My 10-year old ringneck female is plucking, please help

[Miikathemachine]

My parrot Chiki started plucking herself about a year ago, it started small, just a few feathers on the floor and small bald spots on her back. I took her to the vet who took all ninds of tests and then told that the bird is healthy, but under a lot of stress for some reason. Chiki is handbread and very human firiendly, she likes to hang on my shoulder whenever im home. She has her own room, sharing it with her 6-year old partner Yelo (male, also ringneck). They have been together for years and gotten along just fine until Chiki started plucking. I think thats when Yelo started rejecting her, ie. he doesnt let her eat and chases her around etc. The vet thought that maybe they just dont get along anymore, and suggested that I keep them separated so I had them take turns in their room so that one of them would be in their Cage all the time and other could be freely in the room.

Nothing really helped, and now after two years Chiki is nearly bald and just keeps harming herself. I've seen her do it and she really plucks herself like she would be angry at herself or something, and there is Nothing I can do to help.

Please, if you have any tips, tell me what I can do to make her feel better. I love my bird very much and hate to see her suffer like this.


Thank you.

 

[kiwi_and_emma]

You could try to distract her with different toys or activity or I once say this calming oil spray by Christine's chop shop which helps sooth feather pluckers so maybe try that. If not maybe take her to a vet and see if they can do anything to help.

 

[Jottlebot]

I'm sorry you're going through this. My 3.5 year old male Alexandrine started plucking earlier this year, I did all the vet checks too and her view is that it's related to puberty. I'm hoping theybwill all grow back with this moult and he hasn't developed the habit, but oh my goodness it was DEVASTATING!!

I'm not sure puberty fits with your girl because of her age, but this is what I've done. I would say the plucking has significantly reduced if not stopped...

I looked at his diet. He was on high potency pellets, which I changed to normal adult lifetime (both were Harrisons), I had been feeding what I considered was a "chop", but it was really just 2 or 3 veggies chopped up together so I started putting a lot more variety into his meals.

I use foraging toys for feeding pellets so he has to think about his belly not his feathers.

I put one of those preening toys by the perch he sleeps on and I did notice his preening that not himself. I moved his toys round and got him new ones and put a foraging toy full of foot toys and things he can chew on in his cage that I fill every day.

I wasn't being as strict as I am now with his bed time.

I'm giving him most showers, I thought this would encourage preening, but doesn't seem to have caused problems.

You can get lots of types of collars, but I think these will depend on your bird and how stressful this would be for them.

The vet did say they could give a type of parrot prozac if he continued, might be worth another conversation about medical options for your girl.

Can you keep your birds completely separate so they can't even see each other. If he started picking on her maybe this is the source of her ongoing stress?

Good luck and let us know how you get on.