Any ideas about why my Senegal's feather condition is so poor?

Hi everyone I really need some advice on why my Senegal parrot "Pickle" is not letting her new feathers grow. Pickle is around 13 years old and didn't have any feather problems until around four years ago when she started plucking feathers and got very agitated - sitting at the bottom of the cage kicking her legs at herself. We had several trips to our very experienced avian vet and eventually he decided it was a folliculitis. She was given baytril and some wound cream and a protective collar. This did the trick the wound healed and the feathers regrew and all was well. Since then there have been a couple of similar but less severe episodes. This time it is different though as she started plucking new feather shafts we did the usual vet baytril thing but she has continued to pluck. Her breast and leg areas are almost bald now and the new feathers that are growing don't appear to be right. She also seems to pluck them as they are growing and some feather follicles appear to be black and lumpy. The vet has sent some away for analysis but didn't find anything. He seems to think it is behavioural, but I find it hard to understand that as she is playing and happy and has never plucked before. I just wondered if it could be a diet problem or allergy. Really looking for ideas - she is eating pretty well and seems happy with no signs of other illness and the feathers on her back appear in pretty good condition and haven't been plucked. Really not sure what is going on. Any help would be very much appreciated.

Thanks,

Peter

What blood tests have been done?

Has the a-vet done any skin scrapings? Is that what the analysis was for?

Has the a-vet checked for any heart related conditions?

What about checking for cancer or tumors?


If it might be diet related, what is she currently eating? Have you tried an elimination diet? Have you tried Roudybush's Rice diet?


Does she have foraging opportunities?

Does she have "full spectrum" lighting? Or does she get to go outside for natural sunlight a few times a week?


We would need more information to toss out possible ideas to help, as well as a picture of her cage setup.

[FONT=&quot]Diagnosing the cause of feather plucking is often a process of eliminating possible causes until there is only one reason left. This can be a long frustrating process, both for the veterinarian and the parrot’s owner. A number of parrot behaviorists believe, and have published/posted their theories) that the salt, food coloring and preservatives in foods, may provide a major contribution to feather plucking.[/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]Those theories/beliefs were pretty much dispelled by a 2008 paper presented at the 2008 annual meeting of the International Congress for Conservation Biology, titled [/FONT][FONT=&quot]Parrots Take It With A Grain Of Salt: 18 Soil Licks In Southeast Peru Are[/FONT][FONT=&quot] [/FONT][FONT=&quot]High In Available Sodium[/FONT][FONT=&quot], researchers L. L. Powell, G. V. Powell, T. U. Powell, and D. Brightsmith found that:[/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]“Sodium concentration in soil consumed by parrots averaged 1137 (+/- 382) parts per million[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot](ppm), eight times higher than control soils and 27 times higher than was found in macaw foods.”[/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]The paper went on to state:[/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]“We conclude that magnesium and clay percentage are not likely targets of geophagous parrots and that sodium needs may drive parrot geophagy in southeastern Peru.”[/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]Don Brightsmith is the director of the Tambopata Parrot Project in Peru.[/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]Are you are a budding rock star, heavy metal enthusiast or if junior has just started playing the drums, it would be in your birds’ best interest to get them used to the din by starting out low volume for a few weeks, slowly increasing volume for the next few weeks after that…..then carefully watch for any changes in your feathered friend(s).[/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]For some birds this increased noise factor may cause them to become nervous, begin feather plucking or even self mutilation. If they have a cage mate, one or the other may begin over-preening their mate, causing bald spots or chewed feathers. [/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]Stress is also a major reason birds pluck. A bird living with people who argue all the time or who play the stereo loudly for many hours a day or who constantly tease the bird is bound to react. He is bound to become nervous and insecure. And then he may begin to pluck.[/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]Most parrots prefer routine. If you are a monthly re-arranger, you should avoid changes around Pesky and especially his cage. Continually changing his surroundings could trigger nervousness, excessive screaming, and feather plucking or worse.[/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]Often, today’s lifestyles are such that we find ourselves running, running, running. If your bundle of feathers doesn’t get enough social interaction from you, he may get nippy, become aggressive, he may take to screaming for no apparent reason or may even begin feather plucking. Left alone, without stimulation, many parrots become withdrawn and aggressive, while others have fallen into deep depressions and others have turned to plucking and/or self-mutilation.[/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]Does the plucking show up in cold weather? How is your home heated? Most heating systems dry the air and if the air is too dry, a bird can develop respiratory problems, itching, maybe even plucking. There’s an easy solution for this particular problem. Buy a humidifier. It is good for your bird, and, you may find, it makes you more comfortable, too. If you already have one, be sure to thoroughly clean it of any previous medications [/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]Diet can be a factor in plucking. As companion parrots, eclectus do well on fresh foods, no canned or otherwise processed food should be offered as they are sensitive to additives and supplements in foods. Food coloring and other additives in commercial foods has been known to cause toe-tapping, wing-flipping, itchiness, feather plucking and other allergic reactions in these birds.[/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]There has been some controversy concerning soy products and their potential toxicity to parrots. The Parrot Society of the United Kingdom finds it worthy of posting an article entitled [/FONT][FONT=&quot]Dangers of Soy Based Food Products [/FONT][FONT=&quot]on their website.[/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]Website [/FONT][FONT=&quot]It’s A Grey’s World[/FONT][FONT=&quot], has posted the following in its [/FONT][FONT=&quot]Bird Tips ‘n Trix [/FONT][FONT=&quot]section:[/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]“Please Note: Tofu is a soy based product. Parrots that have hormonal tendencies should not be offered soy products. Soybeans contain natural forms of estrogen which can enhance hormone levels. If your parrot has plucking/picking habits, we recommend discontinuing all soy products.”[/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]If you have a plucking fid or one that seems to be hormonal, it might be better to limit soy in any case. You may want to start by checking the ingredients of Pesky’s favorite pellets. Many popular brands contain one of the following: roasted soybeans, soy bean meal, or soy protein extract.[/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]Some feather plucking and self-mutilation may also be attributable to allergies. The Australian website vetafarm.com describes two cases, one that resulted in a successful diagnosis and treatment and one that was not diagnosed early enough. The first case was:[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]“….. a cockatiel who couldn’t sit still. He would hop around on his perch, scream as though something was biting him and chew at his feet. After a lot of trial and error we found that he was allergic to oats. We removed the oats from his diet and he returned to normal.”[/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]The second case, though not successfully diagnosed, was:[/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]“….. a white cocky who started chewing at his chest feathers, then plucking them and then stated eating his skin and eventually ate a large hole in his chest. This bird died from an infection that gained entry through the chest wound. We can’t prove this bird had an allergy but the symptoms are similar to other cockies that have allergies.”[/FONT]