Itchy, dry, overpreening!

Hi folks, I'm new here. I have 2 quaker parrots. a boy (green) and a blue girl parrot. She is a half a year younger than him. He is having some skin issues I want to try to clear up without the use of a vet, if possible. I am disabled and money is precious.

Now, This is Tank.

He talks a lot. Very smart ! He is a little over 2. He ASKS for baths. He will not stop talking about baths, until you give him one. He has always loved water.
I never use anything on him, chemical-wise.



this is how his skin / feathers are looking.
He plucked ALL the feathers off him bottom half just about.
His Back, anywhere he could really except for his chest, main, he has even bitten and bleed himself.

I have [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-AvianSun-Deluxe-Floor/dp/B006L49LHC/ref=pd_sbs_199_1?ie=UTF8&dpID=51YALRTJ-DL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&refRID=0C8HPCDWP2VQYQV44SSR"]Amazon.com: Zoo Med AvianSun Deluxe Floor Pet Lamp: Pet Supplies[/ame]

for the lamp. there is no heat coming from it, which I'm going to fix and get a new light or ceramic heater or something.

I guess maybe I will just ask the trained eyes,
can you see what the problem is off hand?

Thanks

how often do you bathe him?
What is the humidity level in your home?

every other day, or 2.
Anymore than that, he starts giving me a headache.
The humidity is pretty absent. live in texas, its about 45-50 outside with a bluster wind.
its kind of cold in the house at times.

Folks here are going to tell you to get him to a vet...but you have said that you are trying to avoid that. Is it possible to give him a bath every day?

I actually worry about doing that. might catch a chill.

I guess I am curious as to what other folks have as far as cages, lights, heaters.
I just got a room humidifier, they are both terrified by it ofcourse... and will spend the entire time making uncomfortable growling noises when its on.

I am going to goto the petstore later and attempt to get a heating element of some sort.
I haven't been lucky in being able to find what to get for that.
areas and states differ a lot. houses with and without central air, etc.

Hopefully someone else will come along who can give you better guidelines about the temps.

How cold is it inside your house that you think you need supplemental heat?

Tank chewing on himself enough to bleed is serious. You should look into making some sort of sock vest for him to protect his belly and also spend some time trying to figure out what in his environment could be causing the plucking. It's not easy and not something one can figure out from a photo. A vet can run tests to try to figure it out, but even then you may not get an answer even if it is medically caused.

There are some articles here on plucking with a focus on Quakers: Quaker Parrot Health Articles | QuakerParrots.com

Wishing the best for your little boy.

A warm welcome to you and your Quakers.

I'm sorry you and Tank are going through this, I know how frustrating it can be. When did Tank start picking feathers, where there any big changes in his environment or traumatic events at the time, guests, change in routine, wing clip, etc.? How long have you been using the lamp?

Here is a link with some possible reasons for feather plucking.

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

From the photos, the plucking doesn't appear to be too advanced, hopefully it will be temporary. He is at the perfect age for hormone levels to rise drastically, if the plucking is hormone related when the hormone levels return to normal, the plucking should resolve. Checking your humidity levels and using a cool mist humidifier will probably make a difference. You could use aloe mist for the irritated skin where Tank has made himself bleed. 100% aloe juice, 1 part juice to 2 parts water in a mist bottle, this will soothe the skin so that Tank may be less likely to over preen. Chewable preening toys can be helpful to distract a bird from plucking. Extra activities outside the cage, adding vitamin rich fresh foods to the diet and making sure Tank is getting enough uninterrupted sleep may also make a difference.

I wish you the best, please let us know how Tank progresses.

Better questions....

What is the diet?

What is the cage setup?

Where is the cage located at?

Are there other animals in the home? If yes, any chance the other animals could be causing stress?

Has anything changed prior to the plucking incident?

MonicaMc said:

Better questions....

What is the diet?

What is the cage setup?

Where is the cage located at?

Are there other animals in the home? If yes, any chance the other animals could be causing stress?

Has anything changed prior to the plucking incident?

Click to expand...

Monica, have you had a look at the link Allee provided for the OP? I believe most, if not all your questions are addressed therein.

MonicaMc said:

Better questions....

What is the diet?

What is the cage setup?

Where is the cage located at?

Are there other animals in the home? If yes, any chance the other animals could be causing stress?

Has anything changed prior to the plucking incident?

Click to expand...

Not sure if they are " better " but there are a few more questions there than posted before.

Any update ? Also how long have you had your Tank ?

I'd also have the bird checked for giardia.