing everything I can. Was that an overshare?
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